Lust

An overpowering and compulsive desire or passion, especially of a sexual nature. Scripture condemns lust of all kinds, and urges believers to show self-control.

Lust has its origins in the heart and mind

Proverbs 6:25–29; Matthew 5:28 See also Genesis 3:6; Job 31:1; James 1:13–15; 1 John 2:16

Do not lust in your heart for her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes. For the levy of the prostitute is poverty, and the adulteress preys upon your very life. Can a man embrace fire and his clothes not be burned? Can a man walk on hot coals without scorching his feet? So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished.

But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Lust is natural to unbelievers

Romans 1:21–27 See also Romans 7:5; 1 Corinthians 6:9–10; 1 Peter 4:3; 2 Peter 2:14–18

For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity for the dishonoring of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is forever worthy of praise! Amen. For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. Likewise, the men abandoned natural relations with women and burned with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

Believers can and must fight against lust by showing self-control

Galatians 5:16–21; Colossians 3:5 See also 1 Corinthians 9:27; Galatians 5:24; Ephesians 4:22; 1 Thessalonians 4:4–5; 2 Timothy 2:22; Titus 2:12; 1 Peter 2:11

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. They are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry.

Examples of lust

Lust expressed as sexual desire

Genesis 39:6–12 Potiphar's wife and Joseph; 2 Samuel 11:2–5 David and Bathsheba

Lust for money

1 Timothy 6:9–10 See also 1 Timothy 3:3

Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

The lustful desire of Israel and Judah for alliances

Ezekiel 23:1–21 Both kingdoms sought security from such alliances, rather than trusting in God.