Is it okay to watch R-rated movies?
Here's the answer:
Believers in Jesus should be careful about what they see.
Since movies weren’t invented yet when the Bible was written, many people say that God’s Word doesn’t have anything to say about "modern" things. But that isn’t true! The Bible contains guidelines to help us make choices about what we do or don’t allow in our lives. When a movie is rated "R," that means it probably has violence, dirty language, and people doing sinful things. Should a believer watch those sorts of things?
The Apostle Paul tells us in the Bible that we are free to do all things, but not all things are going to be good for us. What does that mean? It means that while we may choose to do some kinds of things, it’s better for us if we don’t do them because they don’t help us to live or make choices in ways that glorify God. These things may even be harmful to us.
First Thessalonians 5:22 says, "Stay away from every kind of evil." R-rated movies show sinful and evil things, like murder and cruelty. So in order to obey God, we should not watch these kinds of things and fill our minds with these evil pictures. When we do, we’re storing in our minds things that do not please God.
Think about this: If you were watching an R-rated movie and God walked into the room, would you be embarrassed? Well, since God has promised never to leave or forsake a believer, He is always in the room. So we should make choices that we know would honor God, keep us away from evil influences, and keep our minds free from sounds and images that are harmful to us as believers.
Bible Truth
"Some of you say, 'Everything is permitted for me.' But not everything is good for me" (1 Corinthians 6:12).
"Finally, my brothers and sisters, always think about what is true. Think about what is noble, right and pure. Think about what is lovely and worthy of respect. If anything is excellent or worthy of praise, think about those kinds of things" (Philippians 4:8).
