Last updated on October 11, 2020
Question:
Sometimes when a sexual thought gets into my head, I get erections, but I try to resist. Did I lust?
Answer:
Lust is a very strong desire for something sinful, without the actual doing. “But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). Jesus is not talking about looking at a naked woman, but seeing a woman walking down the street and then starting to daydream about having sex with her. It is wrong because it shows that in your mind you’ve already accepted the sin.
It is near impossible to control erections, especially at your age. An erection just means you are sexually stirred up. It is a dangerous point because most guys have difficulty thinking clearly when aroused. It is very easy in that state to make choices you know you should not make. But being aroused is not a sin.
To give you a milder equivalent, if you had not eaten all day your hunger might make you easily angered in situations you would normally ignore. Or you might find yourself tempted to grab someone else’s food. The hunger is not lust, but it might cause you to lust. In the same way, being erect and aroused is not lust, but you might get pulled into lust or actual sin because you are aroused.