Accessibility (porn is easily accessible from any Internet connection). 2. Affordability (millions of free or very cheap
LUST
A study from the series
What Keeps Me from Growing.
by Woodrow Kroll
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
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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
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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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WHAT KEEPS ME FROM GROWING
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.” 5 LUST
THE BAKER’S DOZEN VERSES
Copyright © 2012 The Good News Broadcasting Association, Inc. All rights reserved. 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®. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
