Sexual Temptation: How to Overcome It?
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’
28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
📖 Sex: A Beautiful Gift from God
“Sex,” as created by God, is originally very beautiful and good. Salvation does not merely mean the soul going to heaven; it includes the restoration of the shattered image of God and the beauty of His creation.
Regrettably, in today’s world, sex has lost its original purpose designed by God and has been reduced to a tool for sensory stimulation and pleasure. In this fallen culture, we must recover the true value of sexuality.
📖 The Lord Who Looks at the Heart Beyond the Act
The scribes and Pharisees of that time reduced God’s word by limiting it only to the external act of “physical adultery.” However, Jesus makes it clear that the root of sin lies in the “heart.”
It may be a natural reaction to be drawn to a beautiful person while walking down the street. The problem, however, is “intentionality.” What Jesus warned against is the attitude of looking “with lust.” If one’s gaze lingers on a subject, allowing desire to develop and enjoying sexual fantasies in the mind, that person has already committed adultery in the heart. This is because imagination is the preparatory stage for action.
📖 David Who Failed His Gaze, Joseph Who Triumphed
We learn the importance of managing our gaze through biblical figures.
David was a warrior who defeated Goliath and a praised poet, yet he collapsed due to a single moment of failing to guard his eyes. The problem wasn’t that he saw Bathsheba by chance, but that he did not turn his eyes away and instead continued to indulge in that sight. Lust knows no patience. Unlike Jacob’s love, which waited seven years as if they were a single day, lust seeks immediate gratification and ultimately leads to destruction.
In contrast, Joseph left his cloak behind and fled from the scene of temptation (Genesis 39:12). The Bible does not tell us to stand and fight against sexual temptation; it commands us to “flee” (1 Corinthians 6:18).
📖 A Decisive and Fundamental Response
Jesus’ words to “gouge out your eye” or “cut off your hand” are not meant to be taken literally as a command for self-mutilation. They are powerful metaphors indicating that we must have a decisive and fierce attitude toward sin.
Today, through the internet and smartphones, temptation is everywhere. We live in an age where it seems the “prostitute” of Revelation dominates the world. If we take small temptations lightly and repeat them, we soon fall into a state of “addiction” that is beyond our control. Addiction means our internal systems are paralyzed, and the end of that pleasure is ultimately destruction.
📖 The True Solution: Greater Satisfaction
C.S. Lewis stated that the true destination of our longing should be God. We fall into sin because we try to find satisfaction in the wrong places.
When the confession “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” becomes a reality, we can finally be free from the temptations of the world. Only those who enjoy true satisfaction within God avoid becoming slaves to lust.
Furthermore, sex is most blessed when it exists for the satisfaction of one’s spouse within the hedge of the covenant—marriage. True love is not about fulfilling my own desires, but about gifting one’s purity to their spouse.
✨ Conclusion: Seek the Help of the Holy Spirit
If you do not kill sin, sin will kill you. Because of our human frailty, winning against sin yesterday does not guarantee victory today.
We cannot resist this massive wave of temptation through our will or effort alone. We must receive the help of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:13-14). Only when the Holy Spirit rules our hearts can we overcome the desires of the flesh and live a holy life pleasing to God.
📖 Audio Summary
💡 Reflection Q&A
Q1. What is God’s original purpose for creating sex?
A1. Sex is a beautiful gift created by God, a blessing to be enjoyed within the covenant relationship of marriage, and a part of the created order.
Q2. What is the core of the “adultery of the heart” that Jesus spoke of?
A2. It does not mean simply seeing someone, but an attitude of the heart that intentionally harbors lust and enjoys sexual fantasies.
Q3. What was the decisive factor in David’s fall into sin?
A3. It was because he did not immediately turn his gaze away from what he saw by chance, but let it linger and allowed his desire to grow.
Q4. What can we learn from the attitudes of Joseph and David regarding temptation?
A4. The wisest way to handle sexual temptation is not to fight it head-on, but to flee from it immediately, as Joseph did.
Q5. What is the true meaning of the command to “gouge out your eye”?
A5. It emphasizes the need for a firm and thorough determination to cut off the source of sin, regardless of the cost.
Q6. Why is sexual temptation more dangerous in modern society?
A6. Because one can be exposed to provocative content anytime and anywhere through the internet and media, making it very easy to fall into addiction.
Q7. What attitude should we have regarding our gaze to overcome temptation?
A7. Like Job, who made a covenant with his eyes (Job 31:1), we must intentionally distance ourselves from things that could become temptations.
Q8. How should we understand the “longing” that C.S. Lewis mentioned?
A8. It means that the source of our sexual longing is actually a longing for God; therefore, we must find true satisfaction within Him.
Q9. What meaning does sex hold within a marital relationship?
A9. It is the practice of true love where one seeks the satisfaction of their spouse rather than their own, gifting their purity to one another.
Q10. What is most necessary for us to overcome temptation?
A10. We must admit that it is impossible by our own strength, daily seek the help of the Holy Spirit, and continue the fierce spiritual war to kill sin.