Sexual Love, Lust: Contrasts Defined, one charity, the other idolatry

On the surface, lust and love are often confused by people for being the same thing.  Because of this confusion, people often argue for lust as if it was some form of love.  They will ask the questions: What is wrong with two people wanting to love each other? Who are you to repress people who simply wish to love one another? 
Clear distinctions between these two feelings do indeed exist and should really be characterized to clarify the issue and dismiss the argument.   Scripture clearly defines the manner in which people are commanded to love God and how they are to love their neighbor.  The biblical word to summarize how we are to love God is worship (this is not simply singing songs in church as some describe).  Worship actually implies loving something with every fiber of our being.   As it is written:

 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Dt 6:5

Scripture expressly prohibits people from worshiping anything but God alone.  Worship is referred to as lust when applied to something else.  To lust after something is really worshipping the wrong God in one’s heart.  We are consistently exhorted never to bow down and serve anything in Scripture.   The manner in which people are always called to love others is as follows:

“…But you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.” Lev 19:18

The best common English term to describe this love would be charity and the golden rule ‘of do unto others as you would have them do unto you’ falls right into line with this concept.  Charity implies a care for someone in a manner commensurate with how you care about yourself.  Despite appearances, people know themselves well enough to realize they are not perfect and should not be worshipped.  Charity also describes the type of love a husband and a wife should actually share in the sexual relationship.  So to summarize, Love is a form of charity and Lust is a form of worship.  Contemporary culture often glorifies the love to be found in the sexual relationship and perverts it into a form of lust for people.  This is what God means when He refers to sexually immoral behavior as a perversion.  While lust may seem appealing to some at first blush, a closer look reveals how the misplaced feeling is not only quite unattractive to people but in fact harmful to relationships and society in general.  I will cover these concepts in later posts.

Related Links:
Why Should I avoid Sexual Immorality?
Sexual Temptation: Why Fight the Feeling?
Lust, Lewdness,Licentiousness: Feelings/Behavior Fueled by Fantasy
Lust,Desperation-why it is unattractive.
Why Lust always turns Kinky and Perverted
Why Lust Abominable?:The Void Brings the Worst Animal Out in You