What does the Bible say about lust? What is lust?

from the old testament

• Many lusts or selfish desires are addressed specifically in the Ten Commandments, for example, where God's people were commanded not to desire a neighbor's house, wife, livestock, or possessions (Exodus 20:14-17).
• Job 31:1 writes about Job’s commitment to counter lust. It says he intentionally chose to guard his eyes from lustful looks at a woman who was not his.
• A warning against being seduced by lustful thoughts or appearances is found in Proverbs 6:25.

from the new testament

• Jesus directly addressed lust being related to sexual desire in His Sermon on the Mount. Jewish tradition often taught that only the action of adultery was sinful. Yet Jesus spoke more directly to the heart, teaching, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matthew 5:27-28). Lust is a sin in both thought and action. The cultural idea of, "It's okay to look if you don't touch" is not Jesus’ teaching.
• God's will is for believers to live set apart, avoiding lust (1 Thessalonians 4:3–5).
• Lust is something to run from—not manage, not resist slowly, but flee (2 Timothy 2:22).
• Lust is a serious, sinful offense to God: "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). Lust, whether sexual or otherwise, is a sinful desire that leads to sinful action. Both the desire and action separate us from God, thereby bringing forth death.
• The apostle John wrote, "For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world" (1 John 2:16). (The NASB and NKJV translate this as “lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” ). Lust—whether it arises from physical cravings or from coveting what we see—is a worldly distortion of true desire, pulling our hearts away from the love of the Father and anchoring them in temporary, empty things.

implications for today

Lust is inherently objectifying because it reduces people—made in the image of God—to mere instruments for personal gratification, stripping them of their dignity, purpose, and worth. This distortion dishonors others and blinds us to the beauty of God’s design for love, relationship, and holiness. Lust also elevates material things to idols that promise satisfaction but ultimately leave the soul empty, distracting us from the true joy found in God and His purposes. God’s good gifts are exploited for our own gain.

As followers of Christ, we are called to reject this. When we ask God to renew our vision, He teaches us to honor the sacredness of every soul and to love others not for what they can give us but for who they are in Him. He teaches us to see our material gain as gifts not to hoard or idolize, but to steward with gratitude, generosity, and purpose. In doing so, our hearts are reoriented toward worship, not consumption—toward love that reflects His character, not desire that distorts it.

How can a believer deal with the problem of lust? First, Jesus said to remove whatever is causing or leading to the particular lust. He used an extreme, exaggerated example to communicate this point: "If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell" (Matthew 5:29-30). By this, Jesus means for us to remove anything that leads us to sin. For some, this may mean a particular internet filter to block pornography. For another person, it may mean not watching particular films or going to a specific location in town.

True contentment comes from a growing relationship with Jesus. The apostle Paul also wrote about such contentment: "I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:11-13). As we depend on Christ and find our satisfaction in Him, the grip of lust begins to loosen. Lust thrives in hearts that are restless and unsatisfied—but when Christ becomes our greatest treasure, sinful desires lose their appeal.