Question: Aren’t sex toys just another form of pornography because they are used for arousal?

Answer: Whether or not a person is sinning when they use sex toys depends on what they are thinking about while they are using them. It is our conviction that unless a sex act is expressly declared in Scripture as wrong (adultery, bestiality, homosexuality, incest and so on), we are to consider what is happening in the mind according to the principles Jesus gave us to determine if it is sin or not. Since masturbation, with or without a toy, is not talked about in Scripture we use what Jesus taught us about lust and remaining in control of our bodies to separate masturbation that is sin from masturbation that is not sin.

So if a woman uses a sex toy and is thinking about what her body is doing and how it is responding, and/or what she would like to be doing sexually with her husband, we do not believe this is sin. However, if a woman is using a sex toy and fantasizing about a man at work or thinking about a sex scene she saw in a movie then we believe this is sin. As well, if masturbation/the use of sex toys controls her to the point where she plans her day around it or it interferes with her responsibilities and so on, then we believe that it has become something which controls her which we believe is sin. The final issue that we believe would make toy usage sin is if it replaced a wife’s sexual experience with her husband. We believe the needs of the couple come first. So if a wife is using a toy and it results in pleasing her to to point where she is no longer available to him, then we believe the woman is sinning.

So although sex toys are tools that are used for arousal, we believe that they do not fit into the category of pornography because they can be used in ways that are free from lust and a loss of self control.

Thank you for your question.