coveting, lusting, fornicating etc

[dairygirl4u2c]

So when I was a kid and I heard that even if you look at a woman with lust, you have committed adultery in your heart, I always thought that meant if you had the opportunity to actually commit adultery you would means that you have really committed adultery, even if you didn't commit the actual act. I never at first equated that statement by Jesus to mean if you simply fantasize but would not actually do it, then that's wrong. Are there clearer references to what Jesus could have meant? I also have similar interpretations as above for "thou shalt not covet", cause I always thought simply desiring something is not wrong, unless it borders on obsessing, or stealing if you could, even if you didn't.

I noticed someone said that "fornication" means sexual activity outside of marriage. I heard before that it means "unlawful sexual activity". What exactly is "unlawful"? Adultery certainly is. Homosexual activity might seem to be. I don't know about fantasizing or even [mod]inappropriate language[/mod] for guys or the equivalent for girls. There's much left to be said in the Bible anyway.

Edited August 10, 2006 by Lil Red

[LouisvilleFan]

Lusting after another person, even if you don't have the opportunity or the desire to actually carry out the thoughts you have in your head, is sinful, primarily because it weakens our discipline to live for Christ. What starts with looking a porn every now and then moves into looking at porn every day while finding yourself incapable of resisting lustful thoughts. And remember this is all for your own pleasure, not God's. Even if you were to have sex, you're primarily doing it to please yourself, not the other person. Eventually you'll fall for the lie our society is preaching that sex is some kind right we have as humans that you can't live without. After all, when your mind has been on sex more often than not, that's what your really living for. Soon enough, you find yourself rationalizing premarital sex, cohabitation, and homosexual relatonships. In the end, is all this sex really going to fulfill you? The greatest sexual experience one might imagine eventually ends. Do you think porn stars are truly happy in their hearts, with their "dream job" and all? Or are they just tangled up searching for love in the wrong place?

As for masturbation, it's also a sin... unless perhaps it's done without fantasizing, and that would be some kind of feat. Does knowing that it's a sin make it any easier not to do it? No. I've always known that getting drunk was a sin, but for three or four years I rationalized it away, even though I regretted the stupid stuff I did. Only about two weeks ago did God finally bring me to the breaking point where even my flesh, which always wanted to hang on to drinking excessively as an escape from other problems, finally lost the desire to do it anymore. That's the power of Confession (both sacramentally and confessing to other people). By verbally admitting our sins, Satan loses the power to spiritually blackmail us and Christ can heal our souls. And that is what truly satisfies... experiencing the forgiving love of God. Sex can't come close to that.

And fornication, by the way, is sex outside of marriage. I struggled with this accepting this for a while, but there's a verse in Hebrews that eliminated all question in my mind:

"Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well.
Should your springs be scattered abroad, streams of water in the streets?
Let them be for yourself alone, and not for strangers with you.
Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth,
a lovely hind, a graceful doe.
Let her affection fill you at all times with delight, be infatuated always with her love.
Why should you be infatuated, my son, with a loose woman
and embrace the bosom of an adventuress?
For a man's ways are before the eyes of the Lord, and he watches all his paths.
The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is caught in the toils of his sin.
He dies for lack of discipline, and because of his great folly he is lost."

[Thy Geekdom Come]

The words of Jesus are meant to say that the sin begins in the heart and not simply in the violation of the letter of the law.

[jswranch]

[quote name='dairygirl4u2c' post='1040091' date='Aug 9 2006, 06:32 AM']
So when I was a kid and I heard that even if you look at a woman with lust, you have committed adultery in your heart, I always thought that meant if you had the opportunity to actually commit adultery you would means that you have really committed adultery, even if you didn't commit the actual act.[/quote]
No you have not acutally committed adultery in the exact same grave matter. Jesus was outlining the new covenant. The old covenant law required 'thou shalt not commit adultery.' With the new Coventant which fullfilled the law, we must now circumcise the heart to where we not only called to a level of holiness that requires we not committ adultery but also not fantasize about doing such event. Breaking either of these rules, results in a fall from grace that will require repentance and a saviour. Jesus also could have transfered adultery for theft, lying, idolatry etc.


[quote name='dairygirl4u2c' post='1040091' date='Aug 9 2006, 06:32 AM']I noticed someone said that "fornication" means sexual activity outside of marriage. I heard before that it means "unlawful sexual activity". What exactly is "unlawful"? Adultery certainly is.[/quote]
Fornication is sexual contact between the unmarried. 'Unlawful,' can refer to fornication, adultery, sodomy etc as such actions used to incurr civil penalties in some societies.

[quote name='dairygirl4u2c' post='1040091' date='Aug 9 2006, 06:32 AM']There's much left to be said in the Bible anyway.[/quote]

The truth and depth of the bible is sufficient in some way for all of God's revealed truth. However it is not a flawlessly self-interpreting book. See the example of Acts 8:30-31 where the man has trouble reading scripture and responds that he cannot understand it unless someone who is in the know explains it to him.