I totally agree with you; lust is a sin of thought. Christ didn't lust. He was tempted to do many sins, but he chose otherwise. For example: if a young attractive woman wears skimpy or revealing clothing in public around a bunch of men, she is inadvertently (or purposefully) tempting men to lust after her, whether she knows it or not. The mere act of looking at her would not constitute a sin, but if I felt carnal desires for her as a result of her body and attire, that would constitute sin. Christ never did this. Instead he prayed to God for strength to overcome temptation and rebuked Satan.
I'm not a theologian, but my understand is this. If Christ had lusted after a woman (or man for that matter), then he would have committed sin, and would therefore not have been sinless, thus his salvation would be worthless to us today. There is no doubt that Christ was tempted by Satan to commit sin, but he rebuked Satan and denied that temptation; therefore when he died on the cross, he was pure. It's important that we understand the difference between temptation and the act itself. We are all tempted in life, every second of every day, to commit sin, but this temptation is not sin. Acting upon this temptation is what constitutes sin. Personally, I do not believe that there is a single person on this plant who is not guilty, in one form or another, of committing sin. The only person ever to fit into the sinless category was Christ. He was the perfect spotless sinless lamb who suffered for us all, and he paid for our sins with the ultimate sacrifice. And for those that believe this, your salvation is guaranteed. This is what I (and millions of others) believe. Whether you believe it or not is your own personal matter. And please understand, your personal decision about your own faith is not something that I will ever judge you for. I am simply speaking my own beliefs.
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I totally agree with you; lust is a sin of thought. Christ didn't lust. He was tempted to do many sins, but he chose otherwise. For example: if a young attractive woman wears skimpy or revealing clothing in public around a bunch of men, she is inadvertently (or purposefully) tempting men to lust after her, whether she knows it or not. The mere act of looking at her would not constitute a sin, but if I felt carnal desires for her as a result of her body and attire, that would constitute sin. Christ never did this. Instead he prayed to God for strength to overcome temptation and rebuked Satan.
I'm not a theologian, but my understand is this. If Christ had lusted after a woman (or man for that matter), then he would have committed sin, and would therefore not have been sinless, thus his salvation would be worthless to us today. There is no doubt that Christ was tempted by Satan to commit sin, but he rebuked Satan and denied that temptation; therefore when he died on the cross, he was pure. It's important that we understand the difference between temptation and the act itself. We are all tempted in life, every second of every day, to commit sin, but this temptation is not sin. Acting upon this temptation is what constitutes sin. Personally, I do not believe that there is a single person on this plant who is not guilty, in one form or another, of committing sin. The only person ever to fit into the sinless category was Christ. He was the perfect spotless sinless lamb who suffered for us all, and he paid for our sins with the ultimate sacrifice. And for those that believe this, your salvation is guaranteed. This is what I (and millions of others) believe. Whether you believe it or not is your own personal matter. And please understand, your personal decision about your own faith is not something that I will ever judge you for. I am simply speaking my own beliefs.