WSC Q71-72-b: Soul-Shrinking Lust

Q. 71 What is required in the seventh commandment?

A. The seventh commandment requireth the preservation of our own and our neighbour's chastity in heart, speech, and behaviour.

Q. 72 What is forbidden in the seventh commandment?

A. The seventh commandment forbiddeth all unchaste thoughts, words, and actions.

Last week, we focused on the importance of preserving our own and our neighbour's chastity by avoiding anything that breaks marriage apart. Today, I want to preach to you about one of the greatest plagues upon our society—what I am going to call soul-shrinking lust. When sex is longed for and even worse, engaged in, outside of marriage, it shrivels up your soul in such a way that you treat other people more like objects than persons.