When Does Look turn to lust?(Matt 5:28)?

Question

(Matt 5:28)But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

You can't help but notice if someone is attractive, but when does noticing their good looks turn into sin?

Answer 1

i struggle with this one often. im single and 26. i do want a family and its in my nature to look twice. God is so holy we all fall short, not saying this is ok. i believe he created us to reproduce. I pray that he brings the right christain girl into my life when the time is right. We live in a evil sinful world. thats probally think its ok to look twice and not feel guilty about it. the passage is saying when your thoughts turn sexual.

Answer 2

There is a difference between appreciating someone's spiritual beauty as a gift of God's creation; and "lusting" after someone as in "coveting" someone else's spiritual wife or husband or mate.

You can tell the difference if you are moved to be thankful to God and find selfless joy in such beautiful souls, to feel sincere respect and happiness for them and want them to be happy and successful in their relationships with their true partners, and not harbor and jealousy or envy guilt or greed, any negative or shameful feelings.

There is nothing wrong with thinking feeling or even expressing appreciation for beauty and attractiveness. This can be presented and taken as a compliment, and nothing to be ashamed of. If, however, you feel an uncomfortable, unnatural or otherwise negative thought or desire toward someone you feel is inappropriate, that is a problem no matter what it is. I would search deeply to see if you can put the feeling in better perspective where you can appreciate the good things you like or relate to or can learn from someone else, without it being negative or coming across wrong. I hope this helps a little.

Answer 3

Never.

The first thing that someone should be considering is whether the idea of sin is actually real.

If God is supposed to be perfect how could She have made anything or anyone that wasn't perfect.
Think about it. The idea of sin assumes certain things about God that seem highly unlikely.

First it assumes a God who is too incompetent to organize a simple educational field excursion and figure out a way to get all of the students home safely.

How likely is this that God would not be smart enough to come up with a plan for our salvation that is going to work?

It also assumes that God must have created us imperfect if we are sinners.

One might assume that God would be able to create someone perfect each and every time if he chose to. Assuming God is capable of this, then it follows logically that we must be perfect creations if we are actually creations of this perfect God.

Unless of course you are saying that God chose to create us imperfect.

If God created us imperfect then anything that may go wrong is Gods fault, not ours. This seems a bit illogical at best so I think that we need to assume that What God creates would have to be perfect.

If this is the case and Gods creations are perfect, then nothing that we can do could change what God created perfect and make it imperfect unless we think that we are more powerful than God is.

How likely is it that we the creation could be more powerful than the creator. I personally find this idea somewhat amusing, and a bit absurd.

Religion tells us that God is perfect. If this is true then it could hardly be logically for Gods creations to be considered to be anything less than perfect.

If this is the case and we are perfect creations of a perfect God then Nothing that we can ever do could possibly change this perfection that God willed, unless we were so powerful that our choices could override and change the will of God.

How likely is that????

Think about it.

The idea of sin is simple nonsense; a lie made up about God by religion.

Love and blessings
don

Source --- Course in miracles

Answer 4

In my opinion, there are several factors to be considered when reading that portion of Scripture. First of all, Jesus was probably talking to young married men because most Jewish people of his day had arranged marriages and being single was the exception and not the rule.

Therefore, if a married man looks at another woman and in his thoughts he is thinking something like "You know, if there was any way I could get away with it without getting into trouble I would cheat on my wife with that woman" then that person is sinning in their heart.

If a person looks at another person and feels attracted to them sexually but has determined in their mind that they are not going to have sex with another person outside of marriage then they should just look away and think about something else and there is no sin involved. But the principle you get from this passage is similar to the sin of covetousness. A person who is imagining doing something sinful and who doesn't turn away from that thought but continues to engage in that fantasy is sinning in their heart.

Answer 5

When a man begins imagining...things. When he starts to stare and crave this woman's body. That's wrong. Sometimes it's hard for a man not to do that, but that's when he turns away and asks God for help.

Women can help by not wearing immodest clothing. If a whole lot of you is exposed, sure it's going to be hard for a guy not to lust! (Though he's still responsible)

Noticing that a woman's attractive is not wrong.

Answer 6

sin is a mechanic of man to make people feel guilty of natural thoughts and instincts. by useing things that we cannot avoid as direct and intentional sins the church has solidified it's customer base with a constant need of forgivness.

Answer 7

its not about the face or personality, but looking wrong at the other parts of the body, or fantasizing lustful thoughts

Answer 8

then you start to get thoughts of the person and thinking of things you normally wouldnt think of doing with this person thats when lust is a problem..

Answer 9

You feel it. Have you never lusted a person?

Just something radiates from them making you want them very much so?

Answer 10

as soon as the look message gets to the cerebrum of the brain, crosses the corpus callusum and passes along the optic nerve.