Christianity Question: Lust

[XSlingerX]

In the new testament, Jesus says that if you look at any woman lustfully, you commit adultery in your heart. Adultery is a sin, but if you are single or not married, is this still a sin? Also, would "fantasies" be considered lust and a sin?

I would prefer inputs from Christians, but all views are appreciated

[Ó Cathasaigh]

Just by thinking about it, you pretty much commit a sin.

It seems a bit harsh at first, but think about it, you are arousing yourself to thoughts like that.
From my standpoint, as a young guy, it's damn near impossible to live a life without thinking about it. Luckily, being a christian, there's that little Jesus Christ dying for sins thing.

[SickBoy13]

From my standpoint, as a young guy, it's damn near impossible to live a life without thinking about it. Luckily, being a christian, there's that little Jesus Christ dying for sins thing.

Well said.

[Thanatos]

Yes. Because lustful thoughts are about as far as you can go without doing the deed itself. If you're undressing ladies in your mind, it's a sin.

[MasterAdnin]

Yes, it is a sin because of what Thanatos said. Another reason why it is a sin is because the point of faith is to be able to conquer your mind, body, spirit and use them in unity. Once this is done, lust is not an issue, and you will be able to control your body in all three aspects above.

Salaam,
Adnan

[Thanatos]

Exactly. Are you an animal or a man?

[Axe-Battler]

Exactly. Are you an animal or a man?

The idea that we are not animals is an illusion.

We are animals, simple.

(the next part of my post is directed at the thread itself):

Jesus never said lust was a sin, MAN said lust was a "sin".

Historians have found that in over 30,000 historical articles, books, documents, of the period that jesus was supposed to have lived, there wasn't any mentioning of his name, the apostles, mother mary, even king harod and pontius pilate...

This is strong evidence(not proof) that jesus never existed at all.

[verity_blues]

Its not only a sin, but a clear sign to you of your sin. All of us are guilty here. Thats what Jesus was trying to show us, that sin is SO immense that whatever way we try to turn we will confront it, either without or within. He says, look how easily you sin, turn your thoughts to me instead. And now that we Christians know it, because hes revealed it to us, we ought to not let it overwhelm us, as we see it for how deep it really goes. But, instead when we do see it like that, it should strengthen us, to know that he has revealed it to us. Its just another way to remember him, everytime we come face to face with our own sins.

[Logical Male]

We all have sinned, lied, and countless others, saying you haven't is a lie, and therefore a sin, so you have. Nobody but god is perfect and he knows that. Nobody should TRY to be perfect, for they cannot.

But no sin is unforgiveable.

[Thanatos]

We all have sinned, lied, and countless others, saying you haven't is a lie, and therefore a sin, so you have. Nobody but god is perfect and he knows that. Nobody should TRY to be perfect, for they cannot.

But no sin is unforgiveable.

Try to be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

And there is The Unforgivable Sin, the sin against the Holy Spirit. This was Lucifer's sin as well as that of his minions, and there can be no forgiveness.

[MasterAdnin]

We all have sinned, lied, and countless others, saying you haven't is a lie, and therefore a sin, so you have. Nobody but god is perfect and he knows that. Nobody should TRY to be perfect, for they cannot.

But no sin is unforgiveable.

I disagree. To be perfect is to resist sin. Sin brings evil into one. God has outlined sin so that we can strive to be perfect, for that is the purpose of religion, to perfect the human race into one befitting of God. I hope this makes sense.

Salaam,
Adnan

[TangleRED]

remember also the two comandments jesus gave as an addendum or interpretatin of the 10, love the lord your god with all your heart mind soul and strength, aned love your neighbor as yourself.

the reason lust is called a sin is becasue your desire for pleasure out-wieghs your love of god.

in that mindset, if you are spending more of your time talents and energy in the pursuit of hot babes, then that is sin. looking at a playboy magazine once or twice might not be.

but this isn't a popu;ar interpretation of the rules. becasue it makes sin fuzzy, and we like black and white rules for our selves.

[Zenith Darksea]

Adultery is a sin, but if you are single or not married, is this still a sin?

I'm afraid so. You don't have to be married to be an adulterer. The point is that you aren't married to the person with whom you are committing the sin (or with whom you would like to commit the sin).

Also, would "fantasies" be considered lust and a sin?

Hmm, good question. It depends on the use to which you put the fantasies, whether or not you are willingly conjuring them up, and whether or not you are being influenced by them in your actions. I might get back to this point another time when I've thought about it more.

As TangleRED said, lust is a sin just like greed, gluttony, jealousy, pride etc. because it focuses all your attention on your own personal wants and desires (not even the noble desires!) and leads you to ignore your responsibilities to other men/women and to God.

Moreover, it's a sin because it leads you to want to possess a human being who is not rightly yours to be possessed. This is not such a bad thing in marriage, because then the man and the woman do technically belong to one another, but outside of marriage it is seen as selfish and presumptuous.

[Thanatos]

It is our duty as religious to follow the path that God has carved out for us, and that includes shunning sin and all of its ways.

[redirflow]

@XSlingerX, (post#1)

In the name of Goooooood, "lust" is not sin. It is just a nature chemical behaviour of male and female for next generations.

[GershomPatmos]

In the name of Goooooood, "lust" is not sin. It is just a nature chemical behaviour of male and female for next generations.

You going into a lecture on a psychological scale about secreting phermones or something? It doesn't help to minimalize wrongful action...trying to create abstract truths as though there are none concrete in the areas of morals and ethics. It's true a sexual desire drives a man and woman to be together - but as someone pointed out...it's about the coveting of that which isn't yours to have. And it would only be "yours" if you were married - which is the proper context for a sexual relationship. And no - I'm not speaking from the perspective of someone perfect either...I have my problems (even lust from time to time)...but this is what makes lust sinful.

remember also the two comandments jesus gave as an addendum or interpretatin of the 10, love the lord your god with all your heart mind soul and strength, aned love your neighbor as yourself.

Actually, the 10 commandments is more like a summarization that most people use...the word for commandments (mitzvot) the Rabbis would have used - they could have been speaking of any of the numerous 600+ commandments (according to scholars) in the OT/Tanakh. Yeshua (Jesus) I would say fastly recited one of the most important things still recited today: part of "the Shema" (in Deuteronomy/D'varim 6 starting with verse 4). And he also quoted Leviticus 19 (specifically verse 18 - which summarized the "neighborly" verses preceding). Love was stressed a lot through the scriptures also...especially in the NT - but more often than not you'll notice it's attached to "commands." Commands which in and of themselves are good...but we through the evil desires of our hearts end up breaking - showing the lack of love we truly have - for God, others, and/or ourselves. Interestingly - Judaic teaching also says that all sins "hang upon" the last of the ten commandments - dealing with covetousness. We covet the worship of other gods, all the time/resources/care for ourselves rather than others, we covet another's body, etc.

And in regards to dreams/fantasies - I'm not sure what you're looking for here. If you're talking about dreaming (while you are sleeping/unconscious) - then it's a different answer than "fantasizing" (while you're conscious/awake) about someone which is usually the one in reference to "lust"...although both are strongly tied to our desires and wants. The Bible and psychology have much to say about dreams (if that is what you are talking about). Both give multiple explanations...and they both leave you up to understand on your own why you are dreaming. I believe most of the time it is not simply "random matter" - but things you have had your mind "mulling over" lately...such as a young lady through lust. You simply have to pray and seek God in this matter (as I believe you are probably doing now). The Bible has much to say about "renewing the mind" - the "why" (Romans 12:2), the "what" (Philippians 4:8), and the "where" (Colossians 3:2).

later my friend,
Gersh

[PacSubCom]

Yep, you can only **** if your priest sanctions it. Sorry.

[boofhead]

Well here is a Xian view:

Question: "What is lust? What does the Bible have to say about lust?"

Answer: I think Job 31:11-12 (NLT) sums up lust quite nicely, "For lust is a shameful sin, a crime that should be punished. It is a devastating fire that destroys to hell. It would wipe out everything I own." Just think about the definition of lust: 1) Intense or unrestrained sexual craving, or 2) An overwhelming desire or craving (Source: The American Heritage Dictionary). Now try and reconcile this definition with verses such as Exodus 20:14, 17 (NLT), "Do not commit adultery. . . Do not covet your neighbor’s house. Do not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else your neighbor owns," or Matthew 5:28, "But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust in his eye has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

Lust is a focus on pleasing oneself, and often leads to unwholesome actions to fulfill one's desires with no regard to the consequences. Lust is about possession and greed. The Christian faith is about selflessness, and is marked by holy living (Romans 6:19, 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 1:2, 30, 6:19-20; Ephesians 1:4, 4:24; Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8, 5:23; 2 Timothy 1:9; Hebrews 12:14; 1 Peter 1:15-16). The goal of each person who has put his/her faith in Jesus Christ is to become more and more like Him each day. This means putting off the old way of life, of which sin was in control, and conforming one's thoughts and actions to the standard put forth in Scripture. Lust is in opposition to this ideal.

Nobody will ever be perfect, or attain sinlessness while still on this earth, yet it is still a goal for which we strive. The Bible makes a very strong statement regarding this in 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8, "God has called us to be holy, not to live impure lives. Anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human rules but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you."

[felicissimus]

I am sorry to disagree but the lust has nothing to do with responsibilities or love to God .It's an ontological question .Why is it a sin,a mistake ?
The mistake is having an attitude which is wrong .Now we must see what is wrong in it .
The lust maybe divided in two-lust to the body and desire to the soul.Actually the desire to the soul is always primarily or should be because without it people don't get attracted to each other and don't like themselves even if they are very beautiful.
The lust to the body is also split into two- liking of its shape and general outlook and second-desire to obtain it,to get it somehow,to feel connected with it,to possess it(even there must be a more precize word in English).Now this second part of the lust to the body can be helped by hormones,feromones etc and also by getting horny,excited in the course of physical excitement.
This second part of the lust is sentenced by the Church on the grounds that it is a phantasy .And no fantasy can have something useful or good according to the christianity .The desire to get the body,to touch it,to possess it helped by hormones(but not created by them ) ,strengtened by excitement is wrong because you start thinking of that body in an unusual way that is not normal .I mean why the hell do you have to be so possessed by it ? Tied to it ? Is it the best body ? Aren't there too many nice bodies,why exactly that one ? Even if very beautiful,why to desire it so much ? The point is your thoughts and desires are exagerrated by the hormones and enlarged by your fantasy thoughts and you start thinking of it unrealistically and wrong .Even if it continues overpowering you can make it a fetish or an idol .This is generally what the Church dislikes-overpowering of the feeling and of the desire called lust .This is wrong and it has developed certain rules to prevent you from this and not becoming ridiculous always maintaining the good reason .
Moreover the old Church believed the lust is irresistible and so overpowers you because of the addition of a demonic influence upon the soul so that it can not get rid of it and cannot restore the usual reason which is indifferent to lust even after the excitement passes over .
The solution is always one and the same .Do not picture,imagine anything and don't elaborate the view of a body in your thoughts .Even when you get in intercourse when it is allowed,restore the usual state of mind after it not dealing with any image .And your soul may be pure and the mind healthy .

[Mythos]

The whole thing is a joke. Lust is a sin as much as the chemical reaction to create salt from sodium and chloride.