28 But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on
a woman, to lust after her, hath committed adultery already in his heart.
29 Behold, I give unto you a commandment, that
ye suffer none of these things to enter into your heart;
30 For it is better that ye should deny
yourselves of these things, wherein ye will take up your cross, than that ye
should be cast into hell.(3 Nephi 12:28-30)
The part of this scripture that is most memorable is that
looking to lust is accompanied by the mental act of committing adultery. In this day and age, probably the main
sin we probably associate with looking is pornography. But the warning is about adultery,
which is a sin associated with another person one knows and probably commonly
associates with.
There’s another part which is just as important but which is
not so well noticed—the instruction to “suffer none of these things to enter
into your heart.” What are “these
things”? I think it could be two
different things. In one way, it
could mean the lustful desires.
But it could also be a reference to the interactions that led to the
lustful desires rising in the first place.
Those who are visually oriented maybe attracted one way, but
others may be attracted by a small and simple acts of consideration over
time. If a person doesn’t guard
their heart, they can build up an affection rivaling their marriage. Ego gets
involved and feels fed in a new way.
This is why Christ gives further instructions to deny oneself “these
things” and take up the cross. One
must deny oneself thoughts and ruminations about the other person.
Taking up the cross is a good way to express how one must
deny oneself thoughts of the forbidden one. Taking up the cross is a burden one carries hour by hour. It
will be the last thing a person wants to do, so comparing it with the prospect
of bodily torture is apt. The
forbidden thoughts will seem too sweet, too delightful, and putting them out of
mind will seem too hard, but it must be done, or else a person will wallow in a
sea of lust.
When Christ says it is better to deny self of these things
than be cast into hell, that hell He speaks of is not just after mortality. It
is also in mortality. In fact, “hell” is His name for that
sea of lust one may have unwittingly become immersed in. This might seem contradictory; lust is
so alluring to those in it. But in
the unflinching light of truth, “hell” is a good name for a state in which a
person wants something very badly but can never lawfully have it,
worlds-without-end-Amen.
How does Christ know this? To me it implies that in these
things as in all others, He had faced the same temptations, was tempted to the
very extremity, and He overcame it.
He who is called the epitome of love was Himself tempted with the
counterfeit. He accepted worship and devotion without using it as an occasion
to gratify any appetite or lust.
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