LUST
by Woodrow Kroll
A study from the series
What Keeps Me from Growing.
In today’s study we are going to look at why lust is such a problem, especially for men,
and the connection between lust and pornography. We’ll explore what lust is. We’ll
see what the Bible has to say about it and what the Bible says about pornography.
The demon Screwtape, in C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters, reminds his young
demonic apprentice of this truth. “[God is] a hedonist at heart. All those fasts and
vigils and stakes and crosses are only a facade. Or only like foam on the sea shore.
Out at sea, out in His sea, there is pleasure and more pleasure. He makes no secret
of it; at His right hand are ‘pleasures forevermore’.... He has filled the world full of
pleasures.”
I need to make a distinction right away. When we talk about lust, and especially about
pornography and lust, we are not talking about sex or the wholesome relationship
between a wife and husband.
So what exactly is lust?
The dictionary defines lust two ways: 1) intense or unrestrained sexual craving, or
2) an overwhelming desire or craving. I find that interesting because the secondary
definition is really the primary one, but our society has so closely aligned lust with sex
that the sexual definition has become the primary one.
In the Old Testament there are several words we translate as lust in English. One
prominent one is tah-av-aw’ meaning longing, desire or lust. Another is khaw-mad’
meaning desire, covet, take delight in. Proverbs 6:25 records a father’s warning to
his son about adultery: “Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her
capture you with her eyelashes.”
In the New Testament, Jesus famously says in His Sermon on the Mount: “You have
heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone
who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her
in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it
is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown
into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it
is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.”
(Matthew 5:27-31)
The word Jesus chose was the Greek word ep-ee-thoo-meh’-o. It means “to have a
strong desire for” or “to long for something or someone.”
The apostle John uses the same word in 1 John 2:16, “For all that is in the world—the
lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is
from the world.”
But the apostle Paul used a different word in Romans 1. He used the word or’-ex-is
when he said, “For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their
women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men
likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for
1 LUST WHAT KEEPS ME FROM GROWING
one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves
the due penalty for their error.”
The Greek word or’-ex-is means eager desire, appetite or lust. It is used both in a good
and a bad sense, as well as natural and lawful and even proper cravings (of appetite
for food), also of corrupt and unlawful desires.
Now, what this means is that lust isn’t always a bad thing. It means a strong desire and
a strong desire for God is a very, very good thing. It’s what David had when he craved
in Psalm 63:1 or Paul when he wanted to know God better in Philippians 3:10.
Psalm 63:1 says, “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for
you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” And
Philippians 3:10 says, “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and
may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.”
It’s the object of our strong desire and our motivation that makes lust a good thing or
a bad thing. That’s why lust is usually thought of in a wicked context.
What does the Bible have to say about lust?
Exodus 20:14,17, “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.”
Here’s 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.”
Job 31:11-12, “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.”
And there are many more verses about lust in the Bible. But here’s the problem with
lust. It focuses on pleasing ourselves, and it often leads to unwholesome actions to
fulfill one’s desires with no regard to the consequences.
Simply put, lust is about possession; it’s about greed. Whereas the Christian life is
about selflessness and holy living. The goal of each person who has put his/her faith
in Jesus Christ is to become more and more like Him each day. Lust keeps us from
that goal.
Pornography
Now, let’s talk about a particular form of lust that is destroying men, Christian men,
at an alarming rate. On our CBE [Center for Bible Engagement] surveys it came out
on top for men, even in the church surveys we did. Pornography.
When we talk about pornography we are usually talking about photography or illicit
paintings or cartoons that are designed to arouse sexual passions. This practice goes
back to ancient history. If you’ve every visited Pompeii you’ve probably seen ancient
Roman pornography on some of the walls there.
But with the advent of the Internet, pornography has exploded. The late psychologist,
Dr. Al Cooper, believed three main factors draw people into online pornography
today:
1. Accessibility (porn is easily accessible from any Internet connection)
2. Affordability (millions of free or very cheap images are available online)
3. Anonymity (home computers and Smartphones have made it very easy to
be secretive)
2 LUST WHAT KEEPS ME FROM GROWING
Dr. Cooper dubbed this the “Triple-A Engine” of Internet porn.
Here are some stats from recent years:
Every second – $3,075 is being spent on pornography.
Every second – 28,258 Internet users are viewing pornography.
Every second – 372 Internet users are typing adult search terms into
search engines.
Every 39 minutes – a new pornographic video is being created in the
United States.
There are 4.2 million porn websites (12% of total websites).
There are 420 million pornographic pages in existence today.
There are 68 million daily pornographic search engine requests (that’s 25%
of total search engine requests).
2.5 billion pornographic emails are sent and received every day.
42.7% of Internet users view porn.
So, what does the Bible say about lust that finds its expression in being addicted
to pornography?
There are a number of words in the Greek New Testament that condemn
Pornography.
Galatians 5:19-21, “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality,
impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger,
disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like
these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice
such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (emphasis added).
In verse 19, Paul used the word porneia. This is a generic word that covers all forms
of sexual impurity. Originally, it meant “to play the role of the harlot” and later took
the meaning of “indulging in unlawful lust.”
As used in the New Testament, porneia (from which we get the word pornographic),
relates to:
A. Pre-marital sex - 1 Corinthians 7:1-2
B. A synonym for adultery - Matthew 19:9
C. A specific word referring to harlotry and prostitution - Rev. 2:20-21
But there’s a second word. Akayarsia (ak-ath-ar-see’-ah). It originally referred to dirt
or dirtiness in a physical sense. When the Old Testament was translated into Greek,
it was used to denote ritual and ceremonial impurity. This was the kind of thing that
kept the worshipper from approaching God (Leviticus 22:3-9).
The third New Testament word for lust that relates to pornography is aselgia (as-elg’-
i-a). It means “unbridled lust, excessive wantonness, shamelessness, outrageousness,
indecent bodily movements or unchaste handling of males and females.”
It relates to lewdness and thus is the perfect descriptor of pornography.
Now, if the statistics I gave you earlier you found impressive, but you are rationalizing
that surely Christ-followers wouldn’t be involved in porn to that extent, consider
these statistics:
53% of men who were a part of the Promise Keepers movement a few years ago
say they viewed pornography last week.
3 LUST WHAT KEEPS ME FROM GROWING
And 47% of Christian men say that pornography is a major problem in their
home———47%———nearly half the Christian homes in America.
How does a man overcome a pornographic addiction?
Some basics:
1. You have to get real about porn being sin, an affront to God and an embarrassment
to your family.
2. You need to come clean and admit the truth to a trusted counselor, like your pastor
or a close spiritual friend.
3. You need to seek help, professional help, from your pastor or another professional
designated by him.
4. You need to admit your sin to your wife because you have cheated on her mentally
and morally and only coming clean can and demonstrating genuine repentance will
clear the air and save your marriage.
5. You need to get into the habit of engaging God’s Word daily in a meaningful way.
The only antidote to pornographic lust is the heavy doses of the fruit of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:19-24, “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality,
impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries,
dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you,
as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom
of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those
who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
Men, lust and porn don’t have to pull the strings in your life. Jesus died to give you
victory over every temptation. If you come to grips with your problem, and are truly
repentant and ready to do something about it, the Holy Spirit will help you.
I won’t lie to you. It won’t be easy. But remember, “greater is he who is in you, than he
who is in the world.”
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A BAKER’S DOZEN OF VERSES ABOUT LUST
Matthew 5:28 “But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent
has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
Galatians 5:16 “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of
the flesh.”
1 Thessalonians 4:3 - 5 “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you
abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own
body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not
know God.”
Colossians 3:5 “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality,
impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”
1 John 2:16 “For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the
eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world.”
2 Timothy 2:22 “So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and
peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”
1 Peter 2:11 “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions
of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.”
1 Corinthians 6:9 - 10 “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the
kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters,
nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor
drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”
James 1:14 - 15 “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own
desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully
grown brings forth death.”
Romans 13:14 “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh,
to gratify its desires.”
Romans 1:26 - 27 “For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For
their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and
the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with
passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in
themselves the due penalty for their error.”
1 Corinthians 6:9 - 11 “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the
kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters,
nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor
drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such
were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
James 4:1 - 3 “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this,
that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder.
You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you
do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on
your passions.”
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5 LUST THE BAKER’S DOZEN VERSES Back to the Bible P.O. Box 82808, Lincoln, NE 68501 1-800-759-2425 backtothebible.org
“Baker’s Dozen” scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version®.
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