Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well. (Proverbs 5:15) At first reading, the meaning of this verse seems clear enough. Using images of a cistern and a well to describe your wife, the point is that you are to draw pleasure (water) only from her. Frankly, this interpretation is flawed. [...]
Bring Back Lust Have you noticed that the word “lust” is being purged from the Bible? The Greek word for lust (epithemia) points to inner sin thirty-four times in the New Testament. In the vast majority of these places it has traditionally been properly translated as “lust” or the archaic and more precise word, “concupiscence.” [...]
Presumptuous Sin Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! (Psalms 19:13) What did David mean by “presumptuous sins?” Consider: The core idea of a presumptuous sin is that the one who sins in this way is acting arrogantly and willfully. It is sinning with eyes wide [...]
Not a Wreak Seek self-control—proof that you are overcoming lust. Without self-control you have no choice but to be a “slave to sin”—doing what you do not want to do. Self-control is the fourth step in Peter’s eight-step program (2 Peter 1:5-8) for the successful Christian (see prior post). If you get stuck at this [...]
“Useless and Unproductive” What is it that causes a Christian to be “useless and unproductive?” You know the type—going through the motions, claiming faith, but not growing in the faith. This tragic outcome happens in those who fail to overcome persistent sin in their lives. Their failure causes them to be knocked to the curb. They [...]
Prove It Following Jesus means being transformed—changing—progressively becoming more like Him. Dealing with the sin of lust is a good example of how this works. Anyone who has struggled and failed when it comes to lust and then later enters into victory over it knows what this is like. A fascinating and important byproduct of [...]
Expulsive Power Wouldn’t you love to have “Expulsive Power” when it comes to lust? It sounds like a Madison Avenue slogan that could be applied to a laundry detergent or drain cleaner. The phrase, “expulsive power” comes from the sermon—The Expulsive Power of a New Affection—written by the Scottish preacher Thomas Chalmers (1780-1840). Jared, a reader [...]
Have you been watching the The Bible on the History Channel? We have and I consider it well done. Last Sunday’s episode featured the story of King David—focusing on his illicit relationship with Bathsheba. This is fair enough since the Bible itself reveals this part of David’s life in great detail, explaining how David’s flagrant [...]
King David’s Promise Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You. Psalm 51:13 Psalm 51 is King David’s heartfelt, gut-wrenching prayer of repentance. It followed his confrontation with the fearless prophet Nathan who had dramatically and publicly exposed his sin. David had concealed his salacious affair with Bathsheba and [...]
Was the Forbidden Fruit….Sex? Many consider the story of Adam and Eve to be a symbolic story—a means to allegorically explain our sinful condition. To those who think this way, a common—almost intuitive—interpretation has been to claim that the forbidden fruit stands for sex.I don’t accept the allegorical approach. For me, the story is too [...]
