The days of online temptations being limited to a grainy picture of a scantily clad model are long gone. Today, high-definition imagery, streaming services, and even literary erotica reign supreme. These have been joined by newcomers to the entertainment field, like 18+ AI chatbots, online gambling platforms, and even video chat sites that allow you to connect with strangers.
While each form of entertainment provides everything from thrills to pleasure, it presents unique ethical conundrums for modern believers. With a call to holiness depicted in various Scriptures, the most commonly referenced being 1 Peter 1:15, living with these temptations has become a continuous struggle for those seeking to live as Christ did.
If you’d like to know more about these online temptations and their effect on our call to holiness, keep reading as we reveal whether they are sinful or a great way to have some good, clean fun online.
Streaming Services
Streaming services have become commonplace in the homes of almost every consumer. Recent statistics estimate that nearly 88% of US homes are subscribed to at least one service. With over 200 available worldwide, many families have multiple subscriptions ranging from Netflix to Hulu and even Spotify.
These services provide incredible entertainment at affordable prices and allow content to be streamed in exceptional quality, sometimes offering 4K options for movies and series. As such, they provide a great way to relax and unwind at the end of the day.
For believers, these services present two unique ethical dilemmas—not because they are inherently unholy, but because of the content they provide access to and their effects on spiritual life.
Firstly, although plenty of movies and series feature no profanity, nudity, or explicit references, many (if not the majority) do. These include blaspheme where the Lord’s name is taken in vain or sexual innuendos that fly in the face of passages like Mathew 5:28.
Secondly, streaming services make binge-watching content accessible and easy. This temptation could cause believers to spend more time watching TV or listening to music, often at the expense of quiet times with the Lord or studying their Bible.
Online Gambling
Despite being around since the 1990s, online gambling has gained significant traction over the last two decades. This has led to more operators than ever offering thrills and chances to win in the form of online casinos and sports betting platforms, through which players can place wagers in hopes of a considerable reward.
For instance, Caesars is a big name in US online gambling and offers unique rewards to new and existing players to entice them to try its massive selection of games and entertaining options. Despite being entertainment, engaging with these games and platforms presents a challenge for players seeking a holy life.
As the bible never expressly prohibits gambling, this is only true when gambling becomes an idol in a player’s life, where they put it above other priorities, including their faith. This contravenes Colossians 3:5, which states that idolatry should be put to death as it belongs to our earthly desires.
Considering this, players need to be careful of the temptation that gambling provides both in that it is a form of entertainment and in that it can lead to a love of money, which is addressed as sinful in 1 Timothy 6:10. Believers who can enjoy the attraction as nothing more than entertainment can happily continue playing without worry of contravening their call to holiness.
Social Media
As of 2025, it is estimated that 5.24 billion people actively use social media. These users connect with friends and loved ones, keep updated with trends, and share their lives, bringing those far away nearer. In theory, this fulfills what we’re called to when we’re told to live together as God’s people.
However, while believers may seek to use these platforms simply for their designed purposes, many others use them for unholy purposes. These include as a platform to scam the innocent out of money, disseminate hurtful content, or even share explicit graphical content.
More than this, social media tempts believers to question their holy ethics in light of what the world finds acceptable or desirable. This can lead to the judgment of others (spoken of in Matthew 7:2-5), adopting incorrect mindsets about particular topics, or even falling prey to other temptations, such as immoral adult content shared on these platforms.
The latter, in particular, has been receiving attention since the mid-2010s, when Snapchat was highlighted as a platform predominantly used to share adult content. Other platforms have also had similar accusations levied, with some, like Kik, shutting down entirely due to investigations proving the accusations correct.
Additional Forms of Temptation
Although the above are the most common forms of temptation that draw us away from a life of holiness, modern technology is quickly providing more. Among these are:
+18 AI Chatbots
These chatbots, powered by sophisticated AI models, provide what is marketed as a safe space to explore flirtation and sexuality. From seeing how role-play scenarios will work out to practicing flirting in sensual ways, these tempt sexual immorality in vivid and descriptive ways.
Erotic Games
Video games, one of the world’s most-loved forms of entertainment, have attracted the interest of the adult industry more often in recent years. As such, there are a variety of erotic titles available that allow you to control characters and cause them to engage in lewd acts together or with you.
Our Call to Holiness
Despite the various temptations present online, much of it can align with holy living on the condition that discernment and proper judgment are used. As 1 Peter 1:15-17 says, we should be holy in all manners and live as foreigners on earth. This is a call to live a holy life irrespective of temptations, which are prevalent today due to the internet.
This doesn’t, as some reformed believers state, mean avoiding all forms of online entertainment. Instead, it means being knowledgeable about the temptations and knowing how to avoid them. For many, this means relying on God to give us the strength to resist these temptations and, in so doing, live a holy life that is pleasing to Him.
