“In religion the purpose of obeying the law is to assure you that you’re all right with God. As a result, when it comes to the law, what you’re most concerned about is detail. You want to know exactly what you’ve got to do… You won’t gravitate toward seeking out the intent of the law; rather, you’ll tend to write into the law all sorts of details of observance so you can assure yourself that you’re obeying it. But in the life of Christians the law of God – though still binding on them – functions in a completely different way. It shows you the life of love you want to live before God who has done so much for you. God’s law takes you out of yourself… “
“…We must be careful to recognize that sexual desire is not wrong as a natural, uncultivated response, any more than anger is, or pain. Moreover, when we only think of sex with someone we see, or simply find him or her attractive, that is not wrong, and certainly is not what Jesus calls ‘adultery in the heart’… Merely to be tempted sexually requires that we think of sex with someone… usually someone we see. But temptation also is not wrong, though it should not be willfully entered. Therefore those translations of Matthew 5:28 that say, “Everyone who looks at a woman and desires her” or “everyone who looks at a woman with desire” are terribly mistaken. They do much harm, especially to young people. The wording (in Matt 5:28) refers to looking at a woman with the purpose of desiring her. That’s it, we desire to desire.”
