Whose business is it?

"I've got a question regarding the absolute immorality of "lusting" from the Christian perspective. I don't mind if someone, anyone, 'undressed me with their eyes' and treated me in their minds as a sexual object. In fact, I could care less. It's their business what they do with their thoughts, even if they are perverted creepies. So my question is, if someone lusts after me, do you still consider it to be immoral? If so, under what reasoning or logic can you hold that position tenable." Steve

Let’s say that when you say that you don’t mind if someone lusts after you, you include homosexuals. You say that it’s their business what they do with their thoughts. Their thoughts about you are their business. If we had a consensus, some would say that that's okay, some would say that it’s not.

Also, if someone hates you and would like to see you dead, that’s okay with you because it’s their business what they do with their thoughts. Some would say that’s okay, others may say that murderous thoughts are morally wrong.

The Bible tells us that God sees all thoughts. He sees sexual fantasies and He sees the thoughts of the man whose heart is filled with murder. He says that such thoughts are morally offensive to Him, and they store up His just wrath (see Romans 2:5-6) that will be revealed on Judgment Day (see Romans 1:27). Our thoughts on whether it's right or wrong are irrelevant.

We do have precedent for this in civil law. If you conspire in your mind to murder the President of the United States (God forbid), civil law can’t touch you because (unlike God) it doesn’t know about your crime. But if you manifest your thoughts on paper, or tell another person what you plan to do and you are caught, the law will prosecute you for conspiracy, even though you didn’t commit the physical crime. Your "intent" is the crime.

In May of 2009, five men in New Jersey were convicted of plotting to kill members of the U.S. military. They got prison terms of life plus an additional consecutive 30 years, without parole, and yet they didn’t kill anyone. Their crime was that they intended to. Civil law couldn’t do anything about their crime until they talked about it.

The Bible calls the moral Law "spiritual" (see Romans 7:13-14) which means that it’s not hindered from seeing the thoughts and intents of the human mind. Every time we lust, we are committing adultery as far as God is concerned. When we hate someone, God equates it as murder, and if we are found in our sins on Judgment day, we will receive the full wrath of the Law. I trust that won’t be the case with you--that you will come to your senses, repent and trust the Savior.