A full exposition of Paul Washer’s teaching on sexual immorality, sanctification, and the deadly spiral of lust.

Introduction: The Sin That Slowly Murders the Soul

There is a reason Scripture speaks with terrifying clarity about lust. Not because God wants to ruin joy, but because He wants to prevent destruction. As Paul Washer warns, no man suddenly falls. They slide—inch by inch, compromise by compromise—until conscience evaporates and darkness devours them.

Lust kills.
It kills marriages.
It kills ministries.
It kills purity.
It kills spiritual discernment.
And ultimately—if left unchecked—it kills the soul.

Washer’s words cut like a surgical blade: “I am sick and tired of hearing men whine about the power of this when I know God has given us power over it.”

This is not a light issue.
This is not “every man’s struggle.”
This is not something to tolerate as an inevitable part of life.

According to Scripture, sexual sin is a sign of spiritual infancy at best, and of being unconverted at worst.

This article unpacks the entire message: why sexual sin destroys, what Scripture says about it, why it reveals the absence of true love, and how God calls believers to fight and overcome.

Prepare yourself: this is not comfortable reading. But it is necessary.

1. Sanctification Has Proof—and Lust Destroys It

Washer begins by pointing out that Paul’s teaching in 1 Thessalonians highlights two undeniable evidences of sanctification:

• Sexual purity

• Genuine love

These two cannot be separated. In fact, they expose one another.

Why these two?

Because real love leads to purity.
And sexual sin reveals the absence of love.

Lust is not love. It is self-idolatry—using others (even in imagination) for personal gratification. It is proof of a heart centered on self rather than on Christ.

So when a person claims to grow spiritually while embracing sexual sin, Washer says plainly:

“You are at best a new convert. You have not attained the place you ought to attain.”

In other words:
Spiritual maturity cannot coexist with sexual impurity.

2. The Lie: “All Men Struggle With This”

Washer stops everything to destroy one of the most dangerous excuses in the modern church:

“I hear men say, ‘All men struggle with sexual immorality.’ That is not true.”

This lie comforts the flesh and enslaves the conscience.
Yes—all men must fear sexual sin.
But not every man is enslaved by it.

Why does this matter?

Because believing “everyone does it” removes urgency, seriousness, and repentance.

When you think sexual sin is universal and unavoidable, you stop waging war.

And here lies the tragedy:
Many Christian men do not fight because they believe defeat is normal.

Washer refuses to allow that excuse. God has given real power over this sin. Men who walk in purity today are not superhuman—they are obedient, vigilant, and surrendered.

If purity is possible for others, it is possible for you.

3. Sexual Sin Is Not Harmless—It Is Violent

Most believers underestimate the destructive power of sexual immorality. Washer says:

“If you don’t think it’s dangerous, talk to three people: the pastor, the policeman, and the lawyer.”

Sexual sin destroys:

• marriages

• families

• reputations

• ministries

• psychological stability

• financial integrity

• legal standing

• self-control

• spiritual discernment

• and eventually, the soul itself

This is not a “private sin.” It leaks, infects, spreads, and corrodes everything it touches.

It is not freedom.
It is bondage and death.

4. What Scripture Means by “Sexual Immorality”

Washer turns to the Greek word porneía, and his explanation leaves no loopholes.

Porneía means:

“To engage in sexual immorality of any kind.”

Not just adultery.
Not just prostitution.
Not just physical acts.

ALL of the following fall under porneía:

• fornication

• pornography

• prostitution

• homosexuality

• sexual fantasy

• lustful imagination

• any sexual expression outside biblical marriage

Porneía describes every sinful sexual thought, desire, or act.

No sliding permitted.

Washer warns that sexual sin begins small:

• one glance

• one compromise

• one video

• one fantasy

• one message

• one moment of curiosity

And from there, it slides downward into the pit of hell.

Nobody “falls.” They slide slowly, quietly, secretly—until the conscience is numb.

5. Pornography: A Word That Exposes the Darkness

Washer explains the Greek roots:

• porne — prostitute

• graphos — writing

Originally, it referred to writings about sexual immorality.
Today it includes:

• pictures

• videos

• novels

• erotic literature

• explicit social media posts

• fantasies created in the mind

Washer adds:

“Most novels Christians read would rightly be classified as pornography.”

Because the human heart doesn’t need a screen to sin; it only needs fuel.

6. Scripture Puts Sexual Sin on the Level of Idolatry and Consuming Blood

Acts 15 shows the Jerusalem Council addressing new Gentile believers. What commands did they consider “essential”?

• avoid idolatry

• avoid consuming blood

• avoid sexual immorality

Washer’s implication is chilling:

Committing sexual sin is placed beside bowing to idols and drinking blood.

To God, this sin isn’t “normal weakness.” It is pagan behavior.

And the apostles believed purity was not only possible—it was expected.

You cannot read the New Testament honestly and believe sexual sin is unavoidable.

7. Purity Is Elementary Christianity—Not Advanced Maturity

Washer states something brutally countercultural:

“If you have not mastered this, you have not even reached the first rung of Christian maturity.”

Think about that.

If sexual sin dominates your life:

• You are not mature.

• You are not strong.

• You are not spiritually advanced.

• You are not living at step 2 or 3—you are not at step 1.

This is Christianity 101.
Baby steps.

You cannot move on to deeper discipleship while enslaved to lust.
Your reading, theology, ministry, and knowledge mean nothing if sexual sin controls you.

8. Lust Is a Judgment—A Sign God Has “Given Someone Over”

Romans 1 is explicit: societies do not fall into sexual sin—they are “given over” to it.

Lust becomes:

• a punishment

• a sign of God’s judgment

• evidence He has handed people over to their depravity

Sexual sin is not proof of freedom.
It is proof of bondage.

And it spirals like addiction:

“A man gives himself to one thing, then to another, and another, until his conscience is gone.”

Washer compares it to drug addiction:
The sinner chases the first high for the rest of his life—never satisfied, always spiraling deeper.

No one stays at the level they began.
Lust never remains small.
It always grows darker.

9. The Church Must Not Tolerate Habitual Sexual Immorality

Washer quotes 1 Corinthians 5:

“Do not associate with any so-called brother who is immoral… not even to eat with such a one.”

This is not about a believer fighting sin.
This is about someone who:

• refuses to repent

• hides the sin

• indulges continually

• makes no progress

• hardens their heart

Such people must not:

• counsel others

• lead ministries

• teach

• hold spiritual authority

Washer says it plainly:

“Heal yourself, physician.”

10. Eternal Warning: Sexual Sin Leads to Hell

Washer reads passages that modern churches avoid, but that the Holy Spirit inspired.

1 Corinthians 6:9–10

Fornicators will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:19–21

Those who practice immorality will not inherit the Kingdom.

Ephesians 5:5–6

Let no one deceive you. The immoral have no inheritance in Christ.

Revelation 21:7–8

The immoral will be in the lake of fire.

These are clear, undeniable, unavoidable truths:

• A believer may struggle for a time…

• But he cannot live enslaved to sexual sin for life.

• He cannot remain unrepentant.

• He cannot make peace with lust.

If he does, Scripture says he is not truly converted.

11. The Call: Fight Until It Dies—or It Will Kill You

Washer concludes with a powerful personal reflection:

“I am convinced I am not here to do great works, but to overcome the deficiencies in my character.”

This battle must be taken seriously.
We must attack sin like Phinehas driving a spear through rebellion.

Holiness is not optional.
It is the mark of true salvation.

And Washer ends with this truth:

Believers do not continue in these things. They fight. They overcome. They grow.
The unconverted continue without change.

Final Word: Lust Kills Everyone Who Refuses to Kill It

Sexual sin is not a pet.
It is not a weakness.
It is not a personality trait.

It is a murderer—
first of purity, then of conscience, then of the soul.

There is only one path out:

• Repent deeply.

• Fear God rightly.

• Cut off every source of compromise.

• Practice radical accountability.

• Seek the power of the Spirit.

• Believe that Christ actually frees captives.

This is not beyond you.
This is not too strong for you.
This is not permanent bondage.

God gives power.
God gives escape.
God gives victory.

And He commands purity not to torment you—but to save your soul.