Is Lust Sin?

The word translated “lust” or “desire” in the New Testament is epithumia, an intensified form of the word for "passion."

Its moral nature is determined by context. Most of the time it is connected to sin, such as when it is combined with adjectives like "defiling" (1 Pet. 2:10), "deceitful" (Eph. 4:22), "ungodly" (Jude 18), and "worldly" (Titus 2:12).

Lusts come from different sources, and the sources determine their draw. For example, lusts can come from the world (1 John 2:16), the flesh (Gal. 5:16; Eph. 2:3), and the body (Rom. 6:12).

James says lust comes from within yourself:

But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. (James 1:14-15)

Notice how he distinguishes lust from sin, saying “desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin.” Our desires may pull us in the wrong direction, but we do not have to give in to them.

Lust is like the conscience; it steers you according to what it has been fed. When we are ignorant (1 Pet. 1:14) or we have been feeding our lusts with our gazes, such as in pornography (Matt. 5:28), we will be steered in the wrong direction. These ungodly desires must be resisted (Rom. 6:12; Gal. 5:16; 2 Tim. 2:22).

The Lord showed us that it’s possible to be tempted without sin (Heb. 4:15). Not all desires are preventable. It may be hard, but you can resist the devil, and he will flee from you (Jas. 4:4).

But much of the lust that produces temptation is preventable. It's possible to change your desires and reduce unnecessary temptation in your life. Instead of feeding your desires with worldly entertainment and sexual images online, temper them with God's word. In the words of Peter, “…live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God” (1 Pet. 4:2).

Drew Kizer