Matthew 5:29-30
29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.
God hates sin. Jesus illustrates the seriousness of sin with some outrageous statements: "If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell" (verse 29). This is hyperbole, where Jesus is exaggerating to make a point, but the point is an important one, that we must be willing to do whatever it takes to stop the sin. We often minimize or rationalize the sin, but Jesus is saying that it is not okay, the sin is a serious problem with eternal consequences. Are we willing to go to extreme measures to conquer the sin? There are many possibilities here, but to pick an example, if TV and videos are a trigger, are you willing to get rid of the TV? That could bring some ridicule from others, but if it helped you gain purity, would it be worth it?
Lord, help me to do whatever it takes to get rid of this sin.
29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.
God hates sin. Jesus illustrates the seriousness of sin with some outrageous statements: "If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell" (verse 29). This is hyperbole, where Jesus is exaggerating to make a point, but the point is an important one, that we must be willing to do whatever it takes to stop the sin. We often minimize or rationalize the sin, but Jesus is saying that it is not okay, the sin is a serious problem with eternal consequences. Are we willing to go to extreme measures to conquer the sin? There are many possibilities here, but to pick an example, if TV and videos are a trigger, are you willing to get rid of the TV? That could bring some ridicule from others, but if it helped you gain purity, would it be worth it?
Lord, help me to do whatever it takes to get rid of this sin.