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129 of 137 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The pleasures of God vs. the fleeting pleasures of sin..., October 14, 2003
Most of the reviewers have hit upon some of the main things that makes this great. Yet some reviewers accuse Josh Harris of borderline legalism because of the steps he has personally taken to properly handle his lust problem (and some examples from others who are fighting this sin). As a young man who, like Harris, is weak in this area, struggling with legalistic attitudes on one side and full-blown licentiousness on the other, this book has been a breath of fresh air, a glass of cool, clear water. While it does offer practical advice, Harris is not so arrogant as to claim that this is the one-size-fits-all practical guide to lust.First, he points out a group of young people who would fast if one of the group looked at internet pornography. Instead of praising this method, Harris is disappointed and points out that One has already paid the punishment for every sin we have and will commit. To make other people "pay" for your sin is to deny the sufficiency of the atonement of Christ. He says: "If you were to use the practical ideas I'm about to share with you as a legalistic set of guidelines, not only would it be displeasing to God, but you wouldn't change. Your behavior might change for a while, but your heart wouldn't change." (p. 50) And regarding his friend that stayed outside the video store, was he saying it was right for everyone to do so? By no means! His friend had recognized the areas that caused him to lose sight of Christ, and for that time in his life, video stores were a struggle. This is vastly different than telling everyone, "So, like my friend, you shouldn't go into video stores, either." This is exactly it: Have we really tasted of God to the degree that we want nothing less than satisfaction in Him? What I loved most was his chapter on the sword of the Spirit, adapted from John Piper's book, Future Grace. Truly, the only way to break the power of lust in our lives is to taste and see that the LORD is good (Psalm 34:8). When you taste of the Fountain of Living Waters, the broken cisterns of lust cannot compare (Jer 2:12-13). This chapter alone is worth the price of the book. Overall, if you struggle with lust in one form or another as I do, I would, along with John Piper, commend this book for your soul. It correctly identifies how we can turn our fight against lust into legalism, and also how we tend to treat it as "no big deal." So let us also lay aside *every* weight, and the sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us (Heb. 12:1), because the pure in heart, dear reader, the pure in heart will see GOD (Matt 5:8).
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by Joshua Harris
by Joshua Harris
by Joshua Harris
