While Jesus  gave us a new view of marriage, he also clearly named lust  a sexual sin. What did he mean by the sin of lust ? When I look obsessively at a woman, seeing her as a tasty little morsel and not as a sacred human being, I commit the sin of lust , and it cheapens the amazing life God has given me.

The females being objectified  know that I am a creep; they can feel it. It reminds me of the way the Devil looked at victims in The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis : as treats to feed one’s depravity. If you haven’t read The Screwtape Letters, put this book down and go read it. Here’s a quote from the senior Demon, Screwtape, to his nephew, Wormwood, a Junior Tempter:

It does not matter how small the sins are, provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.[1]

Don’t pretend the sin of lust  isn’t a big deal. Just like greed and envy, the gentle slope of sin can create a great gulf between you and God. Try to be like Job. He made a covenant with his eyes to not look lustfully at a young woman.[2] Job  pleased God by striving to avoid lust . I want to be like Job...except for all that struggling and pain stuff.

Read in context, the Bible has a lot to teach about sex and culture. But remember: Jesus  taught us to love God and love one another above all other commands. When you’re striving to remain biblical in your sex life, remember to read the verses we discussed in their cultural context. Cascade other people with love...don’t clobber them with judgement.

[1] C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Middlesex, England: The Penguin Group, 1988), 65.

[2] Job 31:1-4