What is Lust?

[CWH]

Looks like I have to answer my own questions as usual. Please see my resonses in red:

In this thread, I would like to discuss what is LUST i.e. lust of the flesh? The answer is all found in the Bible. I would like to focus on the following issues and I would like the floor to respond first before I give my responses.

Wiki on lust:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lust

1. Why is God so concern about human lust?

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Because He is concerned about sexual sins getting out of control. Sexuals sins will result in immorality and venereal diseases and AIDS. Such will cause the decline of human society and civilization. Imagine going anywhere and everyone is demanding for sex as in the account of Sodom and Gomorrah.
2. Does lust leads to sexual sins?

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Yes as it will lead to promiscuity, prostitution, etc.etc.
3. Will eradication of lust leads to eradication of sexual sins such as rape, adulteries etc.
Yes, obviously. A lustful persaon seeing a naked woman on the bed will think that the woman desires sex whereas an unlustful person will think the poor woman have nothing to wear and will provide her with some clothings.
4. How can we get rid of human lust? Is it possible?
Humanly impossible. How to get rid of rape, hoimosexuality, prostituition, adultery, fornication, one night stand, romiscuity, molestatikons, nudity, pornography, bestiality, forncation, pedophilia, sodomy etc, etc?
5. Is lust always evil and bad?
Yes and No. Lust is not evil and bad if the lust is for your own wife and husband.... if not how to bear children and maintain love and relationship? It is considered bad and evil if it is lust with another man's wife and husband or others and perversely. It will lead to distrust between husband and wife and disrupt the vow and sanctity of marriage. This will lead to decline in moral and family values and ultimately human society and civilization.

The meaning of lust is illustrated in the Bible in red:

Here is the whole list in the Bible related to lust:

1. Numbers 15:39
You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the LORD, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by chasing after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes.

2. Job 31:1
“I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman.

3. Proverbs 6:25
Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes.(Seduction)
4. Isaiah 57:5
You burn with lust among the oaks and under every spreading tree(Fornication); you sacrifice your children(Pedophilia?) in the ravines and under the overhanging crags.

5. Isaiah 57:8
Behind your doors and your doorposts you have put your pagan symbols. Forsaking me, you uncovered your bed, you climbed into it and opened it wide; you made a pact with those whose beds you love(Promiscuity), and you looked with lust on their naked bodies(Nudity).
6. Jeremiah 5:8
They are well-fed, lusty stallions(Bestiality?), each neighing for another man’s wife(Adultery).
7. Jeremiah 13:27
your adulteries and lustful neighings, your shameless prostitution! I have seen your detestable acts on the hills and in the fields. Woe to you, Jerusalem! How long will you be unclean?”

9. Ezekiel 6:9
Then in the nations where they have been carried captive, those who escape will remember me—how I have been grieved by their adulterous hearts, which have turned away from me, and by their eyes, which have lusted after their idols. They will loathe themselves for the evil they have done and for all their detestable practices.

10. Ezekiel 16:36
This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because you poured out your lust and exposed your naked body in your promiscuity with your lovers, and because of all your detestable idols, and because you gave them your children’s blood,

11. Ezekiel 20:24
because they had not obeyed my laws but had rejected my decrees and desecrated my Sabbaths, and their eyes lusted after their parents’ idols (incest?).
12. Ezekiel 20:30
[ Rebellious Israel Renewed ] “Therefore say to the Israelites: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Will you defile yourselves the way your ancestors did and lust after their vile images?

13. Ezekiel 23:5
“Oholah engaged in prostitution while she was still mine; and she lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians—warriors

14. Ezekiel 23:7
She gave herself as a prostitute to all the elite of the Assyrians and defiled herself with all the idols of everyone she lusted after.

15. Ezekiel 23:8
She did not give up the prostitution she began in Egypt, when during her youth men slept with her, caressed her virgin bosom and poured out their lust on her(Fornication).
16. Ezekiel 23:9
“Therefore I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, the Assyrians, for whom she lusted.

17. Ezekiel 23:11
“Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet in her lust and prostitution she was more depraved than her sister.

18. Ezekiel 23:12
She too lusted after the Assyrians—governors and commanders, warriors in full dress, mounted horsemen, all handsome young men.

19. Ezekiel 23:16
As soon as she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea.

20. Ezekiel 23:17
Then the Babylonians came to her, to the bed of love, and in their lust they defiled her. After she had been defiled by them, she turned away from them in disgust.

21. Ezekiel 23:20
There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses(Bestiality?).
22. Ezekiel 23:30
have brought this on you, because you lusted after the nations and defiled yourself with their idols.

23. Nahum 3:4
all because of the wanton lust of a prostitute, alluring, the mistress of sorceries, who enslaved nations by her prostitution and peoples by her witchcraft.

24. Matthew 5:28
But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
25. Romans 1:26
Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones.26.
Romans 1:27
In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

27. Colossians 3:5
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.

28. 1 Thessalonians 4:5
not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God;

29. 1 Peter 4:3
For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.

30. 2 Peter 2:18
For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error.

31. 1 John 2:16
For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.

May God prevent us from sexual sins.

[CWH]

The meaning of Lust:

lust 
noun
1. intense sexual desire or appetite.
2. uncontrolled or illicit sexual desire or appetite; lecherousness.
3. a passionate or overmastering desire or craving (usually followed by for ): a lust for power.
4. ardent enthusiasm; zest; relish: an enviable lust for life.


How to overcme Lust?

How to Overcome Lust
Take it one day at a time. Abstaining from lustful actions can help you to overcome lust. The lustful urges may still be present, but if you don't give into them you can live a healthier life. Study the right path. Delve into the teachings of the wis
http://www.ehow.com/how_2071918.html?ref=Track2&utm_sou...

How to Overcome Lust
1 Consider what lust gets you over like and love . Lust is a fleeting feeling, one that wants to be satisfied immediately without a thought for the future. Liking and loving a person are longer term notions, requiring you to address commitm...
http://www.wikihow.com/Overcome-Lust

How to Overcome Lust
1 Take it one day at a time. Abstaining from lustful actions can help you to overcome lust. The lustful urges may still be present, but if you don't give into them you can live a healthier life. 2 Study the right path. Delve into the teachi...
http://www.ehow.com/how_2071918_overcome-lust.html?ref=...

How do you overcome lust?
say three "hail marys" and go eat a vegetable, you fat bastard.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_you_overcome_lust

How do you overcome lust?
Lust is incredibly powerful and the more you think about the person at the centre of it the more potent the feelings become, fantasies develop and it can get out of control. If, for whatever reason you cannot have the person you desire, the...
http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/1629931

How To Overcome Lust! | Brother John Reveals Letter from God ...
brotherjohn.org/how-to-overcome-lust/

Jan 3, 2011 ... After I decided to follow Christ at about age 16, I knew I still could not bear to see a pretty girl without lusting after her in my heart. It was an issue ...
How to Overcome Lust
howtoloveone.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Overcome-Lust

Apr 9, 2012 ... Lust is all too commonly confused with sincere sexual interest. This hub explores the viscous cycle of lust, showing how it prevents sex.
Sexual Lust: How to Overcome 2/5 - YouTube
www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-VNc5Pmmd0

Jan 12, 2010 ... This is a a word of encouragment to the single believers that may be struggling in their flesh with sexual lust. I pray that you are edified ...

Overcoming Lust - CounselCare Connection
http://www.counselcareconnection.org...9/1/Overcoming... http://www.counselcareconnection.org...ust/Page1.html

Nov 6, 2007 ... Advice for overcoming lust and sexual temptations.
How can I deal with sexual addictions? - Christian Answers Network
http://www.christiananswers.net/q-ed...ctiontips.html

How to Deal with Your Sexual Addiction. ... "But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart" ...

May God help us to overcoem Lust.

[David M]

Hello Cheow

My take on this is; lust is not just sexual, it is the desire to satisfy our own needs whatever those needs are. Envy comes in when we want to satisfy our own selfish needs with something that is owned by someone else. Greed is when we have things in excess. It is possible to be lustful, envious and greedy all at the same time and all this is done to satisfy a personal ego (the pride of life).

I let the following scriptures answer discern between sexual lust and other forms of lust and what the consequence of lust and satisfying ego leads to:

(1 John 2:16) For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

James 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

All the best,

David

[CWH]

Hello Cheow

My take on this is; lust is not just sexual, it is the desire to satisfy our own needs whatever those needs are. Envy comes in when we want to satisfy our own selfish needs with something that is owned by someone else. Greed is when we have things in excess. It is possible to be lustful, envious and greedy all at the same time and all this is done to satisfy a personal ego (the pride of life).

I let the following scriptures answer discern between sexual lust and other forms of lust and what the consequence of lust and satisfying ego leads to:

(1 John 2:16) For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

James 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

All the best,

Thanks David and I do understand that lust could also greed for power etc. But when we read the Bible, many passages refer to lust of the flesh. Perhaps, you may want to contribute to why God is so concerned about lust.

God Bless.



David

[Richard Amiel McGough]

Hello Cheow

My take on this is; lust is not just sexual, it is the desire to satisfy our own needs whatever those needs are. Envy comes in when we want to satisfy our own selfish needs with something that is owned by someone else. Greed is when we have things in excess. It is possible to be lustful, envious and greedy all at the same time and all this is done to satisfy a personal ego (the pride of life).

I let the following scriptures answer discern between sexual lust and other forms of lust and what the consequence of lust and satisfying ego leads to:

(1 John 2:16) For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

James 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

All the best,

David

Good points David.

There is nothing wrong with sex any more than there is anything wrong with food. It is good to have sex just like it is good to eat. But one can eat too much or eat the wrong things and so could have problems.

CWH's focus on sex misses the real point of the Bible. The fundamental concept seems to me to be well summed up in Galatians:

Galatians 5:17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

And in Romans:

Romans 8:5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

The basic idea is that the "mind of the flesh" represents consciousness focused on the physical aspects of the world, whereas the "mind of the spirit" focuses on the "things of the spirit" where we are conscious of morality and value. This made a lot of sense to me when I was a Christian, and I still see some value in it but I don't actually think the division of flesh vs. spirit is helpful because people tend to literalize it and forget that there is nothing wrong with the flesh per se. The problems arise only when the flesh is not directed by the spirit.

Richard

[David M]

Thanks David and I do understand that lust could also greed for power etc. But when we read the Bible, many passages refer to lust of the flesh. Perhaps, you may want to contribute to why God is so concerned about lust.

Hello Cheow
Lust is a problem for man because it is a craving to please self and satisfy a selfish want. The term "lust of the flesh" only occurs twice in the KJV; 1 John 2:16 and Galatians 5:16. The word "lust" occurs 19 times in the KJV. On skimming through these verses not all related to sex and it looked like 50% of the references did not relate to sex. There are some obvious verses which relate to sex, for example; (Romans 1:27) And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another;

Lust is a big temptation and requires willpower to overcome. Jesus was able to resist all temptation and proved it was possible to do have the willpower.

All the best,

David

[Warrior Angel]

Good points David.

There is nothing wrong with sex any more than there is anything wrong with food. It is good to have sex just like it is good to eat. But one can eat too much or eat the wrong things and so could have problems.

CWH's focus on sex misses the real point of the Bible. The fundamental concept seems to me to be well summed up in Galatians:

Galatians 5:17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

And in Romans:

Romans 8:5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

The basic idea is that the "mind of the flesh" represents consciousness focused on the physical aspects of the world, whereas the "mind of the spirit" focuses on the "things of the spirit" where we are conscious of morality and value. This made a lot of sense to me when I was a Christian, and I still see some value in it but I don't actually think the division of flesh vs. spirit is helpful because people tend to literalize it and forget that there is nothing wrong with the flesh per se. The problems arise only when the flesh is not directed by the spirit.

Richard

I have a question about lust that maybe you or someone here can help answer. I understand that it is fine with your wife. But what if its a computer generated woman on a pc screen? And you are single. Because looking at porn of a naked woman is committing adultery with that woman in your heart because she is real flesh and has a real life with a husband possibly. But what if that woman is not real and CGI and you firmly know that cause you made her? So you don't go around all day thinking about the woman so it doesnt effect your life but you eventually get the need and well...you deal with it. And in a man sex/ejaculation is a growing need just like hunger that seems to need to be satisfied then goes away. I would like to hear your thoughts on this thanks.

[CWH]

I have a question about lust that maybe you or someone here can help answer. I understand that it is fine with your wife. But what if its a computer generated woman on a pc screen? And you are single. Because looking at porn of a naked woman is committing adultery with that woman in your heart because she is real flesh and has a real life with a husband possibly. But what if that woman is not real and CGI and you firmly know that cause you made her? So you don't go around all day thinking about the woman so it doesnt effect your life but you eventually get the need and well...you deal with it. And in a man sex/ejaculation is a growing need just like hunger that seems to need to be satisfied then goes away. I would like to hear your thoughts on this thanks.

What is the difference between looking at a real woman and looking at a pornstar or a beautiful female naked cartoon on the screen? To me it is still lust if sex with them is in your thoughts when looking at the real woman or the naked woman or cartoon on the screen. If there is no sexual thoughts (which I think may not be possible) while looking at them, then there is no lust. Which is more sinful?... looking at the real thing or naked pictures on the screen? I believe it is the same if there is sexual thoughts in your mind while looking. Then what is the difference between sexual dreams and sexual fantasies with/without nocturnal emmisions or masturbations? I do understand that such things could be caused by the sex hormones. To me it is still lust unless the woman in your dreams and fantasies is your own wife. Jesus said, we are all in an adulterous generation and what He said is quite true as we all have been tempted by things sexually provocative all around us. I guess lust is just part of life but of course it is more sinful to actually do the sexual act such as adultery, fornication than to think about it or look lustfully at pretty women/men. There is nothing wrong with nocturnal emissions(natural) or masturbations. In fact Jesus stressed on the word "looks" (with eyes opened) rather than "think or dream" (no mention of it but lust comes from the mind) that is more sinful. If we study Jesus comment carefully, it may not be a sin or less sinful to lust after a woman than to commit adultery and adultery can only be committed with someone who is married. In fact, the context in the passage is about adultery.

Matthew 5:27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’[e] 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Therefore, Jesus passage can be be interpreted in this way, "But I tell you that anyone (male or female who is married) who looks at a woman (whether the woman/man is married or not, and for those singles who look at a married woman/man lustfully) lustfully has already committed adultery with her/his in his/her heart". It goes the same for a woman looking lustfully at a man or among homosexual men and lesbian women and bisexuals as well.

I classify lust into three groups:
1. Good lust - lusting (with sex in mind) after your own wife or husband. Single lusting after single of the opposite sex (isn't that what many romances finally end).
2. Evil lust - lusting after someone else's wife or husband.
3. No lust - looking at women/men with no lust in mind. Looking at imaginary objects or cartoons with sexual lust in mind.

To lust is not a sin as there is no commandment in the Bible that says so. It is a sin if committed under adultery (even by looking lustfully) i.e. someone male or female who is married. Therefore to answer your question, it is not a sin for a single to look lustfully at another single of the opposite sex. It is not a sin to look lustfully at sexual provocative cartoons or pictures as they cannot be married or it is not known if they are married or not. Look lustfully is one thing, to physically do it is another. That does not mean it is ok to rape or be promiscuous or to adulterate. Is it adultery if consensual sex is committed without both party knowing they were married or a single did not know his/her sexual partner is married? or what if both party lied they were not married? As with bestiality, it is very clear in the Bible (Deuteronomy), even though we know that animals don't marry, it is a No, No.


May God prevent us from evil lust.