Matthew 5:28 - Lust Is A Form Of Adultery.
Mat.5:28: Lust Is A Form Of Adultery.
Matthew 5:28 (NIV) But I tell you that anyone who looks at a
woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
DEVOTIONAL PEARL
Adultery is using another person as a sex object. Lust is
viewing another person as a sex object. Christ wants us to realize that
both the act and attitude are sinful. Righteousness calls for us to
view all human beings as persons of worth and value. We are to serve
others, not use them. [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary]
Both Jesus and the Old Testament teach that God's law is
concerned not only with external and outward actions but also with the
attitudes of heart and mind that lead to the actions. The action as well
as the intent to carry out the action are both condemned as
violations of God's law. In the seventh commandment Jesus includes the
lustful look and the sinful imagination. There is adultery of the body
and adultery of the mind. Job spoke of making a covenant with his
eyes, and not gazing at a virgin (31:1). Peter also makes reference to
those who have "eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin"
(2 Pet. 2:14). Control of the heart and of the body begins with
control of the eyes. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall
not fulfil the lust of the flesh. Gal 5:16 (KJV) [Daily Devotional
Bible mod]
It will require a sacrifice to give yourself to God; but it is a
sacrifice of the lower for the higher, the earthly for the spiritual, the
perishable for the eternal. God does not design that our will should be
destroyed, for it is only through its exercise that we can accomplish what
He would have us do. Our will is to be yielded to Him, that we may
receive it again, purified and refined, and so linked in sympathy with
the Divine that He can pour through us the tides of His love and
power. MB60-63
THE FOLLOWING ARE FOR THOSE WHO DESIRE DEEPER STUDY:
CONTENT; What's in the verse; Translations; Paraphrase; Word
Study:
Mat 5:28 (KJV) But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a
woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in
his heart.
Matthew 5:28 (NIV) But I tell you that anyone who looks at a
woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Mat 5:28 (CWR) But I'm telling you that if you even look at a
woman and lust after her body, you're already having sex with her in
your mind.
Lust. Gr. epithumeo, "to set one's heart upon [a thing]," "to
long for," "to covet," "to desire." "Lust" is an old Anglo-Saxon word
meaning "pleasure," "longing." "To lust" for a thing is to experience an
intense, eager desire for it. Epithumeo is used in both a good and an
evil sense. [SDA Commentary]
Looks at a woman lustfully. Not a passing glance but a willful,
calculated stare that arouses sexual desire. According to Jesus this is a
form of adultery even if it is only "in his heart." [NIV SB]
To lust for her: A man who gazes at a woman with the purpose of
wanting her sexually has mentally committed adultery. [Nelson SB]
"Lustfully'' (Greek epithumeo) describes an intensive and
continuing desire to possess another person sexually that becomes obsessive
in its control on one's mind. [Disciple SB]
Heart. here referring to the intellect, the affections, and the
will... Character is determined, not so much by the outward act, as by
the inward attitude that motivates the act. [SDA Commentary]
CONTEXT; What's around the verse; Overview; Topic:
Overview
Jesus announced blessings for citizens of His kingdom (5:1-12).
He expects citizens of His kingdom to do good deeds (vv. 13-16),
for He requires a righteousness that surpasses that of even the
zealous Pharisees (vv. 17-20). Christ looked behind the acts the Law
regulated to call for purity of heart (vv. 21-42) and that crowning
expression of kingdom righteousness: a love like the Heavenly Father's for
one's enemies (vv. 43-48). [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary]
5:17-48 The Fulfilled Law: Divine Perfection
Jesus gave five examples of the fulfillment of the law. He
corrected a possible misunderstanding concerning the purpose of his coming
(5:17-20). He did not come to abolish the law (5:17). But he did come to
demand perfection (cf. 5:48). Jesus had just spoken of good works
(5:16), and he, like the prophets of old, demanded the same holy
character and acts of obedience. He brought no new way of living in God's
kingdom. He simply expanded and deepened God's long-standing desire for
his creation's obedience and holiness. He started with the
Pharisees' standard of righteousness: obedience to the law. But he applied
that law not only to the external deeds that a person might do, but
also to the attitudes and thoughts in the depths of a person's heart.
Fulfilled law is no longer the law imposed upon a person from the outside,
but that which is written on the heart and becomes an integral part
of that person (cf. 5:22, 28, 32, 34, 39, 44). If the law becomes
internalized, obedience becomes instinctive and pleasant, not something a
person is forced to do. Throughout the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus
called his hearers to move from external obedience to an obedience
motivated by the law written upon the heart (5:22, 28, 32, 34, 39, 44;
6:19-24).
Five examples of how the Pharisees failed to fulfill the law
were given in 5:21-28: (1) murder and anger 5:21-26; (2) adultery and
lust 5:27-32; (3) vows and simplicity (5:33-37; cf. Lev. 19:12; Num.
30:2); (4) revenge and nonresistance (Matt. 5:38-42); and (5) loving
enemies (5:43-48).
Jesus specifically condemned lust as a form of adultery (Matt.
5:28)... Jesus condemned divorce for any reason except for "marital
unfaithfulness" (Matt. 5:32). This has been interpreted to refer to adultery,
unfaithfulness during betrothal (cf. 1:19), or incestuous marriage (cf. Lev.
18:6-18). This exception to the permanence of marriage appears only in
Matthew (cf. Mark 10:2-12; Luke 16:18). Jesus said that one who divorces
a spouse contributes to the adultery that may result in the
following remarriage. He added that in many cases marriage to a divorced
person constitutes adultery since divorce did not dissolve the
"one-flesh" covenant relationship of the original marriage. [New Bible
Companion]
Six Ways To Think Like Christ
Reference/ Example It's not enough to: We must also:
5:21-22/ Murder Avoid killing Avoid anger and
hatred
5:23-26/ Offerings Offer regular gifts Have right relationships
with God and others
5:27-30/ Adultery Avoid adultery Keep our hearts from
lusting and be faithful
5:31-32/ Divorce Be legally married Live out our marriage
commitments
5:33-37/ Oaths Make an oath Avoid casual &
irresponsible commitments to God
5:38-47/ Revenge Seek justice for self Show mercy and love to
others
[Life Application SB]
SECTION HEADINGS
Personal Relationships
Jesus Teaches About Sexual Sin
Jesus teaches about lust (5:27-30)
Adultery and Divorce (5:27-32)
CROSS REFERENCES; What's in verses elsewhere.
Genesis 39:7 (KJV) And it came to pass after these things, that
his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with
me.
Exodus 20:17 (KJV) Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house,
thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor
his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy
neighbour's.
2 Samuel 11:2 (KJV) And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that
David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's
house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman
was very beautiful to look upon.
Job 31:1 (KJV) I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then
should I think upon a maid?
Proverbs 6:25 (KJV) Lust not after her beauty in thine heart;
neither let her take thee with her eyelids.
James 1:14-15 (KJV) But every man is tempted, when he is drawn
away of his own lust, and enticed. [15] Then when lust hath
conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth
forth death.
2 Peter 2:14 (KJV) Having eyes full of adultery, and that
cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have
exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:
1 John 2:16 (KJV) For all that is in the world, the lust of the
flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the
Father, but is of the world.
COMMENTARY / APPLICATION: Moving From The Head To The Heart
What is God teaching here? What does it teach about Jesus?
The Old Testament law said that it is wrong for a person to have
sex with someone other than his or her spouse (Exodus 20:14). But
Jesus said that the desire to have sex with someone other than your
spouse is mental adultery and thus sin. Jesus emphasized that if the
act is wrong, then so is the intention. To be faithful to your
spouse with your body but not your mind is to break the trust so vital
to a strong marriage. [Life Application SB]
In his teaching about lust, Jesus literally got to the heart of
the matter by explaining that sin begins in the heart. With strong
language Jesus described how his followers must rid themselves of sin.
While we cannot be sinless until we finally are with Christ, we must
keep a watch on our thoughts, motives, and temptations in the
meantime. When we find a destructive habit or thought pattern, we need to
"cut it out and throw it away." (Life Application Commentary Series)
Gouge it out . . . cut it off (5:29-30) This is hyperbole, a
figure of speech in which exaggeration is used to emphasize a point.
Jesus used hyperbole here to get his listeners' attention: Sin is
deadly serious radical measures are required to eradicate It.
Persistent or recurring sin jeopardizes spiritual life much as a gangrenous
infection threatens physical health. [Quest SB]
When Jesus said to get rid of your hand or your eye, he was
speaking figuratively. He didn't mean literally to gouge out your eye,
because even a blind person can lust. But if that were the only choice,
it would be better to go into heaven with one eye or hand than to
go to hell with two. We sometimes tolerate sins in our lives that,
left unchecked, could eventually destroy us. It is better to
experience the pain of removal (getting rid of a bad habit or something we
treasure, for instance) than to allow the sin to bring judgment and
condemnation. Examine your life for anything that causes you to sin, and take
every necessary action to remove it. [Life Application SB]
Both Jesus and the Old Testament teach that God's law is
concerned not only with external and outward actions but also with the
attitudes of heart and mind that lead to the actions. The action as well
as the intent to carry out the action are both condemned as
violations of God's law. In the seventh commandment Jesus includes the
lustful look and the sinful imagination. There is adultery of the body
and adultery of the mind. Job spoke of making a covenant with his
eyes, and not gazing at a virgin (31:1). Peter also makes reference to
those who have "eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin"
(2 Pet. 2:14). Control of the heart and of the body begins with
control of the eyes. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall
not fulfil the lust of the flesh. Gal 5:16 (KJV) [Daily Devotional
Bible mod]
God is not bound by our privacy -- our thoughts and emotions are
as visible to him as our actions. From the divine perspective, they
are actions. This, in part, explains their sinfulness. (Life
Application Commentary Series)
Adultery is using another person as a sex object. Lust is
viewing another person as a sex object. Christ wants us to realize that
both the act and attitude are sinful. Righteousness calls for us to
view all human beings as persons of worth and value. We are to serve
others, not use them. [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary]
Some think that if lustful thoughts are sin, why shouldn't a
person go ahead and do the lustful actions too? Acting out sinful
desires is harmful in several ways: (1) it causes people to excuse sin
rather than to stop sinning; (2) it destroys marriages; (3) it is
deliberate rebellion against God's Word; (4) it always hurts someone else
in addition to the sinner. Sinful action is more dangerous than
sinful desire, and that is why desires should not be acted out.
Nevertheless, sinful desire is just as damaging to righteousness. Left
unchecked, wrong desires will result in wrong actions and turn people away
from God. [Life Application SB]
If voluntary and deliberate looks and desires make adulterers
and adulteresses, how many persons are there whose whole life is one
continued crime! whose eyes being full of adultery, they cannot cease from
sin, <2 Pet. 2:14>. Many would abhor to commit one external act
before the eyes of men, in a temple of stone; and yet they are not
afraid to commit a multitude of such acts in the temple of their
hearts, and in the sight of God! (Adam Clarke Commentary)
He who refuses to see, hear, taste, smell, or touch that which
is suggestive of sin has gone far toward avoiding sinful thoughts.
He who immediately banishes evil thoughts when, momentarily, they
may flash upon his consciousness, thereby avoids the development of
a habitual thought pattern that conditions the mind to commit sin
when the opportunity presents itself. [SDA Commentary]
How are you fulfilling Jesus' command to be perfect before God?
Do you fall short by lusting, lying, cheating, coveting, or
gossiping? When you battle one of these temptations, instead of giving in,
pray, sing a worshipful song, or think of a memorized verse. Praise
God instead of giving in. [Inspirational SB mod]
It will require a sacrifice to give yourself to God; but it is a
sacrifice of the lower for the higher, the earthly for the spiritual, the
perishable for the eternal. God does not design that our will should be
destroyed, for it is only through its exercise that we can accomplish what
He would have us do. Our will is to be yielded to Him, that we may
receive it again, purified and refined, and so linked in sympathy with
the Divine that He can pour through us the tides of His love and
power. MB60-63
If you cling to self, refusing to yield your will to God, you
are choosing death. MB60-63
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