This may sound strange, but we can learn a lot about the nature of sexual sin from G-rated films. Ever seen the classic film Pinocchio? There is one particular scene that vividly captures the enslaving power of sin. Pinocchio and his mischievous friend Lampwick are lured away by the Coachman. He’s that evil figure who deceitfully rounds up little boys to enjoy Pleasure Island, the place where one’s every desire becomes a reality. Anything goes. Pinocchio and Lampwick can get into a fight, if they’re feeling feisty. They can destroy a home, if they’re feeling naughty. They can even indulge themselves in smelly cigars, frothy beers, and plenty of bar games, though they’re underage. The more they sin, the more they seem to feel like “real adults.” But things suddenly take a turn for the worse. What started off as immensely liberating soon becomes miserably enslaving, and Pinocchio witnesses the oppressive nature of sin firsthand.

After taking a drink of his beer, Lampwick suddenly grows donkey ears. Pinocchio looks at his beer and slowly puts it down. Then, when Lampwick makes a billiards shot, a donkey tail tears through the back of his pants. Pinocchio looks with disgust at his cigar and quickly throws it away. Lampwick ultimately turns into a donkey and starts hee-hawing, kicking, and bawling in desperation for his “mama.” He, along with many other bad boys-turned-donkeys, are locked up in crates by dark figures to be shipped and sold to salt mines and circuses. What the Coachman said earlier comes true: “Give a bad boy enough rope, and he’ll soon make a jackass of himself.” To put it differently, with enough unsupervised liberty, bad boys (and girls) are sure to make sinful fools of themselves.

Isn’t this true? This scene from Pinocchio makes me think of a student’s first semester at college. It seems so liberating at first. Mom and Dad are no longer around. All of your friends are back at home. You haven’t settled on a church yet, and there’s certainly no one around who will “force” you to attend. No one knows your history or religious background. And you’re surrounded by strangers who, more than likely, didn’t have the same Christian upbringing that you did. As you move into your dorm room, you realize that there aren’t separate dormitories for guys and girls. You’ve never lived in such close quarters with the opposite sex before. Then night falls, and the parties begin. Your roommate asks if you’ll join him in a night of full-fledged debauchery. He assures you that frothy beers, smelly cigars, and bar games are only the beginning. After all, those are G-rated activities. You’re at Pleasure Island University now, where all your desires, whether R-rated, TV-MA, or worse, can become realities. Pornography is more accessible than cable TV. One-night stands are all too common. Temptation to give in to sexual sin is literally everywhere. And all around you are real-life Lampwicks who have been given “enough rope” to do whatever their hearts desire. Believing they’re free, they prove to be enslaved by their actions. And though they haven’t realized it yet, they’re turning into donkeys.

This is the moment of truth for you. What will you do? How will you fight against unceasing temptation? Remember all those verses you memorized out of love for Christ? “How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Rom. 6:2); “I have made a covenant with my eyes” (Job 31:1); “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word” (Ps. 119:9); “Flee youthful passions” (2 Tim. 2:22); “Flee from sexual immorality” (1 Cor. 6:18). Will you obey Christ in this sin-ridden context? Or, will you foolishly decide to accept your roommate’s invitation and inevitably become a donkey yourself?