Lusteth After a Woman

[lovespeace123]

The Bible says that any man who looks after a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her in his heart. Peter mentions men who's eyes are full of adultery. Paul mentions in Romans how men sinned and erred into homosexuality because they forsook the natural use of the woman. The Bible many times mentions women who were fair and beautiful. What is God's perfect will for men's eyes and women? Is lust (unto sexual and impure thoughts) the key word? Is God's perfect will that men should appreciate a womans beauty and discover and uncover passion ONLY in the context of a monogamous relationship?

LSL

I thought it needed clarity because when I was younger in faith, I wouldn't even look at women for fear I might sin in my heart. Many look at you sexually in attempts to elicit lust.

 

[lovespeace123]

I wanted a clarification MerryHeart. What/if there is one, is there between appreciating a woman's beauty and lusting after her? I ask because men marry women they consider beautiful and how do you walk the fine line? Like, what is the difference between finding a woman desirable (attraction you need to get married) and lusting for her?

Sam

 

[lovespeace123]

That was what I was looking for. The commandment in of itself seems tricky and add a little careless zeal and bondage could occur. I was attempting to elicit a teaching that showed grace, because we all are surrounded by weakness. There was bondage in that area of my life when I was young. I looked at a pretty girl and if she made me smile, i thought it was unholy.

Sam

 

[onwingsaseagles]

I wanted a clarification MerryHeart. What/if there is one, is there between appreciating a woman's beauty and lusting after her? I ask because men marry women they consider beautiful and how do you walk the fine line? Like, what is the difference between finding a woman desirable (attraction you need to get married) and lusting for her?

Sam

I believe the distinction is in your intentions. You can think a woman is beautiful without lusting for her, but when you start wanting to sleep with the woman, when your intention is you would sleep with her given the opportunity, the you have sinned in your heart even if the act never takes place.

 

[fellowlaborer]

Wow! I like the intention viewpoint. It's like the seven deadly sins lust, pride, sloth, envy, gluttony...food, desire, relaxation, etc can become sinful when abused. Appreciation of beauty is very different from deliberate musing. Unfortunately for men it doesn't take any effort for one to become the other. A sincere effort to recognize lust and arrest it and turn it over to God is what is needed to keep me sane about it.

 

[pagie]

how fine is the line between being tempted and lusting, we are told that he who has lusted after has already comited the sin in his heart, Jesus was led by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (matt 4:1) yet he was without sin, Eve in the garden were was tempted yet Adam and eve were with out sin up untill the time the temptation was carried out, (james 1:14-15)says but each one is tempted when by his own evil desire he is draged away and entised then after desire has concieved it gives birth to sin and sin when it is full grown gives birth to death , this verse says there must be a desire to begin with in order to be enticed (tempted) once it is concieved then there is the sin, so I think that when Jesus said the things on the sermon on the mount about sin and adultery- murder- I think in a way he was mostly stating these are evil desires that lead us to sin, what do you guys think?

 

[pagie]

what I think he might of been refering to is the object witch causes us to sin because he dosnt say (has commited adutery in his heat therefore he has sined) this is what im trying to point out in my last post

 

[pagie]

im a little confused, dose, temptation = sin; desire = sin, or, action = sin.

 

[NoahsDad]

Job 24:15 The eye also of the adulterer waiteth for the twilight, saying, No eye shall see me: and disguiseth his face.Job 24:16 In the dark they dig through houses, which they had marked for themselves in the daytime: they know not the light.
Job 24:17 For the morning is to them even as the shadow of death: if one know them, they are in the terrors of the shadow of death.
1 You can only commit adultry if youre married if youre not married can it be adultry? or fornication?
did Jesus say if you look at a woman as to lust after her you were guilty of fornication?or do you have to put action into play for it to be fornication?
So if you aint married you cant commit adultry lusting after a woman till you put action into it then its fornication..........1Co 6:18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
Now adultry is a totally different story altogether.you can commit spiritual adultry and physical adultry both of which carry sevier penalties but through Christ you can be forgiven.I think the deal Jesus was getin at was to the pharacies were condeming folx of adultry and all the while commitin spiritual adultry ......you see?

 

[NoahsDad]

Job 24:18 He is swift as the waters; their portion is cursed in the earth: he beholdeth not the way of the vineyards.
Job 24:19 Drought and heat consume the snow waters: so doth the grave those which have sinned.
Job 24:20 The womb shall forget him; the worm shall feed sweetly on him; he shall be no more remembered; and wickedness shall be broken as a tree.
Job 24:21 He evil entreateth the barren that beareth not: and doeth not good to the widow.
Job 24:22 He draweth also the mighty with his power: he riseth up, and no man is sure of life.
Job 24:23 Though it be given him to be in safety, whereon he resteth; yet his eyes are upon their ways.
Job 24:24 They are exalted for a little while, but are gone and brought low; they are taken out of the way as all other, and cut off as the tops of the ears of corn.
Job 24:25 And if it be not so now, who will make me a liar, and make my speech nothing worth?

 

[onwingsaseagles]

im a little confused, dose, temptation = sin; desire = sin, or, action = sin.

Evil desire= sin and evil actions = sin. remember Jesus was tempted yet without sin.

 

[lovespeace123]

Well, it has become clear that there is a misunderstanding about what it is to lust after a woman. My exact point!!! Does the verse leave room to say that a woman is beautiful, because you have to usually inspect a woman to do so?

Well, I will say that I have met some adulterers who every women that is attractive they look at and then display this sheepish grin like they just had a meal.

I guess the truth is that to the impure all things are impure and to the pure all things are pure. I personally think there is nothing wrong with saying a woman is beautiful, but that to me comes from a pure heart. You'd do even better to compliment a spiritually beautiful woman arrayed in good deeds and adorned in a quiet and reverent spirit - if you can find one.

I think you err when you hear someone call a woman sexy or if the object of their looking is hanging out of their clothing or a woman that looks like a good time.

Sam

 

[onwingsaseagles]

Well, it has become clear that there is a misunderstanding about what it is to lust after a woman. My exact point!!! Does the verse leave room to say that a woman is beautiful, because you have to usually inspect a woman to do so?

Yes you can say a woman is beautiful. What you cannot do is make a desision in your heart that if given the opportunity you would have sex with the woman. Once you have made that decision in your heart you have sinned even if you never carry out the act.

 

[NoahsDad]

amen to that

 

[Josh]

Lust - wrong Desire
Thats what i think it means. When you look at a woman and she is beautiful thats not wrong. To notice her beauty wont have nothing with the verse.
But when the look is taken to your mind and a desire (wrong desire) to have that woman to satisfy your need then you begin lusting.
If you look at her notice her beauty and just walk away and dont cook anything in you then you r still clean.

Thats why paul when speaking to women told them in 1 Tim 2:9
"In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; "

Am telling you women, sincere Virgin women will be lined on that judgement day with thousands of men they commited adultery with by wearing dresses with no shame making men to lust after their exposed bodies.
That made Paul to outline the dressing code of women.

But mercy to our pastors coz they fear church members than God. They can tell women in their church to thro away those miniskirts and tight trousers away no the slitted dresses becouse offering will go down.

Here in our country a Pentecostal pastor gave orders that some clothes should not be worn to church he was fought even by the Vice President about the issue. This world is rotten.

 

[godzman]

its a difference between lusting after a woman and admiring a womans' beauty. When you lust you're desiring her carnally/fleshly. But when you admire her beauty you are saying she is a beautiful lady nothing sexual intended.

 

[JDHills]

Lovepeace.....Its lusting when you do something like a double take. Or you think about her in a different outfit, or you are generally just hooked on how fine she is. If you can walk past a gorgeous woman, smile, and not turn around and check her out, youve concoured a serious demon.

 

[CristenJ]

This goes both ways...admit it ladies

I have, on occasion, caught myself doing a double-take when a very attractive man walks down the street or past me at the grocery store. Sometimes the double-take is more of an involuntary reaction than it is an intentional one...so that means that doing a double-take is lusting after somebody? I have to disagree with that one point. I've been known to do a double-take when I see a pretty flower in a garden, or a cute little baby in a stroller.

And I've seen men do double-takes so fast their necks pop when they see a herd of deer, or a shiny car.

LOOKING twice isn't a lustful action in itself. Ogling, gaping, staring, drooling...those are.

I guess to clarify the thin line between innocent, admiring thoughts and sinful, lusting thoughts, I'll say this:

Innocent admiration thought process example: "Wow, now there's a pretty face! She's gorgeous! Lucky guy, who ever he is." And that's about it.

Sinful Lusting thought process example: "Wow! She's hot! I'd love to ____ with her! Wonder if she's really happy with her man...." Thoughts will probably continue...


When a person allows their basic human instincts to take over their mind that way, it's trouble. We have to know exactly when to change the subject in our mind, so to speak.

As a side note, sort of, when I was a teenager and part of my church's youth group, our youth pastor laid down the law about the way all of us girls were dressing. Which wasn't, in my mind, all that bad, really- jeans and sleeveless shirts for summer time. But the pastor explained it to us this way, "Young girls have nice...shoulders. And what if the poor young man sitting next to one of you ladies has a certain weakness for a nice pair of shoulders? If you girls knew what kind of thoughts you can set off in a teenage boy, you'd be wearing turtle necks in August. Please dress modestly." It was really annoying at the time, but I see his point now. This thread reminded me of that.

 

[Josh]

wow thats is strange Cristen.
As a xstian i never thought we got such but if we discuss the Bible it says "If a Man looks at a woman and lust after her,has already commited........".
The sychs people tell us that Men walk by what they see but women do by what they hear.
I do believe it coz the bible says the natural types the spiritual nad the Church (bride - woman) lives by what they hear (preached)
That being so men ussually lust after women on what mostly the see them.
Biggest worry is for our sisters who really dress in some dresses or trousers which reveal more than they r hiding.
I think they lead many men to lusting than any beautiful lady does.
An Evangelist was preaching and said "a lady dressed in a bad way can lead more men to hell than all bars combined can lead to hell in one month" Just dressed imoraly for one day.
Then God will require from such a lady for an answer from her for her imoral dressing on that judgement day.
Thats an post and not a judgment.

 

[MahogonySnail]

Ok i'll state my piece here while I can

I think Noahsdad got it right.

First of all there is nothing evil about sexual desires they are God-given. It is the context of them that determines whether it is lust. It's normal for a man to notice a woman and vice versa. In fact I'd probably get a bit worried if a person did not notice the opposite sex. The problem arises if you notice a person who you aren't married to (if you are already married) or someone else who is already married.

Let's take another look at what Jesus is really saying in the verse in Matthew which says:

The Bible says that any man who looks after a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her in his heart.

I believe the context of this verse is about people who are already married. Jesus was saying if you are married and have eyes for another woman that is adultery in the heart. It was addressed to the Pharisee or anyone really who thought they could get away with lusting after women despite being married to another. That's what King David did he lusted after the woman prior to committing the physical act of adultery with her. The sin started with King David's eyes, not when he got into bed. And lust may not just mean sexual urges, it could also mean an emotional connection with a person who is not your wife or husband. If you are single and you are noticing the beauty in another single person who is not married - that is not adultery...that's how God made us. And if there is no sexual attraction there at all then we need to ask ourselves is this the right person to marry?. So the teachings by Christ on adultery is not a law that christians are never ever allowed to look sexually at another person. That is not reading the verse in context IMO.

If there are two single people "lusting" after each other it is probably better for them to marry:

1Co 7:9 But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.

Paul called it burning, he didn't call it "spiritual fornication" or "lust" or even "adultery in the heart".


BTW there is no such thing as lusting after your own husband or wife. Lust involves desiring or coveting something that you have no right to or is not yours. As far as the bible tells me when two people marry they belong to each other.