I didn’t word my comment very well. I don’t think I’m disagreeing with those who say the temptation itself isn’t sin.
All I’m saying is that it is only because of his sin that he has such an attraction. His attraction to other males is a result of his sinful heart. That isn’t only true of homosexuality. It is also true of the married man who has an attraction to another woman. It’s true of the man who covets his neighbor’s new car, too. Now don’t get me wrong I believe the Bible teaches that homosexuality is particularly abhorrent in a way that attraction to another woman or coveting isn’t.
Sin isn’t just the acts we commit, it’s an inward principle. Man doesn’t just commit sinful acts, his very being was corrupted in the fall. As an old preacher used to say, “The boy isn’t a thief because he stole the watermelon, He stole the watermelon because he is a thief BY NATURE.” That’s who he is, just as that’s who the homosexual is. As a result of Adam’s fall in the Garden, we are, every single one of us, sinners by nature. Outside of Christ there is nothing we can do to please God. Scripture plainly says that even our righteous acts are filthy in His sight. That’s because man’s very being has been corrupted. It’s only those who have the righteousness of Christ imputed who are pleasing to God. Even then, it’s His righteousness that’s pleasing, not our own.
Thank you for taking the time to provide this explanation. I think that -— although the wording is different -— the idea of Christ’s righteousness being imputed to us, is, if not straight-up synonymous, then at least related to what Catholics might term being “incorporated into Christ.”
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I agree with you. I think everybody has lustful or covetous thoughts whether they admit or not. Someone in this thread said he was attracted to Melania Trump ‘but doesn’t act on it’. If you’re attracted to another man’s wife, that is a lustful or covetous thought IMO. We all do it at some time or other. Thankfully, forgiveness is available to us.