Is Matthew 5:28 about temptation… or about what we do with it once it shows up?

Theology
1

I’ve always read this passage less as a condemnation of temptation itself and more as a warning about what we choose to dwell on. Temptation can arise uninvited — thoughts, images, impulses can appear without consent. What seems to matter in Jesus’ teaching is the intentional nurturing of desire.

The distinction helps me because it separates moral responsibility from mere human vulnerability. Being tempted doesn’t equal sin, but lingering, cultivating, or indulging desire internally moves it into a different category.

That reading also aligns with the broader biblical theme of guarding the heart, not by pretending temptation won’t come, but by paying attention to what we allow to take root.

2

“But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” Matthew 5:28

The flesh is always subject to the things of the flesh. The flesh is always subject to the physical world. We are still in the World. However, now as a child of God, we are no longer OF the World. This can be a hard concept for some to understand.

Always remember that thoughts lead to actions. When you start to think about something, play it over and over again in that movie theater of the mind, you allow the Good, or the temptation, to take hold. Let’s say you were an alcoholic. Or a smoker. Or someone who used to look at porn. You give it up. You really want to remain free of this bondage in your life. God sets you free from it. Yet, when you see a commercial, a movie, or an advertisement in a magazine, it puts an image in your head. Does that make you revert to it? No. How you choose to deal with it is what matters.

You could immediately reject that thought, cast it out of your head. Or, you can dwell on it. Remember how much fun you think you had when you were doing these things. You remember the taste, the feelings, the “good times” with friends or whatever, that you can associate with them.

Then your mind will start telling you how good you have been, and that there is nothing wrong with one cigarette. There is nothing wrong with one beer. People smoke and drink every day. There is nothing wrong with checking out just one picture. No one will know. Then you do it. One leads to two, leads to you being right back where you started.

You see, the result of Sin is death. According to Galatians 5:19-21

“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”

The works of the flesh manifest, which means the thoughts you are having become actions. Those actions become sin. That sin keeps you from the promises of God. But if you allow your thoughts to be on good things, these are manifested into good things. Continuing in this same passage…Verses 22-26

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.”

Just like feeding your body, garbage in, garbage out. When you feed your mind, your spirit, what are you feeding it with? What you put in there is the type of thing you will receive out.

Peter

3

I, as a man, have had a lot of trouble with the sin of lust when I was younger without ever acting on it, @ellenvera. Then, God convicted me of my lust with that verse, Matthew 5:28.

Then, instead of reveling in my selfish pleasure with lust, God redirected my thought-life to him. How? When I saw a beautiful woman, I immediately used my mind to praise God for his creative power in creating such beauty in his world. As a result, my focus changed from myself to God, and he freed me from that sin.

Since he delivered me, he has sent me to swim in ten different pools, where he tested me and gave me continued victory.

4

Neither.

It is about understanding that the sins we commit originate in our hearts. Sin begins as a seed that is planted, sprouts, and grows to bare fruit. The potential for sin remains so long as the seed for sin is found in the heart. This Scripture is connected to another, where Christ tells us to clean the inside of the cup.

Where as sin would lead us to cheat on our spouse, or cause someone else to cheat, LOVE would seek to preserve another person’s dignity, good standing, and committed relationships.

But unless we learn to hold a deep LOVE and Respect in our hearts for others, and our own well-being, then the cup of our hearts is likely to be filled with lust and self-indulgent pleasure-seeking behavior that does not cares who is hurt by our actions, including ourselves. STDs can be a modern day example of a consequence of betrayal and lying to get what we want and not caring for another person’s wellness as we spread disease with no consideration for ourselves and others.

5

Just plain incorrect. And again, half the Gospel.

Peter

6

I tend to agree with you. It’s what you do with that thought that matters. We’re told to bring every thought to the obedience of Christ and not all thoughts are our own thoughts. Satan can whisper thoughts into our minds. We’re told to take them captive to Christ. Heaven help me if I’m condemned for every thought that passes my brain. If I dwell on it and give it space, chances are I’m going to indulge it.

I think its also important to remember that we’re all sinners. “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” 1 John 1:8 God give us the remedy for our sin in the next verse. Confession. We’re not alone in the struggle over sin. When we submit to God and confess, He cleanses us and gives us His victory.