Lust

[SearcherKris]

Exactly what is lust?

I thought that it was just physically desiring someone you are not married to.

I have been told that it is selfishly wanting to take something (someone) who is not your's regardless of the person's feelings or if that person "belongs" to someone else for your own gratification.

I also used to think feelings of arousal were lust, but I've read that arousal can be brought on by desire, but does not have to be. It is a physical response to stimulation which can't be helped. You be aroused without lusting, and you can lust without being aroused.

 

[chingchang]

Exactly what is lust?

I thought that it was just physically desiring someone you are not married to.

I have been told that it is selfishly wanting to take something (someone) who is not your's regardless of the person's feelings or if that person "belongs" to someone else for your own gratification.

I also used to think feelings of arousal were lust, but I've read that arousal can be brought on by desire, but does not have to be. It is a physical response to stimulation which can't be helped. You be aroused without lusting, and you can lust without being aroused.

I think you're on the right track. You'll get a number of opinions on these boards. However...the more searching one does into this topic the more it becomes obvious that traditional "Christian" teachings on lust fail miserably and put people in bondage. The lust that Yeshua spoke of is not 'sexual desire'. There are many threads on this topic within CF. I urge you to seek out that information and see the array of opinions. You'll know the truth about it when it starts to make sense. Sexual desire is a God-given quality that makes us human. He didn't give it to us for the purpose of brow-beating and torturing us...

Hugs Sister,
CC

 

[ERice2nd]

I think you're on the right track. You'll get a number of opinions on these boards. However...the more searching one does into this topic the more it becomes obvious that traditional "Christian" teachings on lust fail miserably and put people in bondage. The lust that Yeshua spoke of is not 'sexual desire'. There are many threads on this topic within CF. I urge you to seek out that information and see the array of opinions. You'll know the truth about it when it starts to make sense. Sexual desire is a God-given quality that makes us human. He didn't give it to us for the purpose of brow-beating and torturing us...

Hugs Sister,
CC

I think this is pretty much accurate. God doesnt give us desires and feeling only to tell us to ignore them. acting on them is another thing though, there is a proper time and place and a proper way of acting on those feelings. for instance, Jesus' anger towards the money changers in the temple. he was quite wrathful, something God and Jesus himself would rather we not entertain. but if used in the proper way in the proper place and time, then it becomes a offering to God. Lust for your partner is appropriate, as he or she has been given to you by God and you have that kind of relationship with them.

Mainly its all a balancing act, God knows we have these feelings of Lust and Wrath and Anger and he knows how hard we struggle with them. If you say in your heart though "God, do with me what you will, make me a better person." then the so called wrong feelings will fade and you will learn patience and love to such a degree that you will be a totally different person in time. Such has happened with me, though I am far from perfect, I am a different person then I was when in my 20s

 

[timlamb]

Exactly what is lust?

I thought that it was just physically desiring someone you are not married to.

I have been told that it is selfishly wanting to take something (someone) who is not your's regardless of the person's feelings or if that person "belongs" to someone else for your own gratification.

I also used to think feelings of arousal were lust, but I've read that arousal can be brought on by desire, but does not have to be. It is a physical response to stimulation which can't be helped. You be aroused without lusting, and you can lust without being aroused.

We must be careful not to accept feelings that are not healthy spiritually. We think alot of things that God says we should not.

Scripture teaches man should look at other women as sisters. Nothing wrong with recognising beauty and admiring God's work. But if your admiration turns to desire you are lusing. Easy to do and readily foregivable but no, arousal should not happen just for beauty's sake, and should not happen when you look at your sister.

Keep those feelings in check. (I am the most guilty among you, my words are for instruction and encouragement, not condemnation).

 

[127.0.0.1]

Sexual arousal is control by your hormones. It's a biological process. You see that opposite sex, chances are your going to get aroused. It differs from men and women though. Men get aroused when they see women, women get aroused when the see women, although women seemed more turned on by feel and touch and the act of sex itself.

You really can't always control what arouses you, you can control how you react to it though.

Also, my understanding of lust, is that it's a passionate desire. You can lust for life, food, power, money, or sex.

 

[timlamb]

Sexual arousal is control by your hormones. It's a biological process. You see that opposite sex, chances are your going to get aroused. It differs from men and women though. Men get aroused when they see women, women get aroused when the see women, although women seemed more turned on by feel and touch and the act of sex itself.

You really can't always control what arouses you, you can control how you react to it though.

Also, my understanding of lust, is that it's a passionate desire. You can lust for life, food, power, money, or sex.

First, I doubt the question was asked about anything other than what the scriptures warn us about, to lust is to commit adultry.

While arousal results in a physical reaction, to say that arousal is an uncontrolable physical reaction is wrong. When we are young we may not understand what is happening or want to control it but it is no less a sexual experience. When we are older we chose what arouses us. There is no physical need attached (though some would calim different) such as hunger or thirst, it is merely the pursuit of pleasure. Once we get in our minds what is right and wrong and socially acceptable we have a basis to focus on, but still it is the pursuit of pleasure.

I say this because my sister is a beautiful woman and I recongise her beauty, but I am not aroused. Another woman with simular features and build, and my mind is not my friend unless I do as scriptures tell us and am able to view her as a sister. There is a natural instinct to it, I recognise that, but it is still controllable as we purify our hearts in Christ Jesus.

 

[127.0.0.1]

timlamb, I'm basically saying that if a guy sees a beautiful women he's going to think she's beautiful. And there's nothing wrong with that, God came down in the flesh and Deified it. So to think it shameful to find beauty in God's creation is to take a Gnostic (heretical) view.

I think we're using the word arousal in different ways. You say you find your sister beautiful but it doesn't arouse you, I take it to mean that you do not lust after your sister. I see what your saying, however, I'm not using the word arousal as being synonymous with lust (as in to desire for one's own). So when I say arousal I mean more like, to find beautiful or attractive or to have some sexual response of a sort (on a biological level), but not necessarily to desire for one's own.

If you think someone's beautiful it's okay. There are lots of women that I find arousing, but that doesn't mean I want to go chasing after them to have them for my own.

There are some elements of sexuality we don't chose. For example, we don't chose to be heterosexual/homosexual/bisexual/asexual, we just are. I didn't tell God I wanted to be attracted to women, in fact I wanted to be asexual before I even knew what that was, but puberty hit and guess what. I'm not necessarily complaining though, now I think women are great (both on the inside (rather talk about my feelings with a women over a guy any day) and on the outside)! But that doesn't mean I have any desire to chase down every pretty women I see!

 

[timlamb]

I agree we had a different interpretation of arousal.

Glad we cleared that up. Nothing wrong with admiring beauty

 

[Zebra1552]

Exactly what is lust?

I thought that it was just physically desiring someone you are not married to.

I have been told that it is selfishly wanting to take something (someone) who is not your's regardless of the person's feelings or if that person "belongs" to someone else for your own gratification.

I also used to think feelings of arousal were lust, but I've read that arousal can be brought on by desire, but does not have to be. It is a physical response to stimulation which can't be helped. You be aroused without lusting, and you can lust without being aroused.

Lust, technically, is desiring something that isn't yours and actually intending to do something about it. Lust requires intent. Check out NAS with Strong's from bible.crosswalk.com.

 

[dayhiker]

Ya, I did a study of the Gr.word lust in Mat.5. It was interesting that the Gr. word in the NT was usually uased in a good way. Even Jesus and the good angels are said to lust, desire something. What I found most interesting was that this was the Gr. word that Paul used when he was quoting the commandment to not covet our neightbors possessions.

 

[timlamb]

Ya, I did a study of the Gr.word lust in Mat.5. It was interesting that the Gr. word in the NT was usually uased in a good way. Even Jesus and the good angels are said to lust, desire something. What I found most interesting was that this was the Gr. word that Paul used when he was quoting the commandment to not covet our neightbors possessions.

Yes, you are right. I think I remeber a verse that said we are to lust after the things of God, but now I can't find it.

Everything I find has to do with evil esires toward women or posessions.