Is it a sin to watch “R” rated movies?
Great question! I will begin by saying that the MPAA rating system was not around when the Bible was written, so there were no ratings at all. So no, the Bible does not give any direction about “R” rated movies. Is that skirting around the question? 🙂
Let’s ask it another way: “Is it a sin to watch sinful behavior in movies?” This could involve filthy language, violence, sex, and so on. Should Christians be watching these things?
To begin, it is important to remember the freedom that Christians have under the new covenant. We are no longer living under a set of rules. That is why Paul writes, “All things are lawful,” in 1 Cor 10:23. In Galatians 5:1 and 5:13, Paul says that Christians have freedom in Christ. In Christ, we have freedom!
Having said that, when we were saved by Christ, we were brought from the sinful life we used to live and adopted into his new family. So even though we have an enormous amount of freedom, we are called to live a different way. Therefore, even though we have the freedom to watch something, is it helpful?
Think about it this way: When you were a child, you lived under all sorts of rules. My kids are only allowed to have ice cream on certain nights, and it is only a limited amount. They long for the day when they will be an adult and be allowed to eat ice cream as much as they want! But adults, you know the reality is that, even though we all have the freedom to eat ice cream whenever we want, we don’t. Eating too much ice cream will give us a stomach ache, make us fat, rot our teeth, and eventually give us diabetes. So even though we have the freedom, we limit ourselves in how much we eat because we want to use our freedom responsibly.
Christians, you were bought with a price, and with that you are called to live in a way that honors your savior. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
I quoted several verses at the beginning about the freedom we have in Christ. Let me show the entire verse which will show you Paul’s thinking. Galatians 5:1 says, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Similarly, 5:13 says something similar: “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” Lastly, 1 Corinthians 10:23 says, “‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things build up.” In other words: Yes, we have freedom. But we should use our freedom in a responsible way.
So is it a sin to watch sinful things? No. But is it irresponsible? Possibly. If it will lead you to think impure thoughts, then it is irresponsible. If it will lead to financially supporting an impure or ungodly movement, then it is irresponsible. If it will lead you to support impurity in any other way, then it is irresponsible. If it leads to ungodliness, then it is irresponsible.
We also need to remember that one of the ways we grow more godly is by dwelling on godly things. Paul encourages us to do this in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” By putting ungodly things in front of you, would that be helping or hurting the task of pursuing godliness? Most likely, hurting.
In conclusion, no, the Bible doesn’t specify which ratings we should be watching or not be watching. But as new beings, we are called to purity and godliness, so the responsible path is to choose to put things in front of us that reflect godliness, not mock it.
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