A recent survey found that 90% of Christians surveyed struggle with desire. What is lust really? Are all sexual desire, attraction, and arousal sins? What about masturbation and sexual fantasy? In Is Lust or Legalism? Pastor Brad Watson recognizes the differences between sexuality, sensuality and sin and looks again at these pertinent issues from a new perspective. Sexuality and sensuality are not inherently evil and should be integrated with a committed and Christ-centered faith. This groundbreaking book exposes the poor anti-body, anti-sex, and anti-lust theology that has historically imbued the church with legalism, needlessly separating it from culture and preventing it from influencing the world. God`s people are challenged to embrace a “Christianity incarnate” – filled with grace and free from legality – that normal, culturally relevant people of the 21st century embrace. In the nineteenth century, it is a radical testimony of Christ. When, then, does innocent attraction really become a dangerous pleasure? Some argue that it is impossible to draw the line between the two. I do not see it that way. Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit and a correct understanding of biblical teaching, a precise distinction can be made, and even Christians with a strong sexual drive can keep themselves free from sinful lust.
Just because you are physically or even sexually attracted to others does not necessarily mean that you have necessarily desired or been guilty of sin. God certainly wouldn`t have created beautiful people just to forbid anyone to notice them! Just as you can admire your neighbor`s flower garden without picking the flowers and take them home, you can also appreciate the beauty of others without coveting them! Benedict threw himself naked into thick heather and nettles that tore his flesh, hoping that the wounds on his body would heal the wound of “lust” of his soul. Even Origen, the famous Christian leader of the fourth century, castrated himself to completely free himself from sexual temptation. On the contrary, for followers of Jesus Christ, sexual purity is real and possible. By God`s grace, it is a successful and joyful path – free from legality and full of life. The expected result of a heart connected to God and guided by the Spirit. One of the most common mistakes in defining sinful pleasure is attributing to the heart everything that happens in the mind. Although the heart and mind are linked, they are not one. Although my mind can be filled with many thoughts and considerations, my heart reflects my true priorities, beliefs, and intentions. Unfortunately, the very people who set out to extinguish sexual desire became obsessed with what they were trying to eliminate! Despite their valiant efforts, the attempts of the old monks to abolish all sexual desire have only exacerbated the problem. His enormous fixation on belligerence actually had the opposite effect and instead strengthened his strength.
Early Christian monks were excellent examples of how legalism can be harmful when it pollutes our understanding of human sexuality. In order to achieve final victory, many of these ancient saints took extreme measures: the story goes that a monk, Ammonius, burned his body with an iron whenever he had an impure thought. Another, Pachon, held an asp to his sexual organs. In His Sermon on the Mount, the Lord Jesus did not condemn physical attraction or sexual desire, but adultery of the heart (see Matthew 5:28). Only when lust seeps into the heart and begins to influence negatively does it have a corrupting effect on the Christian life. Only then can it truly be called “sinful lust.” This frustrating internal civil war continued for some time. Finally, after months of struggle, a light of truth illuminated the darkness of my despair. Those nagging thoughts were in my head, yes, but certainly not in my heart. To calculate the total number of stars and the percentage distribution per star, we do not use a simple average. Instead, our system takes into account things like updating a review and whether the reviewer purchased the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to check for reliability. Book Description Condition: New.
Seller`s inventory #887597-n After being attracted to someone other than their spouse, many Christians feel ashamed and believe they have sinned. In many cases, this is nothing more than an indictment of the enemy! (See Revelation 12:10.) The more the devil makes us feel guilty, the less likely we are to reflect God`s glory. Brad Watson lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Foley, Alabama. God rarely accedes to people`s demands to be free from all sexual urges and desires.