Lust -> Impurity
I was reading in the book of James today and was intrigued by the concept of lust and temptation. The passage is:
James 1:14-15 (NASB)
[14] But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. [15] Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin *is accomplished, it brings forth death.
This obviously reminds me of the story of David and Bathsheba recorded in 2 Samuel chapter 11. In it David just happened to look over and saw a woman taking a bath. The rest is history and is written down for our instruction.
2 Samuel 11:2-4 (NASB)
[2] Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king's house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance. [3] So David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” [4] David sent messengers and took her, and when she came to him, he lay with her; and when she had purified herself from her uncleanness, she returned to her house.
What the passage in James indicates is that we are carried away by the lust that is inside. David in this case could have averted his eyes and gone back to meditating. But instead of "fleeing youthful lust" he kept looking and the looking increased his desire, etc. He was carried away as it were. This of course led forth to sin in David's life, and in Bathsheba's life as well. When she was sent for, she probably felt she couldn't say no, after all David was a great king and warrior and was well liked and admired. Besides, her husband was out on the front lines fighting a battle. So Bathsheba had some issues in her life to deal with as well. In the book of Job, Job upholds his innocence by indicating that he had made a covenant with his eyes to not look upon a virgin. Job was married and wished to uphold his vows towards the Lord.
Job 31:1 (NASB)
CHAPTER 31
Job Asserts His Integrity
[31:1] “I have made a covenant with my eyes;
How then could I gaze at a virgin?
Job here has the right idea, even though he apparently is pretty proud of what he has done. This is in direct contrast to the idea that we practice righteousness because we want to please the one who made Heaven and Earth. Jesus went further and even indicated that looking upon a woman with lust indicates that the man has already committed adultery. Think Porn here as an example.
Matthew 5:28 (NASB)
[28] but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
We get drawn away. Instead of drawing our strength from the Lord, we give into our passions. That should not be, because we are to be in the world but not part of the world. John indicates that this lust of the eyes is from the world, not from the Father. This is something that the world seeks, not a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. We get drawn away and then impurity enters into our life, keeping us from having fellowship with the Lord.
1 John 2:16 (NASB)
[16] For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.
Don't forget, when we get involved in this we drag the Holy Spirit into it as well, for He lives within us. We are to be strong, not giving into her beauty or letting a sly wink draw us in. As men we want this but it is not conducive to living a good Christian life. So how do we avoid this problem?
Proverbs 6:25 (NASB)
[25] Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
Nor let her capture you with her eyelids.
First of all, the desire that is evident in these passages is desire of the flesh that is within us. If we walk by the Spirit of God, i.e. following what the Lord says in His Word, we will not carry out this desire. We will in essence resist the temptation.
Galatians 5:16 (NASB)
[16] But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.
In fact we are called upon to consider ourselves dead to impurity and passion. Evil desire should have no effect upon us as we carefully consider that we don't have to give into these desires. I know that the desires run deep and men of all ages have to deal with this issue. But by giving in, Colossians 3;5 indicates that this is idolatry. We are making an idol our our desires and therefore we are pushing the Lord off of His rightful place as Lord of our lives. After all, this is what repentance is all about, right?
Colossians 3:5 (NASB)
[5] Therefore *consider the members of your earthly body as dead to *immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which *amounts to idolatry.
When we give into these things we act as though we don't know God, when in fact, we do.
1 Thessalonians 4:5 (NASB)
[5] not in *lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God;
This is why it says in 2 Timothy to flee from such passions. It also tells us to pursue righteousness. It also indicates that we are to be with those "who call on the Lord from a pure heart." That means to hang around with those Christians who have overcome this struggle, who know how to walk away from these impurities. Remember the passage in Proverbs that tells us "as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another"? This goes back to the problem of what kind of company that we keep. If we are to advance in our knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and become more like him, then we must learn from others how to deal with this problem, as well as see what the Word of God has to say on the matter.
2 Timothy 2:22 (NASB)
[22] Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
This is not a unique problem to the male sex, but it is a problem that wages war in our souls. The idea is to abstain as it says in 1 Peter 2.
1 Peter 2:11 (NASB)
[11] Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.
Notice throughout all of this that God is not going to force you to do right. He instead expects us as men to face up to the problem and back away from lust. Putting our eyes upon Jesus and living for Him. We are to to the turning (the repentance as it were) and to come around to the Lord's way of thinking. To do otherwise will destroy us in the end.
James 1:14-15 (NASB)
[14] But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. [15] Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin *is accomplished, it brings forth death.
This obviously reminds me of the story of David and Bathsheba recorded in 2 Samuel chapter 11. In it David just happened to look over and saw a woman taking a bath. The rest is history and is written down for our instruction.
2 Samuel 11:2-4 (NASB)
[2] Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king's house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance. [3] So David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” [4] David sent messengers and took her, and when she came to him, he lay with her; and when she had purified herself from her uncleanness, she returned to her house.
What the passage in James indicates is that we are carried away by the lust that is inside. David in this case could have averted his eyes and gone back to meditating. But instead of "fleeing youthful lust" he kept looking and the looking increased his desire, etc. He was carried away as it were. This of course led forth to sin in David's life, and in Bathsheba's life as well. When she was sent for, she probably felt she couldn't say no, after all David was a great king and warrior and was well liked and admired. Besides, her husband was out on the front lines fighting a battle. So Bathsheba had some issues in her life to deal with as well. In the book of Job, Job upholds his innocence by indicating that he had made a covenant with his eyes to not look upon a virgin. Job was married and wished to uphold his vows towards the Lord.
Job 31:1 (NASB)
CHAPTER 31
Job Asserts His Integrity
[31:1] “I have made a covenant with my eyes;
How then could I gaze at a virgin?
Job here has the right idea, even though he apparently is pretty proud of what he has done. This is in direct contrast to the idea that we practice righteousness because we want to please the one who made Heaven and Earth. Jesus went further and even indicated that looking upon a woman with lust indicates that the man has already committed adultery. Think Porn here as an example.
Matthew 5:28 (NASB)
[28] but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
We get drawn away. Instead of drawing our strength from the Lord, we give into our passions. That should not be, because we are to be in the world but not part of the world. John indicates that this lust of the eyes is from the world, not from the Father. This is something that the world seeks, not a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. We get drawn away and then impurity enters into our life, keeping us from having fellowship with the Lord.
1 John 2:16 (NASB)
[16] For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.
Don't forget, when we get involved in this we drag the Holy Spirit into it as well, for He lives within us. We are to be strong, not giving into her beauty or letting a sly wink draw us in. As men we want this but it is not conducive to living a good Christian life. So how do we avoid this problem?
Proverbs 6:25 (NASB)
[25] Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
Nor let her capture you with her eyelids.
First of all, the desire that is evident in these passages is desire of the flesh that is within us. If we walk by the Spirit of God, i.e. following what the Lord says in His Word, we will not carry out this desire. We will in essence resist the temptation.
Galatians 5:16 (NASB)
[16] But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.
In fact we are called upon to consider ourselves dead to impurity and passion. Evil desire should have no effect upon us as we carefully consider that we don't have to give into these desires. I know that the desires run deep and men of all ages have to deal with this issue. But by giving in, Colossians 3;5 indicates that this is idolatry. We are making an idol our our desires and therefore we are pushing the Lord off of His rightful place as Lord of our lives. After all, this is what repentance is all about, right?
Colossians 3:5 (NASB)
[5] Therefore *consider the members of your earthly body as dead to *immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which *amounts to idolatry.
When we give into these things we act as though we don't know God, when in fact, we do.
1 Thessalonians 4:5 (NASB)
[5] not in *lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God;
This is why it says in 2 Timothy to flee from such passions. It also tells us to pursue righteousness. It also indicates that we are to be with those "who call on the Lord from a pure heart." That means to hang around with those Christians who have overcome this struggle, who know how to walk away from these impurities. Remember the passage in Proverbs that tells us "as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another"? This goes back to the problem of what kind of company that we keep. If we are to advance in our knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and become more like him, then we must learn from others how to deal with this problem, as well as see what the Word of God has to say on the matter.
2 Timothy 2:22 (NASB)
[22] Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
This is not a unique problem to the male sex, but it is a problem that wages war in our souls. The idea is to abstain as it says in 1 Peter 2.
1 Peter 2:11 (NASB)
[11] Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.
Notice throughout all of this that God is not going to force you to do right. He instead expects us as men to face up to the problem and back away from lust. Putting our eyes upon Jesus and living for Him. We are to to the turning (the repentance as it were) and to come around to the Lord's way of thinking. To do otherwise will destroy us in the end.