Mat 5:27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
8 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
In this case, grace is more strict than the Law. Under the Law there had to be an actual sexual act performed to be considered adultery or fornication. ow, you cannot be “window shopping.” I have heard women say as long as he looks, but doesn’t touch, I don’t get upset as men are attracted by sight. Under the Law, that would have flown, but no longer. I also heard a woman say that she did not care where he got his sex as long as it is not with her. If she told her husband that she condoned adultery and even encouraged it.
One of my professors and I had a conversation and he said that as long you looked and admired thinking that is a nice bottom God made and left it as that you are good to go. When you think that is a nice bottom God made and want it in your bed then you are in trouble.
Having served in three military branches in Europe and Asia with men of many backgrounds and ages, I have to say that few men could just be “art lovers” without that desire to be lovers of the women they “scope out.” Indeed, it is a very thin line too easy to cross. My civilian experience has also confirmed that to look without it turning lust is a rare thing.
So what if you look and then imagine what it would be like to see the woman naked or even have sex with her? What does it hurt? It is a heart issue. If not for the Fall, we would all be naked and only strongly desire or lust after our wives. We are not in Eden and we are corrupted in every way.
When human law officers seek to find a suspect they have three things they look for; motive, means and opportunity. If one or more are missing, the person is not a primary suspect though it may be found later that they were an accessory after the fact or they instigated or aided and abetted the person who did commit the crime. Much like the lady I mentioned who condoned her husband committing adultery and hoped for it.
What Jesus was saying is that at the moment you have that sexual lust for her, you are guilty. You have motive. You want her. You have means in that you are capable of committing adultery. All you lack is opportunity and truth be told if you had opportunity you would commit the act. So, in your imagination you have already committed it. It proves you have the heart of an unfaithful, intemperate adulterer.
In this world, where even Christian women wear revealing and provocative clothing, you are going to be tempted. Hence you have to be constantly on guard. Indeed, you need to be as close to Jesus as possible and filled with the Spirit to combat the bombardment of sexual images and other input. Flesh cannot crucify flesh.
Rom 8:12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
Through the Spirit, you mortify the flesh. Some have strong wills and can subdue the flesh for a period of time, but only the Spirit can cause the lusts of the flesh to die no matter which lust it is. You cannot do it. That is how many saints fall. They think they have it handled. They have reformed themselves in many ways, but they needed to be transformed by the renewing of the mind and it is the Spirit that causes that transformation. Being just humanly reformed only works until the “right” time or circumstance arises and then a man or woman falls.
While the passage speaks directly to men, the principle also applies to women. There was a time when only women of questionable character would dress immodestly or act in a seductive manner. It is a common thing for women to talk dirty and act flirty. I have been amazed at what women talk about in the work place and how they act. Even in the nursing home, I have been proposed to and propositioned. I cannot imagine what it will be like when more and more of my hippie generation enter the nursing homes. Our caretakers will need a lot of prayer. Day room activities may be far more than watching game shows.
Women are now viewing 18% of porn and it is the rough stuff. Women actively pursue men for sexual trysts instead of marriage. More women are into open marriages or polygamist/polyandrous relationships. They openly talk about what part of a man’s body they are attracted to and what they want to do to a man they are “scoping out.” That is also adultery. The principle is the same for a man or woman. There are a lot of woman lusting after celebrities and imaging themselves in the bed scenes of movies or soap operas. They have motive and the means. All they lack is the opportunity and the more they ingest that kind of media, the more likely they will succumb to a seducer.
Ladies, you can also aid and abet this form of the crime of adultery. While men should not look in lust, you should not be giving them something to lust over. Not all men are Christians who struggle with sin. Others sin freely and gladly in this area. However, if you put a stumbling block in the way of your Christian brother, then you are also in sin.
When are Christian ladies going to realize that the designers and make up people are not trying to make you look and dress like a holy woman? They are in it to make money and sex sells so they are wanting to turn you into a pagan seductress. I have often wondered why woman complain about men looking when they give them plenty to see. I also wonder why a woman will complain about certain parts of their body and then dress to accentuate the part they are unhappy with or the parts men are attracted to if they do not want men to ogle them. It seems very counterproductive or hypocritical. For example, sequins and such on you jean’s back pockets may be chic, but it draws men to look and desire your cheek. Some swim suits cover less than your underwear, but you would be incensed if you forgot to lock the door and a man walked into a beach changing room catching you in your underwear. Odd that.
I have never received more flames on anything I have taught then when I try to help women understand how their influence can strengthen a man or weaken him. They seem to think they can do nothing wrong and if the man sins it is on him and him alone. While the man is ultimately responsible for his sin it is also a sin for the woman helping him to fall by her immodesty in attire or actions. I fully expect a non-Christian woman to follow all the fads and be immodest or crude. I expect a Christian woman to be more discreet and wise. Attract a man with your mind and you will get a higher class of suitors. Attract a man with your behind and they will act like one. Do you want to attract faithful men or lecherous fornicators?
Something for both genders to consider. Sex is primarily for reproduction or else a couple could continue on for extended periods after the seed is deposited. It is flesh rubbing against flesh. God designed it to be pleasurable and bonding a couple. Feeling some slack in the bonding? Try being intimate every day for thirty days, lights on, looking to each other’s eyes. Others have found it to work for them.
We need to have some CLASS in this area. The only difference between one person and another is;
Color
Length (Height, but at birth we are measured by length)
Age
Size
Shape
Everything else is just fantasy whether it is inspired by porn, soap operas, romantic novels or just a natural tendency to fantasy. This is why most affairs only last a short time because the reality did not live up to the fantasy. The higher the body count or porn use the greater the need for fantasy as people become jaded from the basic routine of it all.
Bottom line is men/women don’t look wanting to touch and your chances of not touching will be greater. This is done by the power of the Spirit, not a fleshly strong will. Jesus said that spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Paul said that in him was no good thing and he needed “… the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:2 Read his struggle in Romans 7. May Christ make us free from all worldly lusts and only strongly desire Him and the things of the Kingdom! Maranatha!
