Lust, often understood as an intense or unrestrained craving, is frequently addressed in the Bible as a manifestation of evil desire. It is considered a sin that can lead individuals away from the path of righteousness and into spiritual peril. The concept of lust is not limited to sexual immorality but extends to any form of covetousness or inordinate desire that opposes God's will.

Biblical References and Context

1. Old Testament Insights: The Old Testament provides foundational insights into the nature of lust as a sinful desire. In the Ten Commandments, God explicitly warns against coveting, which is a form of lust (Exodus 20:17). This commandment highlights the broader understanding of lust as a desire for what belongs to another, whether it be possessions, relationships, or status.

2. New Testament Teachings: The New Testament further elaborates on the dangers of lust. Jesus Christ, in His Sermon on the Mount, equates lustful thoughts with the act of adultery, emphasizing the seriousness of internal desires (Matthew 5:28: "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart"). This teaching underscores the importance of purity in thought as well as in action.

3. Apostolic Warnings: The apostles also address the issue of lust, warning believers of its destructive power. James writes about the progression from desire to sin, and ultimately to death, illustrating the lethal nature of unchecked lust (James 1:14-15: "But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death"). Paul, in his letters, frequently admonishes Christians to flee from sexual immorality and to live by the Spirit, which opposes the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16-17: "So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh").

Theological Implications

Lust is seen as a fundamental aspect of human sinfulness, reflecting the fallen nature of humanity. It is a distortion of God-given desires, turning them into self-serving and idolatrous pursuits. The Bible consistently calls believers to exercise self-control and to align their desires with God's will, seeking holiness and sanctification.

Practical Considerations for Believers

1. Guarding the Heart and Mind: Believers are encouraged to guard their hearts and minds against lustful thoughts and influences. This involves being mindful of what one consumes through media, relationships, and environments that may provoke sinful desires.

2. Accountability and Community: Engaging in a community of faith provides support and accountability. Confessing struggles with lust to trusted fellow believers can be a step toward healing and overcoming temptation (James 5:16: "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed").

3. Pursuing Holiness: The pursuit of holiness involves a conscious effort to cultivate virtues that counteract lust, such as love, purity, and self-control. This pursuit is empowered by the Holy Spirit, who enables believers to live in accordance with God's will.

In summary, lust is a pervasive and destructive force that the Bible addresses with seriousness and urgency. It calls believers to a higher standard of purity and holiness, urging them to rely on God's strength to overcome the temptations of evil desire.Genesis 3:6
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also to her husband with her; and he did eat.
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Exodus 20:17
You shall not covet your neighbor's house, you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is your neighbor's.
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Job 31:9-12
If my heart have been deceived by a woman, or if I have laid wait at my neighbor's door;
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Psalm 81:12
So I gave them up to their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels.
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Proverbs 6:24,25
To keep you from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.
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Matthew 5:28
But I say to you, That whoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.
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Mark 4:19
And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
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John 8:44
You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and stayed not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
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1 Corinthians 9:27
But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
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1 Corinthians 10:6,7
Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
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Ephesians 4:22
That you put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
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1 Timothy 6:9
But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
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2 Timothy 2:22
Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
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2 Timothy 4:3,4
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
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Titus 2:12
Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
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James 1:14,15
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
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James 4:1-3
From where come wars and fights among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
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1 Peter 2:11
Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
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1 Peter 4:3
For the time past of our life may suffice us to have worked the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revelings, parties, and abominable idolatries:
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2 Peter 2:18
For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.
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2 Peter 3:3
Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
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1 John 2:16,17
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.
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Jude 1:16,18
These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaks great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.
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Of the Evil of Lust, --A Word Which, Though Applicable to Many ...
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The Secondary Causes of Evil are Ignorance and Lust.
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Of False and True virtue; and of Knowledge.
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all the evil contentions of ... Also, if desire be restrained, no one will use ...
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Letter cxlv. (AD 412 or 413. )
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The Opposite Opinion is Approved by None of the Ancient Doctors of ...
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the apostle says he would not, but did, is to lust or desire; but they ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 2/the opposite opinion is approved.htm

The Teaching of Law Without the Life-Giving Spirit is "The Letter ...
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/.../augustine/anti-pelagian writings/chapter 6 iv the teaching of.htm

John who was a Torch, Laid Bare and Rebuked the Wanton Ones: they ...
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also the greediness of the house of ... R., Our Lord perform thy desire! 11. ...
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Our Opinion is Supported by Several Writers of the Middle Ages
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as to lust or desire"if to will good, and not to will evil, be taken for ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 2/our opinion is supported by.htm

The First Fruits of the Spirit
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the seeds of pride and vanity, of anger, lust, and evil desire, yea, sin of ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 8 the first fruits.htm

Fighting Holiness
... A heart in which such things as pride and evil desire, lust, worldly ambition, and
ill-tempers remain, is like a citadel in which traitors lurk to respond to ...
/.../howard/standards of life and service/xv fighting holiness.htm

What does the Bible say about overcoming lust? | GotQuestions.org

What is wrong with viewing pornography, if I don't lust after the person? | GotQuestions.org

How can I get rid of lustful thoughts? | GotQuestions.org

Lust: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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