Seven Sins & The Christian Church
According to Christian tradition, the seven deadly sins could not be forgiven. However, according to the Bible, these seven deadly sins are completely and totally forgivable by God, but this doesnt give us free license to commit these sins. Biblically, the only sin that cannot be forgiven is a complete rejection of Gods grace, which is outright rebellion against Godalso known as blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
What Are The Consequences Of Lust
From the context of the passage , it is clear that we cannot love both God and the world , just as we cannot live both in the Spirit and in the flesh .
I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish .
For if you live according to the flesh you will die but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live .
Note that it is because of Gods love that He commands us not to love the world or live according to the flesh. He knows that the world and its desires pass away in other words, the lust of the flesh ultimately leads to death therefore, He wants us to live forever by doing His will .
As the psalmist wrote, Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail. But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever .
Pondering The Danger Of Lust
Thats the definition. Now the next issue is so what? Why is this a big deal? Isnt sexual sin, especially when its just a desire and not an act, sin with a little s? Shouldnt we get on with the big issues like nuclear arms and social justice? Youve known people like that, I suppose. They say that sexual attitudes and sexual behavior are a matter of relatively insignificant personal piety. What counts is whether you boycott companies in South Africa and oppose Star Wars defense systems. Sleeping around is simply no big deal if you are on the picket line at Honeywell and flipping through Playboy is utterly insignificant if you are on your way to peace talks in Geneva.
That is the way the religious human mind reasons when a supreme regard for God has been forsaken. But that is not what God has said. What is Gods estimate of how important your sexual life is? Is it a big deal? Verse 6 says, that no man transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we solemnly forewarned you.
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Lust And Eternal Security
This past September I spoke to the student body of Wheaton Christian High School. I took as my topic, Ten Lessons for Fighting Lust. Lesson number 6 was, Ponder the eternal danger of lust.
Heaven and hell are at stake in what you do with your eyes and the thoughts of your imagination.
My text on that point was Matthew 5:2829 where Jesus says, Everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.
I pointed out that Jesus said heaven and hell are at stake in what you do with your eyes and with the thoughts of your imagination. After the message one of the students came up to me and asked, Are you saying, then, that a person can lose his salvation?
This is exactly the same response I got a few years ago when I confronted a man about the adultery he was presently living in. I tried to understand his situation and I pled with him to return to his wife. Then I said, You know Jesus says that if you dont fight this sin with the kind of seriousness that is willing to gouge out your own eye, you will go to hell and suffer there forever.
The stakes are much higher than whether the world is blown up by a thousand bombs. If you dont fight lust, you wont go to heaven .
Ix The Lust Of The Body
Romans 8:12 says, “So then, brothers, we are debtors not to the flesh to live according to the flesh.” This verse says that God can save us to the extent that we can overcome the demand of the fleshly nature and be released from the demand of the fleshly lusts.
Here, I want to mention specifically three things concerning mans body. Generally speaking, the functions of our body are in three areas: first, the area of nourishment for mans sustenance second, the area of reproduction for mans continuation and third, the area of defense for mans protection. Before mans fall, these three things were proper sin was not in them. But after man sinned and inherited a sinful nature, these three things became the carrier of sins.
Because of the need for nourishment, the world tempts us with eating and drinking. The very first temptation that man faced was regarding food. As the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil tempted Eve that day, the enjoyment of eating and drinking has become a sin of the flesh for us today. We should never underestimate the matter of eating and drinking, because many fleshly believers have failed because of this. The fleshly Corinthians caused many brothers to stumble because of eating . For this reason the elders and deacons of the churches in those days had to be those who had overcome in the matter of eating and drinking .
Vol. 08: The Present Testimony , Chapter 27, by Watchman Nee)
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Justifying Faith Is Lust
Are we not, then, saved by faith by believing in Jesus Christ? We are indeed! Those who persevere in faith shall be saved . How do you lay hold on eternal life? Paul gives the answer in 1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith: lay hold on eternal life.
That leads us to our main concern this morning to show that the fight against lust is a battle against unbelief. And the fight for sexual purity is the fight of faith.
How Does Lust Show Up In A Dads Life
The disengaged dad says: I want it and will do anything to get it.
Satan knows we can be tempted in this area. So we must fight. Our fight is not against flesh and blood. Lusting is not okay simply because youre a red-blooded male. Its a fight you must dig in and resist.
Heres the deal. Sexual desire itself is good. God made it. But there are two avenues we wrongly go down in relation to sex. We tend to put our wives and God in a position of dishonor. When we realize this is happening, we must change or were sowing seeds of relational decay.
We talk a lot about this sin and marriage in the full eBook. Its vital to know, our marriages are pictures of Gods relationship to people. Jesus and the church are the bridegroom and the bride. When we love our wives as Christ loved the church, were not just setting a good example for our kids. Were showing Gods love to everyone around us. Our marriages are a living, breathing embodiment of the gospel. When we stain that relationship, were robbing others of a chance to see God.
When it comes to the sin of lust, the disengaged dad must be sure he knows Godnot simply knows about God. Then, he must learn to continually act in a way that demonstrates he knows God. Remember the Pharisees knew a ton about God. Satan knows God. Knowledge of God isnt enough.
The disengaged dad says: I want it and will do anything to get it.
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Seven Deadly Sins In The Bible
As mentioned before, the list of seven deadly sins in question does not appear in any Bible verse. However, a slightly different set of sins can be found in Proverbs 6:16-19, These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
Additionally, Galatians 5:19-21 mentions several more sins to be on our guard against: 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.
What Is Lust And Is It A Sin
According to Baker’s Biblical Dictionary, Lust is “a strong craving or desire, often of a sexual nature. Though used relatively infrequently in Scripture, a common theme can be seen running through its occurrences. The word is never used in a positive context rather, it is always seen in a negative light, relating primarily either to a strong desire for sexual immorality or idolatrous worship.”
Furthermore, Baker states “It is obvious from John’s writings that our lusts do not come from God but from the world. However, we are reminded by John that the world and its desires pass away, whereas “the man who does the will of God lives forever” . Here we see that our lusts are in direct violation of God’s perfect will, because they usually are misdirected, moving and leading us away from God to our own selfish desires.
Our lusts have a very powerful influence on our actions if they are not caught and corrected immediately. We must remember that lust occurs in the mind and is not a physical action in and of itself. It does, however, have great potential of becoming an action indeed a very damaging action. That is why we must heed the admonition of Paul in 2 Corinthians 10:5: “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
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What Is The Lust Of The Eyes In I John : 16
What does the Bible mean by the lust of the eyes? Is it wrong for us to look at anything and desire it? Or does this mean something else? Recently I was sent this article to review from one of my blog readers, it is an essay by Pastor Steven Anderson, the Pastor of Faithful Word Baptist Church in Temple AZ.
The phrase the lust of the eyes occurs one time in the Bible, and it comes to us in the first epistle of John.
15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
I John 2:15-17
I dont mean to say that just because the phrase occurs only one time that it is not important. There are many great truths in Scriptures that occur in only one or two passages. But the key is to understand what this phrase means.
Lets be clear from the start, the Bible never defines what the lust of the eyes is.
Lets start off with where I agree with Pastor Anderson, before I have to stand against the false teachings that he has mixed with the truth of Gods Word.
Pastor Anderson states his definition of Lust as it occurs in the Bible:
Let me point out a very important truth here:
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Why Solar Panels Are Bad
Solar panels are composed of photovoltaic cells that convert sunlight to electricity. When these panels enter landfills, valuable resources go to waste. And because solar panels contain toxic materials like lead that can leach out as they break down, landfilling also creates new environmental hazards.
Lust Is There Victory
What is lust? The Greek word used in the Bible is epi-thoomia and means a controlling desire. It speaks of a craving or any desire which is outside the perfect will of God for your life. I want to focus on sexual lust as I feel this is one of the most formidable foes Christian men deal with.
Here is why:
1. It is a “secret sin”
It is a sin of the thoughts rather than something someone does in a specific act. This means you could sit in a worship service singing to God but lusting in your heart.
2. It is an unconfessed sin.
Too often because of the sensitive and embarrassing nature of lust, a person often tells no one they are having problems. Therefore. they do not receive the encouragement and prayer support they need for victory.
3. It is impossible to avoid all forms of temptation.
Due to the world we live in with its immodest dress styles, exploitation of sexuality in the media and loose moral values, it is practically impossible to go “un-tempted” in this area.
4. It is addictive.
Lust and accompanying masturbation is self-perpetuating. The more you do it, the more you want to do it and with lessening enjoyment. It becomes an addictive bondage much like drugs or alcohol. The human sex drive is a powerful force and when stimulated gives physical pleasure that is extremely difficult to say “No” to.
5. There are those in the world and even the church who teach that both lust and moderate masturbation are normal and healthy.
What about masturbation?
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The Opposite Of Holiness And Honor
Notice that verses 4 and 5 say to do something one way but not another way. Take a wife in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust. Do you see the contrast: in holiness and honor not in the passion of lust. So the passion of lust is the opposite of holiness and honor. Thats where I get the definition of lust.
The passion of lust is the opposite of holiness and honor.
Sexual desire in itself is good. God made it in the beginning. It has its proper place. But it was made to be governed or regulated or guided by two concerns: honor toward the other person and holiness toward God. Lust is what that sexual desire becomes when that honor and that holiness are missing from it.
Lust Dishonors Its Object
Take honor for instance. God established a relationship called marriage. In it a man and a woman make a life-long covenant to honor each other with faithfulness and love. Sexual desire becomes the servant and the spice of that covenant bond of mutual honor.
Therefore, to say to another person, I want you to satisfy my sexual desire, but I do not want you as a covenant partner in marriage basically means: I want to use your body for my pleasure, but as a whole person I dont want you. And that is dishonoring and therefore lustful. Lust is sexual desire minus a commitment to honor the other person.
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What Does The Lust Of The Flesh Mean
According to Paul, we were all by nature children of wrath, who once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind . Our sinful nature is evidenced by our inclination toward seeking our own interests, to disobey and rebel against God, the Law Giver.
When we follow the desires of the flesh, the results are very clear: adultery , impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these.
Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God , because these all are against Gods holiness. A self-centered, carnal attitude is never part of His kingdom.
John wrote, For everything in the world the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life comes not from the Father but from the world .
These worldly desires are not from God but are the results of sin, which infected this world through mans disobedience, that is the desire to be independent, or to be like, the Creator, having the authority over ones own life.
Worldliness is anything that draws our hearts away from God.
The lust of the flesh speaks of any wicked desires stirred by our physical or emotional needs, particularly the desire for pleasures.
The lust of the eyes speaks of any wicked desires stirred by the things that we see and covet, including the desires for passion and possessions.