25+ Bible Verses About Lust

Updated At:
June 1, 2025
Many of us in this modern society give in to the temptation and wickedness of lust. Without regard or affection, lust wants to exploit other people for its own pleasure. In order to triumph against it, we need to acknowledge its destructive purpose and turn away from this self-centered desire. Unlike love, which aims to honor and elevate others, lust is self-centered and prioritizes our own desires over theirs. We need to master it so we can seek the love God wants for us.
The pursuit of passion can never satisfy us fully, but a life focused on God's love can. To combat something we must first fully understand it, beyond the simple definition we have given here. The Bible goes in depth about what lust is and why it is a sin. It tells precautionary stories and underlines the importance of true love as God intended for us.
If you’re not sure where to start reading about lust in the Bible, these 25+ verses we have collected are great for overcoming temptation.
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Interesting Bible Verses About Lust
1. Matthew 5:28
"But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
Explanation: Jesus emphasizes that lust begins in the heart, urging us to keep our thoughts pure.
2. 1 Corinthians 6:18
"Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body."
Explanation: We are called to avoid sexual immorality because it impacts our whole self, both body and spirit.
3. 2 Timothy 2:22
"Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart."
Explanation: Instead of giving in to lust, we should seek righteousness and surround ourselves with people who encourage purity.
4. 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5
"For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God."
Explanation: God desires us to live in purity, controlling our desires and treating our bodies with respect.
5. Galatians 5:16
"I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh."
Explanation: By following the Holy Spirit, we can overcome lustful temptations and live a life that pleases God.
6. Romans 13:14
"But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts."
Explanation: We are encouraged to focus on Christ, letting Him guide our thoughts away from lustful desires.
7. Job 31:1
"I have made a covenant with my eyes; why then should I look upon a young woman?"
Explanation: Job’s commitment to avoiding lust serves as a powerful example of guarding our thoughts and actions.
8. James 1:14-15
"But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death."
Explanation: James warns that unchecked desire leads to sin and ultimately to spiritual harm, encouraging us to control our impulses.
9. Colossians 3:5
"Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry."
Explanation: We are called to put aside lust and any earthly desires that pull us away from God’s holiness.
10. 1 Peter 2:11
"Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul."
Explanation: Lust and sinful desires can damage our souls, so we are encouraged to abstain and live in purity.
11. Proverbs 6:25
"Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, nor let her allure you with her eyelids."
Explanation: This verse cautions against being led astray by appearances and urges us to keep our hearts pure.
12. Ephesians 5:3
"But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints."
Explanation: God’s people are called to a high standard of purity, avoiding even a trace of lustful thoughts or actions.
13. Psalm 119:37
"Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way."
Explanation: This verse asks God to help us focus on what is good and meaningful, steering us away from empty desires.
14. Matthew 6:22-23
"The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!"
Explanation: Jesus teaches that what we focus on affects our entire being, encouraging us to look at things that bring light and life.
15. 1 Corinthians 10:13
"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."
Explanation: God promises to help us resist temptation, providing a way out in times of struggle with lust.
16. Proverbs 4:23
"Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life."
Explanation: Protecting our hearts from lustful thoughts keeps us aligned with God’s will and purpose.
17. Hebrews 13:4
"Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge."
Explanation: Maintaining purity honors God and strengthens relationships, especially within marriage.
18. 2 Corinthians 10:5
"Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ."
Explanation: We are called to control our thoughts, making sure they align with Christ’s teaching and rejecting anything that opposes God.
19. Titus 2:11-12
"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age."
Explanation: God’s grace empowers us to reject worldly passions, including lust, and live in self-control.
20. Psalm 51:10
"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."
Explanation: This prayer seeks God’s help in keeping a pure heart, free from lustful desires.
21. Galatians 5:24
"And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."
Explanation: Following Christ involves putting aside our fleshly desires, including lust, to live a Spirit-led life.
22. Romans 6:12
"Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts."
Explanation: We are called to reject sinful desires and not let them control our actions.
23. Proverbs 5:18-19
"Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice with the wife of your youth. As a loving deer and a graceful doe, let her breasts satisfy you at all times; and always be enraptured with her love."
Explanation: God encourages marital love and intimacy, contrasting it with sinful lust outside marriage.
24. James 4:7
"Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."
Explanation: Resisting temptation, including lust, begins with submitting to God and seeking His strength.
25. 1 John 2:16
"For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world."
Explanation: Lust is a worldly temptation, and we are encouraged to seek what is of God instead.
26. 1 Corinthians 7:2
"Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband."
Explanation: God’s design for intimacy is within marriage, providing a context for love without lustful sin.
27. Romans 8:6
"For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."
Explanation: Focusing on the Spirit, rather than fleshly desires, leads to a life of peace and fulfillment in God.
28. Ephesians 4:22-24
"That you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."
Explanation: Renewing our minds and living in righteousness helps us put aside lust and other sinful desires.
29. 1 Thessalonians 5:23
"Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Explanation: God’s desire is for us to be pure in body, soul, and spirit, free from the corruption of lust.
30. Psalm 101:3
"I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me."
Explanation: Keeping our focus away from anything that promotes lust helps us live a faithful and pure life.

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