The Lust of the Flesh

The Bible says that "King Solomon loved many strange women" (1 Kings 11:1). Wealthy and powerful, he didn't need a computer with internet access so he could watch porno; he could afford the "women" in the flesh - all his sex-obsessed heart could wish for. He had a thousand (vs. 3). But the poorest man today with cyberspace porno is more wealthy and powerful than even King Solomon; and he doesn't have to worry about responsibility in taking care of so many women to satisfy his lust. Why is porno, whether soft or hard, such an allurement? Didn't God Himself invent sex, creating us "male and female" with a built-in mutual attraction? And you don't really need the Internet or the magazines; there are real sights visible everyday with built-in charms that arouse this mysterious attention. The Bible hardly gives us permission to charge King David with the sin of rape; Bathsheba must have exploited her built-in charms somehow, perhaps unconsciously, to become a lure. It's a sin to be allured; but it can also be a sin of pride to make oneself allurable. "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23). Much as we would like to be considered innocent, "there is none righteous, no, not one" (vs. 10). And the sins of illicit sex are deep-dyed; probation officers and prison wardens often assume that violent sex-offenders are incurable, and indeed "the lust of the flesh" survives up to the moment the last breath is drawn. The question that haunts the hearts of millions, yes even billions who long for that purity of heart which alone can know happiness: "Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" (7:24). Is there a Savior whose redemptive power can free us from this inward compulsion inherent in watching porno - yes, include the inward pride possible in the hearts of those who want to seductively attract? The answer is in the Son of God who became "flesh," yes, who "took" upon Himself the same "flesh and blood" inherited by all the children of fallen, not sinless, Adam. Christ "condemned sin in the flesh," in that same "flesh" which is the root cause of all our addictions. In so doing He did not "destroy" the flesh so that temptation becomes impossible (that is the heresy of monasticism); but He "paralyzed" Satan (cf. Heb 2:14, Greek), "teaching us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions" (Titus 2:12, NIV). The strings on the lute are still tight; the tension is still there; but now there is music. But lest a taint of legalism seep in, let us note that what teaches us to say 'No'" is "the grace of God," the Savior "who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness" (vs. 14).

Would you like freedom from porn? Then pray this prayer.

Lord Jesus, I'm a sinner and I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I invite you into my heart and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving me my sins and giving me eternal life. I give you permission Lord, to change me into the kind of person You want me to be.

If you would like to know more about Gods good news for you or you can overcome sin through prayer contact us. Phone (203) 333-2876