Christians, what do you think about this Bible verse?

Question

"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.'
But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

Does that mean that if a married man looks at an attractive woman and thinks, "Mmm, she's hot!" that he is cheating on his wife? If a married woman has the same reaction when she sees an attractive man, is she cheating on her husband?

What about people who aren't married? Is it a sin for them as well?

Christians only, please. If you're going to answer with something like "Don't believe it because there is no God," then don't waste your time answering.

So, you're basically saying that all sexual attraction and desire is a sin?

How can the basic biological drive of sexual attraction and desire be a sin? Without it, we would be unable to reproduce.

What if I, a married woman, look at a man who is not my husband and think "he's hot" but have no intention to act on the attraction I feel?

Answer 1

I think it does have a lot to do with intention.
Think about the word "lust". It seems to me to mean a bit more than "man, he's hot", and go about my business and forget all about him. To me, "lust" means he's gonna stay on my mind...all day long, and definitely all night. If he is still on my mind tomorrow, who knows? The temptation could get too strong for me.
I think Jesus was trying to get people to see that sin begins in the mind. If you let yourself think about a thing, and dwell on it, and drool over it...sooner or later, you will want to do it. Thinking about it leads to wanting to do it, wanting to do it leads to planning to do it, and planning to do it leads to...well, you're already in too deep...
So, yes, while we know we're gonna turn our heads and thing, "wow, he's hot", as long as we go back to our business and not let him linger in our minds, I don't believe it is a sin.
However, this is my opinion, and I do not pretend to speak for God. If you have any doubt in the matter, I would simply not allow myself to even glance in the first place, and the minute I slip, I'd be on my knees.
Heck, by the time I got through repenting, it'll be quarter past eternity, already!!

Answer 2

I think you have to consider what the word "lustfully" means. If you look at a woman and find her attractive, there's no problem. It's not reasonable to think you can control random thoughts like that. But if you starting playing with those thoughts that's where the sin comes in.

This applies to both married and unmarried people.

Answer 3

It applies to married and unmarried alike. If you look at another person and even think to yourself something inappropriate then it is a sin. Now I may see a guy and think wow, he has pretty blue eyes. I don't think that's a sin because I'm not attaching anything sexual to it. I just really like his eyes. You will know if what you are thinking is crossing the line or not. Jesus was very big on making the point that everything you do starts in your heart. Keep your heart clean and your actions and words will follow is his point.

Answer 4

I think there is a difference between an observation and looking lustfully. If staring at an attractive woman causes a man to think "dirty" thoughts about her that is looking lustfully, I don't think simply noticing how beautiful or handsome God has made an individual is a sin. And there is a difference at noticing a womans beauty and looking her up and down imagining how she looks naked or how she is in bed.

Answer 5

If one looks upon another with LUSTFUL desires and intent, yes, that in adultery is the heart of that person. In other words, if that "looking" could honestly result in acting upon the situation under circumstances, then you are quilty as having commited that act. In other words - What is the true intent of the heart? That is what God searches; the heart of man. This is what Jesus is saying.
It does not mean that you can't LOOK at another "woman" with "admiration" of ones beauty and attraction.

Answer 6

Again, it's all about context. Christ spoke about fulfiling the law, bringing the higher law the law of love. He was dealing with the idea that "outward righteousness" does not meet the full demands for obedience.

If you remember in Matthew 23 in his woes to the pharisees. He told them that they cleanied the outside of the cup but were inwardly full of extortion.

"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess."

The passage you quoted goes on to compare to anger to already murdering. The ethic Christ is proposing is one that moves from the inside to the outside.

Lust is not the same as adultry, but adultery will not happen unless first sparked by lust.

Anger is not the same as murder, but without anger there will be no murder (outside of accidental manslaughter).

And if you love your neighbor as yourself you will not act in anger or lust toward them, this is the law of love.

What Christ is saying in this passage is that God is looking for the law to be written on your heart, and just saying well I never committed adultry or murder is not enough to be justified in His presense.

Again all of this talk should lead us to the grace of God and Christ's perfect obediance, which is our righteousness.

So, to your follow up questions:

Married man looking at an attractive woman lustfully: Yes he is sinning in a way that could lead to adultery. Same with the married woman. With singles, It's not quite the same as adultery, but it is serious. Adultery is usually only in view for the married. You could still work out a similar answer for singles--it just wouldn't lead to adultery necessarily.

The bottom line is that Galatians compares the Law as a tutor that is supposed to lead us to Christ--because we can't keep it in our own strength.

I hope I didn't leave anything out, and I hope the answer helps.

Answer 7

It is not saying that if you think someone is hot then you are commiting adultery. What it is saying is that if you have a specific person in mind that you mentally have commited to the fact that you would sleep with them, then you have already commited adultery whether or not you have physically slept with them.

Answer 8

If the man wants the woman sexually then it is sin. The same for women. Thinking someone is hot and it's not your wife or husband is not a sin.

Answer 9

well this reminds me of another bible verse where if you hate your brother, you have murdered him in your heart. so i think that if a married man looks at an attractive woman then yes he is committing adultery. if the man isn't married, then maybe its like not waiting till your married to sleep with them.
hope this helps

Answer 10

I think that a translation that expresses the present active aspect of the Greek participle used in this verse (Matthew 5:28) would make the matter more clear.

What Jesus is saying, according to the Greek, is not that it is wrong to just "look" at a woman, but to 'be looking' or 'keep looking' so as to develop an impure desire.

The "Expositor's Greek New Testament" says about this verse that it refers to looking that is "not casual but persistent, the desire not involuntary or momentary, but cherished with longing."

Therefore, some versions render the verse this way:

"But I say to you, every one looking on a woman in order to lust after her already committed adultelry with her in his heart." (Analytical-Literal Translation)

"But I say to you that everyone looking at a woman so as to desire her already committed adultery with her in his heart." (New Testament TransLine)

"But I say to you that everyone that keeps looking at a woman so as to have a passion for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (NWT)

What the Lord Jesus means is that if unclean habits or thoughts are practiced continually, they will lead to a bad heart condition and to outright sin whenever the opportunity presents itself.