Life Application Study Bible Seven Deadly Sins - Flipbook - Page 7
5.
LUST
Lust is an inordinate craving for the pleasures of the body. Lust enslaves the will, weakens faith,
hardens the heart, and multiplies dissatisfaction. As a remedy for lust, Jesus offers purity of heart.
The pure of heart love God above all and allow him to shape their earthly desires.
SCRIPTURES AND LIFE APPLICATION NOTES
James 1:14-15, NLT: “Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These
desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.”
LIFE APPLICATION NOTE: 1:13-14 People who live for God often wonder why they still face temptations.
Does God tempt them? God tests people, but he does not tempt them by trying to seduce them to sin. God
allows Satan to tempt people, however, and through these temptations God refines their faith and helps
them grow in their dependence on him. We can resist the temptation to sin by turning to God for strength
and choosing to obey his Word. Temptation always presents us with a choice. Will we say yes or no?
2 Corinthians 6:16, NLT: “For we are the temple of the living God.”
LIFE APPLICATION NOTE: 6:16 Quoting from the prophet Isaiah, Paul asserts that the church is the
temple of the living God. Corinth had an abundance of temples for pagan deities, so the recipients of his
letter were able to visualize the contrast the apostle intended. Those who follow Christ are known not by a
building but as those in whom the Spirit of God lives. The church is not where believers go; it is who they
are together. We are wrong to think that God waits for his people in some stained-glass setting. He is
always with them. That truth should both sober us and comfort us. How does your behavior reflect on the
God you represent?
1 Thessalonians 4:3-5, NLT: “God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. Then each
of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honor—not in lustful passion like pagans who do
not know God and his ways.”
LIFE APPLICATION NOTE: 4:4-5 Paul said that lustful passions should not control God’s people. Some
argue that if they’ve already sinned by having lustful thoughts, they might as well go ahead with lustful
actions, too. But acting out sinful desires is harmful in several ways: (1) It causes people to excuse sin
rather than to stop sinning; (2) in marriages, it violates a covenant made with God and destroys trust; (3) it
is done in deliberate rebellion against God’s Word; and (4) it always hurts someone else in addition to the
sinner. Sinful actions are more dangerous than sinful desires, so these desires should not be acted out.
Nevertheless, sinful desires are just as damaging to righteousness. Left unchecked, unholy desires will
result in unholy actions and will turn people away from God.
The Seven Deadly Sins and their Remedies: A sample of Scripture and Commentary from the new Life Application Study Bible - Third Edition.
