When Does Appreciation of Feminine Beauty Become Lust?

[Gauntlet]

If feminine beauty is but one of the many channels by which Creation glorifies God, are we as men incorrect to appreciate feminine beauty as such?

Is there a difference between looking at a beatiful woman with lust in one's heart and looking at her while praising God for creating such beauty?

[Gregg]

If feminine beauty is but one of the many channels by which Creation glorifies God, are we as men incorrect to appreciate feminine beauty as such?

Is there a difference between looking at a beatiful woman with lust in one's heart and looking at her while praising God for creating such beauty?

Everything on this earth that when first created was good, and now has been corrupted by sin. Without God's help everything has sin on it.

The idea of beauty is different from culture to culture and age to age. Maybe the very idea that we can define one beautiful woman from one not so beautiful is sin? Is it possible that in God's eyes all humans are beautiful?

[Gauntlet]

So you're saying ... the very idea of human beauty is a sham? The very idea of male/female beauty is a satanic delusion?

Hmmm.

[Gregg]

So you're saying ... the very idea of human beauty is a sham? The very idea of male/female beauty is a satanic delusion?

Hmmm.

I do not know if I would go quite that far, but I would say pretty close. Maybe all are beautiful and satan blinds us and uses beauty against all men and women. Beauty as we know it can be a curse. Beauty can cause fame, fame can keep us from the Lord. What happens when the kind of beauty that we are talking about fades to old age? Does the person who found that their beauty was their life now live out their old age bitterly? The Bible tells us that Jesus was not particularly handsome and yet he was perfect.

[Gauntlet]

Hmmmm.

Mother Teresa is now beatified as a saint, but physically she was not what we consider beautiful. Her outer homeliness seemed to accentuate her inner saintliness.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is always portayted by artists as an attractive "spiritual-looking" young man. But what if the actual historical Jesus was not so good-looking? Ugly, even?

Somehow we do not want to think of our Lord as physically repulsive. It does not sit well. Christian artists can and have made of him whatever they wish. Jesus should be handsome, IMO. If he indeed is the Son of God, why should he be ugly?

[tango]

Hmmmm.

Mother Teresa is now beatified as a saint, but physically she was not what we consider beautiful. Her outer homeliness seemed to accentuate her inner saintliness.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is always portayted by artists as an attractive "spiritual-looking" young man. But what if the actual historical Jesus was not so good-looking? Ugly, even?

Somehow we do not want to think of our Lord as physically repulsive. It does not sit well. Christian artists can and have made of him whatever they wish. Jesus should be handsome, IMO. If he indeed is the Son of God, why should he be ugly?

I'm not sure what that has got to do with the original question...

We can argue that Jesus as the son of God should have been a handsome man. Perhaps he was, perhaps he wasn't. We could equally argue that the son of God should have lived on earth as a King, which we know he didn't. So on that basis it's not impossible that Jesus was not a handsom man.

Either way it doesn't really matter, his words and teachings are far more important than his physical appearance.

[Gauntlet]

I'm not sure what that has got to do with the original question...

We can argue that Jesus as the son of God should have been a handsome man. Perhaps he was, perhaps he wasn't. We could equally argue that the son of God should have lived on earth as a King, which we know he didn't. So on that basis it's not impossible that Jesus was not a handsom man.

Either way it doesn't really matter, his words and teachings are far more important than his physical appearance.

Of course! I should have made that perfectly clear in my post.

[Gregg]

“He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him.” -Isaiah 52:2 All this tells us is that Jesus’ appearance was just like any other man's – He was ordinary-looking. Isaiah was here prophesying that the coming suffering Servant would arise in lowly conditions and wear none of the usual emblems of royalty, making His true identity visible only to the discerning eye of faith.

There must be many lessons to this.

[Gauntlet]

I think it was very wise and very cognizant of human nature that God incarnated as a phsyically nondescript man.

[JaybeeinBibleForum]

Are you asking for reasons theoretical, or have you recently had difficulties separating appreciation of female beauty from lust?

I'll give you my tuppence while I await an answer; He made them extraordinarily attractive. He does amazing work, and one look at any city park on a summer Saturday, or a weekday lunchtime will show you this. Women are astonishingly beautiful creatures, they are indeed the most beautiful things on Earth. That said, he also gave us (varying) degrees of libido. He wants us to want them, and I make NO apologies for my gender's appetite for women, as given to us by God, but we also need to TRY to keep that libido within manageable limits lest satan distort it.

Personally, I feel that the media tries to hypersexualise women. He did not build us to be UNmoved by the sight of a well-toned female thigh, but there is a difference between a connoisseurs appreciation of a good physique, and unthinking, obsessive action when that thigh is seen, a difference I believe satan tries to abuse.

So, in practical terms; can you compliment that girl in short denim cut-offs for her shapely curves? Absolutely. She's a woman, you're a man. Must you try to have your way with her? Absolutely NOT.

[Gauntlet]

Are you asking for reasons theoretical, or have you recently had difficulties separating appreciation of female beauty from lust?

No, I can easily appreciate female beauty w/o feeling lustful. I thank God for that, also. My appreciation of female beauty is not always a sexual thing, despite the over-emphasis of sex in our culture.

[RedBird777]

The definition of lust means that you want her. I mean, really REALLY want her. You want her so bad that you would violate her - that's lust.

Appreciating her beauty is, what I think, VERY different from lust.

[Gregg]

The definition of lust means that you want her. I mean, really REALLY want her. You want her so bad that you would violate her - that's lust.

Appreciating her beauty is, what I think, VERY different from lust.

Married men have to be careful with your statement.

I also think you can just want her and that is lust. It doesn't have to entail violation.

[tango]

Married men have to be careful with your statement.

I also think you can just want her and that is lust. It doesn't have to entail violation.

Very true, wanting her enough to do things you shouldn't with her is lust, regardless of the issue of consent.

If you're desiring her enough to be willing to violate her I'd say that had gone way beyond the boundary into lust.

[Buck shot]

I can't speak for every guy but it seems that i know when my looking become lusting. When thoughts other than just "she's a pretty woman" start happening, BEWARE