In his book Closing the Window, Tim Chester shares the following quotes from men who have struggled with the guilt and condemnation that comes from viewing pornography:

• "It's made me want to hide from God …. It makes me doubt my salvation, and then the depression comes and with the depression comes temptation to sin again."
• "I feel crap about myself. I don't feel worthy to serve God. And I don't believe I can break the habit."
• "I feel dirty and unable to approach God after looking at porn …. So often I feel unable to come to him in repentance, even though I know my sin is already dealt with."
• "I couldn't talk with God about my problems. My picture of him was that he would accept me if and when I had 'scrubbed up' enough."

Without condoning the sin of viewing porn, Chester offers the following words of hope to people who are struggling with pornography:

Jesus lived God's welcome to sinners. He embodied God's mercy. He was known as the friend of sinners. The religious people didn't like it, because it turned their proud systems of self-righteousness upside down. But Jesus sat down to eat with prostitutes, adulterers, and porn addicts …. On the cross, God treated Christ as a porn user …. [Paraphrasing 2 Corinthians 5:17], "God made Jesus, who never looked with lust, to be a porn addict for us, so that in him we might become sexually pure."