Mark 9:42-48
42 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. 43 And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. 45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, 48 ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’
These verses emphasize the seriousness of sin. First Jesus says that if you cause "one of these little ones" (probably the child in verse 36) to sin, it would be better for you to be drowned. He is exaggerating here and in the following verses to make a point, but we need to take to heart his point. Seducing or corrupting another person, especially a child, is a serious offense in God's eyes. We may think at the time that we are having fun by exposing them to a sexual side of life, but in reality we are degrading and hurting one of God's children. Similarly, we need to take seriously our own sin. "If your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell" (verse 47). This is exaggerating again to make a point, but the point is important, that our eternal destiny is more important than our current pleasure. How serious do we treat our sin? Is it something we just shrug off as "that's just how I am", or is it something we are willing to do anything to overcome?
Lord, help me to do whatever it takes to overcome my sin.
42 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. 43 And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. 45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, 48 ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’
These verses emphasize the seriousness of sin. First Jesus says that if you cause "one of these little ones" (probably the child in verse 36) to sin, it would be better for you to be drowned. He is exaggerating here and in the following verses to make a point, but we need to take to heart his point. Seducing or corrupting another person, especially a child, is a serious offense in God's eyes. We may think at the time that we are having fun by exposing them to a sexual side of life, but in reality we are degrading and hurting one of God's children. Similarly, we need to take seriously our own sin. "If your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell" (verse 47). This is exaggerating again to make a point, but the point is important, that our eternal destiny is more important than our current pleasure. How serious do we treat our sin? Is it something we just shrug off as "that's just how I am", or is it something we are willing to do anything to overcome?
Lord, help me to do whatever it takes to overcome my sin.