Homework Assignment 5
Do you have the self-control to not lust when an attractive girl walks by? Why?
If not, how can a person have self-control, so that he won’t lust (vss. 22, 23; Eph. 5:18; 1 Jn. 5:14, 15; Rom. 12:2; Phil. 2:12)?
Job 31:1
What did Job do, in order to not “gaze at a virgin” (i.e., lust)?
Have you ever made a covenant with your eyes (i.e., as an act of your will, you chose not to look intensely/lustfully at women), in order to help you with your lust problem? Why?
Why do you think it’s so important to keep our eyes in check, or be careful what we look at?
Rom. 12:2 What does Paul urge these Roman Christians to do?
Are you being transformed (i.e., totally changed from the inside out) by the renewing (i.e., changing to new or God-like) your mind (i.e., your thoughts, attitudes, values, behaviors, and motives)? If so, how?
How can a person renew his mind (Psa. 119:11, 15, 16)?
Are you doing this so that you can keep your way pure and not lust?
[As Christians it’s very important to reprogram our minds, because what we put into our minds is what we’ll think about, and often, what we will act out.]. Are you diligently watching what goes into your mind (e.g., TV, magazines, movies, music, conversations, etc.), so that you keep you mind pure? How?
2 Cor. 10:5
Besides destroying/demolishing speculations (i.e., erroneous human opinion; arguments) and every lofty thing (i.e., Judaic self-righteousness and humanistic, philosophic opinions) raised (i.e., that sets itself) up against the knowledge (truth) of God (i.e., the truth of the gospel), what else were they doing?
Are you taking all your thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ (discarding/rejecting wrong thoughts)?
Why?
Do you guard your mind and thoughts, so that when lustful thoughts come in, you can get rid of them immediately, or do you dwell on them? Why?
Examples of how to deal with wrong/sinful thoughts:
If the thought to call a person a creep comes into your mind, then reject it, and replace it with Eph. 4:29.
If the thought that you should have been picked to play on the church team rather than so-and-so comes into your mind, then reject it, and replace it with Phil. 2:3.
If the thought to have sex with someone comes into your mind, reject it, and replace it with 2 Tim. 2:22.
If the thought to get even with so-and-so comes into your mind, reject it, and replace it with Rom. 12:19.
If the thought to gossip comes to mind, reject it, and replace it with Prov. 20:19.
Psa. 139:23
What did David ask of God in prayer?
Have you ever prayed to God and asked Him to renew your mind? When, and why?
2 Tim. 2:22
What are we commanded to flee from?
What are we to do instead?
Are you fleeing from youthful lusts (i.e., from someone or some place, because the situation will be tempting to you)?
Or, do you get deceived by Satan and think that you don’t have a problem with lust or that you can handle it?
Why?
Are you pursuing (i.e., striving after) righteousness, faith, love, and peace with godly, spiritual Christians who can help you and encourage you to have victory over lust? Why, and how?
1 Cor. 7:9
Should a Christian get married because he has a problem with sexual lust?
First of all, most guys have a problem with sexual lust from their mid-teens on. However, if it’s totally out of control (an obsession, probably due to prior involvement with pornography or sexual experiences), then it would be better to get married (so as to have a legitimate means of fulfilling those sexual desires) than to be in the continuous sin of burning lust.
The word “burn” in 1 Cor. 7:9 is the Greek word “purousthai” (which is in the present, middle, infinitive form) meaning: “sexual passion” since it’s used as a metaphor (Dr. A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, vol. 4, p. 126); “continuance in unsatisfied desire” (Dr. M. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, vol. 2, p. 772); “glowing with heat emotionally” since it’s used as a metaphor (Drs. Vine, Unger, and White, An Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, NT, p. 151); “inflamed with lust” (Dr. W. Perschbacher, The New Analytical Greek Lexicon, p. 360, #4448). Being in the continuous present tense, it means continuous unsatisfied sexual desire rather than merely an occasional problem of impure thinking. So, if you merely have a problem with occasional lustful thoughts, don’t feel like this verse is telling you that you have to get married. Why? Because occasional lustful thoughts are far different than what this passage is dealing with (which is a continuous burning with lust all the time).
Second, Christians should be able to control their passions since God gave us that ability through the Holy Spirit’s fruit of self-control (Gal. 5:22, 23 with 1 Cor. 6:19).
Third, since God has told us to be holy (1 Pet. 1:14, 15), to set our minds on things above (Col. 3:2), to dwell on pure things (Phil. 4:8), and to renew our minds (Rom. 12:2), then we should be capable of doing this since God is at work in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure (Phil. 4:13).
Fourth, even if a Christian doesn’t have the gift of singleness (not having the desire to get married), he can still choose to remain single for the sake of the kingdom of God, as it states in Matt. 19:12 (that is, to more devotedly serve God with less distractions, as marital responsibilities are many, 1 Cor. 7:32-35).
Fifth, it would be selfish (which is not loving, 1 Cor. 13:5) to get married for the sole or primary reason of simply fulfilling your sexual desires. The woman/wife would merely be being used as a sex object rather than for the biblical reason of being a helper to her husband(Gen. 2:18, 20) in his God-given responsibilities (which is where God intended her to find her fulfillment).
Sixth, most men who are married find that being married has not helped them to refrain any less from lusting, and for some, has even increased it. So, getting married is not the solution for dealing with lustful thoughts. Instead, being filled/controlled by the Holy Spirit (Eph.5:18), changing your thought- patterns (Rom. 12:2) by dwelling on things that are good, lovely, and pure (Phil. 4:8), and exercising self-control as a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:23), as an act of your will (Phil. 2:12) are the best ingredients for dealing with lust.
You can be single and satisfied and serve God more devotedly and undistractedly (1 Cor. 7:32-35).
Do you have the self-control to not lust when an attractive girl walks by? Why?
If not, how can a person have self-control, so that he won’t lust (vss. 22, 23; Eph. 5:18; 1 Jn. 5:14, 15; Rom. 12:2; Phil. 2:12)?
Job 31:1
What did Job do, in order to not “gaze at a virgin” (i.e., lust)?
Have you ever made a covenant with your eyes (i.e., as an act of your will, you chose not to look intensely/lustfully at women), in order to help you with your lust problem? Why?
Why do you think it’s so important to keep our eyes in check, or be careful what we look at?
Rom. 12:2 What does Paul urge these Roman Christians to do?
Are you being transformed (i.e., totally changed from the inside out) by the renewing (i.e., changing to new or God-like) your mind (i.e., your thoughts, attitudes, values, behaviors, and motives)? If so, how?
How can a person renew his mind (Psa. 119:11, 15, 16)?
Are you doing this so that you can keep your way pure and not lust?
[As Christians it’s very important to reprogram our minds, because what we put into our minds is what we’ll think about, and often, what we will act out.]. Are you diligently watching what goes into your mind (e.g., TV, magazines, movies, music, conversations, etc.), so that you keep you mind pure? How?
2 Cor. 10:5
Besides destroying/demolishing speculations (i.e., erroneous human opinion; arguments) and every lofty thing (i.e., Judaic self-righteousness and humanistic, philosophic opinions) raised (i.e., that sets itself) up against the knowledge (truth) of God (i.e., the truth of the gospel), what else were they doing?
Are you taking all your thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ (discarding/rejecting wrong thoughts)?
Why?
Do you guard your mind and thoughts, so that when lustful thoughts come in, you can get rid of them immediately, or do you dwell on them? Why?
Examples of how to deal with wrong/sinful thoughts:
If the thought to call a person a creep comes into your mind, then reject it, and replace it with Eph. 4:29.
If the thought that you should have been picked to play on the church team rather than so-and-so comes into your mind, then reject it, and replace it with Phil. 2:3.
If the thought to have sex with someone comes into your mind, reject it, and replace it with 2 Tim. 2:22.
If the thought to get even with so-and-so comes into your mind, reject it, and replace it with Rom. 12:19.
If the thought to gossip comes to mind, reject it, and replace it with Prov. 20:19.
Psa. 139:23
What did David ask of God in prayer?
Have you ever prayed to God and asked Him to renew your mind? When, and why?
2 Tim. 2:22
What are we commanded to flee from?
What are we to do instead?
Are you fleeing from youthful lusts (i.e., from someone or some place, because the situation will be tempting to you)?
Or, do you get deceived by Satan and think that you don’t have a problem with lust or that you can handle it?
Why?
Are you pursuing (i.e., striving after) righteousness, faith, love, and peace with godly, spiritual Christians who can help you and encourage you to have victory over lust? Why, and how?
1 Cor. 7:9
Should a Christian get married because he has a problem with sexual lust?
First of all, most guys have a problem with sexual lust from their mid-teens on. However, if it’s totally out of control (an obsession, probably due to prior involvement with pornography or sexual experiences), then it would be better to get married (so as to have a legitimate means of fulfilling those sexual desires) than to be in the continuous sin of burning lust.
The word “burn” in 1 Cor. 7:9 is the Greek word “purousthai” (which is in the present, middle, infinitive form) meaning: “sexual passion” since it’s used as a metaphor (Dr. A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, vol. 4, p. 126); “continuance in unsatisfied desire” (Dr. M. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, vol. 2, p. 772); “glowing with heat emotionally” since it’s used as a metaphor (Drs. Vine, Unger, and White, An Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, NT, p. 151); “inflamed with lust” (Dr. W. Perschbacher, The New Analytical Greek Lexicon, p. 360, #4448). Being in the continuous present tense, it means continuous unsatisfied sexual desire rather than merely an occasional problem of impure thinking. So, if you merely have a problem with occasional lustful thoughts, don’t feel like this verse is telling you that you have to get married. Why? Because occasional lustful thoughts are far different than what this passage is dealing with (which is a continuous burning with lust all the time).
Second, Christians should be able to control their passions since God gave us that ability through the Holy Spirit’s fruit of self-control (Gal. 5:22, 23 with 1 Cor. 6:19).
Third, since God has told us to be holy (1 Pet. 1:14, 15), to set our minds on things above (Col. 3:2), to dwell on pure things (Phil. 4:8), and to renew our minds (Rom. 12:2), then we should be capable of doing this since God is at work in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure (Phil. 4:13).
Fourth, even if a Christian doesn’t have the gift of singleness (not having the desire to get married), he can still choose to remain single for the sake of the kingdom of God, as it states in Matt. 19:12 (that is, to more devotedly serve God with less distractions, as marital responsibilities are many, 1 Cor. 7:32-35).
Fifth, it would be selfish (which is not loving, 1 Cor. 13:5) to get married for the sole or primary reason of simply fulfilling your sexual desires. The woman/wife would merely be being used as a sex object rather than for the biblical reason of being a helper to her husband(Gen. 2:18, 20) in his God-given responsibilities (which is where God intended her to find her fulfillment).
Sixth, most men who are married find that being married has not helped them to refrain any less from lusting, and for some, has even increased it. So, getting married is not the solution for dealing with lustful thoughts. Instead, being filled/controlled by the Holy Spirit (Eph.5:18), changing your thought- patterns (Rom. 12:2) by dwelling on things that are good, lovely, and pure (Phil. 4:8), and exercising self-control as a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:23), as an act of your will (Phil. 2:12) are the best ingredients for dealing with lust.
You can be single and satisfied and serve God more devotedly and undistractedly (1 Cor. 7:32-35).
