Josh’s review of The Lust of the Flesh: Thinking Biblically About "Sexual Orientation," Attraction, and Temptation > Likes and Comments
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Hey Josh, thanks for the thoughtful review. I, however, do not agree that a good desire can become a bad desire. There is no such thing as "desiring a good thing too much," to where a good desire then becomes sin. James says that sin begins as lust in James 1:14-15. And Paul says in Galatians 5 that the flesh and Spirit are opposed to one another. The impulses and desires of the Spirit never become fleshly. Rather, what happens is that in the midst of walking in the Spirit, the flesh produces a new lust that is contrary to the Spirit, and we submit to it. Holy desires never become fleshly and fleshly desires never become holy. That's what the Scriptures teach.
And, what I say about Kevin DeYoung's book is accurate. His book is horribly unbiblical in those sections. He argues that same-sex attraction is not morally culpable sin unless it rises to the level of lust. That's not what the Westminster Standards teach. It's not even what DeYoung himself teaches today. SSA is morally culpable sin from root to fruit; it's a motion of original sin (Westminster). And I know that he plans to update his book on homosexuality before its next printing. Plus, in his book, he treats Christians as victims who are having SSA desires. That's not how Scripture treats Christians battling indwelling sin.
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Jared
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May 10, 2025 04:07PM
Hey Josh, thanks for the thoughtful review. I, however, do not agree that a good desire can become a bad desire. There is no such thing as "desiring a good thing too much," to where a good desire then becomes sin. James says that sin begins as lust in James 1:14-15. And Paul says in Galatians 5 that the flesh and Spirit are opposed to one another. The impulses and desires of the Spirit never become fleshly. Rather, what happens is that in the midst of walking in the Spirit, the flesh produces a new lust that is contrary to the Spirit, and we submit to it. Holy desires never become fleshly and fleshly desires never become holy. That's what the Scriptures teach.
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And, what I say about Kevin DeYoung's book is accurate. His book is horribly unbiblical in those sections. He argues that same-sex attraction is not morally culpable sin unless it rises to the level of lust. That's not what the Westminster Standards teach. It's not even what DeYoung himself teaches today. SSA is morally culpable sin from root to fruit; it's a motion of original sin (Westminster). And I know that he plans to update his book on homosexuality before its next printing. Plus, in his book, he treats Christians as victims who are having SSA desires. That's not how Scripture treats Christians battling indwelling sin.
