Yesterday, I was reading my friend’s blog and she had written up a short story of how she overheard two guys having a conversation that degrades women:

Boy 1: What do you think about this hot weather?

Boy 2: It’s ok, it’s been like this all week.

Boy 1: Well, to tell you the truth, I kinda like it.

Boy 2: Yeah, me too. It gives the girls at school a reason to dress like sluts.

This conversation made me think about the word lust. It is easy to say “These boys have a problem with lustful eyes.” But what does lust really mean? Lust is so often tied to sexual desires that we forget it is actually a root of all of our sins. Take this passage in James:

Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. - James 1:12-15 (NASB)

What is lust? To get a better understanding for what lust really meant, I looked it up in the original greek text. Lust in the greek is Epithumia. Epithumia, in short, is a compound greek word meaning to have an over desire or an over passion for something other than God.

Total Depravity: our sinful and lustful nature.

The passage in James opens a window to our lustful nature. A nature which chiefly produces sin. We naturally lust after things, have an over desire for things other than God. It is easy to condemn the two boys for their over-desire in women. But what about yourself? You can have a lust, an over desire for anything: having the perfect physical body, moving up the corporate ladder, etc. Not only does lust come in forms easy to condemn, it comes in things less noticeable. For example, it can come with family or friends. Do you have an over desire to please friends and family? An over desire to fulfill contentment, if they are pleased with how you act? What it comes down to is that at the root of our nature we lust after things that will “benefit” or glorify ourselves.

We are responsible for our lusts. Why wallow in lusts, finding those for blame?

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. - James 1:13,14 (NASB)

We inherit sinful nature from Adam. We produce our own lusts, it is not from anyone else, especially not God. Matthew Henry says this about the source of lust:

Every man, when tempted, is so through being drawn away of (again here, as in Jam 1:13 , the Greek for “of” expresses the actual source, rather than the agent of temptation) his own lust. The cause of sin is in ourselves. Even Satan’s suggestions do not endanger us before they are made our own. Each one has his own peculiar (so the Greek) lust, arising from his own temperament and habit. Lust flows from the original birth-sin in man, inherited from Adam. - Matthew Henry Commentary

God is not to blame for our inherit sinful nature. Even Satan isn’t. Satan may be a deceiver to which his aim is to enhance our lust, but he does not create the lust that lays within’ us. That is why we all struggle with different lusts. Satan works to attack the lusts that we each individually carry.

Persevere through the trial, fight the lust within’

We know we deal and struggle with our inherit lust. What, then, should our response be? Throw in the towel? Absolutely not, God calls us to persevere through our trials. What does it mean to persevere? Persevere or Endureth in the original greek text is hupomeno; it means to remain under, to bear under pressure. Sin and lust is like a 1000 pound rock left in our hands. You should find comfort in knowing that God knows exactly how much you can lift. He knows your weight limits:

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. - 1 Corinthians 10:13

So, then, let us respond to our depravity with a fierce joy and comfort in God. Knowing we serve a God who is faithful (pistos - that can be relied on).

Back yo-self lust.

Why write a whole article on lust? I, myself, struggle with lust. It may not be lust in the sexual desires sense, but I certainly have over desires that push God away. And too often my response to lust is to throw in the towel, to give in; to end up sinning.

Despite my sinning and lustful nature, God still is graceful. I don’t think I will ever come to not appreciate and be brought to my knees by God’s allowance for me to be a part of his kingdom, even though I am so degraded with the sins I commit.