Cut it off!

 Jesus makes it plain what sin is. He challenges people’s misconceptions and self-reasoning that actually they are not really that bad. Jesus shows that sin is not just an outward action, but it starts in the heart and mind first. Just because something is not witnessed by others it does not mean it does not exist or did not happen. Jesus continues to ruthlessly display the level of holiness required through how men and women view each other:

Matthew 5:27–32 (ESV): 

27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 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. 

31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. 

The Law of God was plain - no sex before marriage, and then no sex with anyone other than your spouse whilst you are married. This is clear and people understand it. Jesus goes onto say that this is not the complete understanding of adultery though for, “everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” If you look at someone with desire, and you are not married to them, then you have sinned. Pretty radical, and some may say harsh. Before any outward action, before any exchange of words, the sin is right there. Sin is birthed in the heart, then the mind, and God knows about it before you actually do anything wrong. 

The level of goodness required by God is not just restraint or self-discipline, but a completely pure heart and mind. One that doesn’t entertain any ungodly thoughts or desires. How on earth can we attain that level of holiness? 

Every person, even those that you admire for their goodness and morality, have sinned. For Jesus explains that sin is birthed not in actions but in thought and desire. Therefore no-one is innocent. For sin begins with a thought or a desire, the problem is right there before any action is performed. A thought is enough to make you unholy. 

Just before these verses Jesus spoke about anger and how just feeling angry with another person or calling them a name leaves you liable to judgement. The level of holiness required to be acceptable to God is extremely high. Some may say it is even unachievable. How can you control your thoughts and feelings to the extent that you never think or feel anything that is sinful? Thankfully that is not the intent of what Jesus is saying. Although Jesus is making it clear what Father God’s expectations are, this is to lead people to repent. If people do not know what they are doing wrong, how can they admit it and fix it? 

The only way to deal with sin is to cut it off. Jesus says if anything causes you to sin, “tear it out and throw it away”. You need to be harsh with sin, it needs to be completely destroyed, cut off, killed, no longer a part pf you. That means that maybe you need to cut off seeing certain people, going to particular places, cut out watching particular content, or cut off unholy thoughts. You know what you need to do to stop sin, but will you? Although these are things we can do to prevent ourselves doing sinful actions again, it does not deal with the root cause or the sin already committed. Jesus had already thought of that too! He did not just tell us all how rotten we are and leave us there, he created a way for you to be sin-free. For Jesus put to death all sin. The spoken, unspoken, seen and unseen sin. Through giving up his perfect, holy life as an atonement for all of it Jesus killed off the sin that you do, and he took the punishment for it all. You do not actually have to tear your eyes out or rip off your limbs, you can so be righteous enough to meet the standard of God requires by accepting that Jesus was perfect and he died in order to cut off sin and throw it away in your life. All you need to do is confess what you have done, decide that you do not want to do it anymore, and accept that Jesus gave his sinless life to forgive you. He did what you couldn’t. Jesus lived the perfect sinless life in thought, desire and action, and he was killed for the sins of the world in order to tear out the power of sin in your life. He did it so that you could be free and learn to live a life of holiness. You can stand before Almighty God as pure and righteous when you accept Jesus.