Is It Wrong to REPRESS Negative Desires?
Libertines are hedonists who embrace the “if it feels good, do it” philosophy. I bring them up because you’ll occasionally come across people who mock “repressive values.” My immediate response is: As opposed to what — hedonistic non-values?
The core question is this: Is repressing a desire inherently wrong? Is it unhealthy? To answer, let’s start with the definition of repress…
To ‘repress’ means to restrain. Pertaining to our topic, it means to prevent oneself from giving way to a strong urge or emotion, presumably a destructive one. For instance, eleven years ago my wife’s boss (at the time) tried to kiss her on the lips at work. She instinctively backed away from him while flashing the sign of the cross, saying, “Woman of God here; woman of God!” Although he was supposedly a Christian teacher, he was upset about her reaction and forced her out of the company by the end of the summer. When Carol told me what happened, I naturally wanted to march into that office and wring the guy’s neck, literally. Good thing I repressed that desire or he’d be dead or seriously injured and I’d be in prison.
Anytime someone argues against “repressive values” — restraining an unwholesome emotion or impulse — they’re basically advocating hedonism or licentiousness. But this is folly since any spiritual or philosophical belief system of actual value includes the idea of self-discipline. After all, just because a thought/desire occurs to you or me, it doesn’t mean it should be ‘fed’ and acted on. For instance, I like vanilla ice cream. If the thought occurs to me to eat a whole gallon of ice cream every day, this doesn’t automatically mean I should submit to that desire and practice it (even under the argument that “I was born that way”). If I did, I’d eventually become overweight and it would be destructive to my health and standard of living. If I refuse to cave-in to that desire, would it mean I’m “repressed”? If so, then repression in this case is obviously a positive thing.
This principle can be applied to any thought/desire, including sexual ones. For example, say a seasoned adult man finds a shapely 14-15 years-old girl alluring and thoughts of sexual desire flash through his mind (this happens every day, all over the world). Should he feed those thoughts and, ultimately, act on them? Of course not. It would lead to a prison sentence and, when he got out, he’d have to register as a sexual predator. His reputation would be destroyed in the community as a “pedo” (even though, in this case, he’d more accurately be guilty of hebephilia or ephebophilia, not pedophilia, the latter of which concerns prepubescent children). If the guy was married or had kids, his actions could very likely destroy his family.
So, obviously, repressing unwholesome impulses is a healthy thing, not unhealthy.
This explains why genuine Christianity plainly teaches:
5Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.7You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
Colossians 3:5-10
12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.
Romans 6:12-14
3But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. a 6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7Therefore do not be partners with them.
Ephesians 5:3-6
9Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men a 10nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
Clearly, the Word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15 & 3:16) teaches us to not flirt with negative emotions or desires by feeding them with our thought life and eventually acting on them. No, we’re to put them off…
6Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
7Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
8“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
Isaiah 55:6-8
As always, turning to God is the answer to any flesh issue or temptation…
13Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh. c
Romans 13:13-14
But what does it mean to “clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ”? This is a figurative reference to walking in the spirit:
So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
Walking in the spirit and thus being spirit-controlled is the answer to the bondage of being flesh-ruled. See this article for details or this video.
Related Topics:
How to Walk FREE OF THE FLESH by being Spirit-Controlled
How to TAKE CAPTIVE Thoughts (Noémas—Mindsets, Ideologies)
Demonic Spirits — How to Deflect Them
The Seven Keys to SPIRITUAL GROWTH
LIBERTINISM — What’s Wrong With It and How to Walk FREE
Understanding Christ’s LORDSHIP in the Believer’s Life
comments powered by Disqus