How seriously do you take sin?
"You've heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell." (Matthew 5:27-30)
To some, Jesus' teaching here can be puzzling. Is Jesus seriously advocating self-mutilation? What's the teaching here? What's the underlying principle? Simply put, the principle Jesus is teaching here is one that's far too often neglected or ignored by Christians - our sin and the snares to fall into those sins need to be taken with the utmost seriousness.
Far too many Christians, for whatever number of reasons or excuses, partake in sinful activities without batting an eye. Some may not even directly partake, but still applaud, thus rendering themselves advocates of the sin portrayed. For example, Christian A wants to go see a movie that's rated R. In the description, this film is rated R because of "Strong Language (which will almost certainly involve taking the Lord's name in vain), Graphic Nudity, and/or Intense Violence." Would Jesus watch this? How does seeing this film edify and/or strengthen Christian A's walk with the Lord? "But," Christian A defends, "it's just a movie. I have a right to entertainment like everyone else."
Or, what about Christian B. Christian B, like many other Christians on social media, never personally posts things on his Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. that are sinful, and every now and then he may even post or take a snapshot of a Bible verse or two, or maybe a Christian article. But, Christian B, on occasion, 'Likes', 'Shares', forwards, etc. other folk's posts that aren't so Christian. Some of these posts contain provocative images, some contain vulgar and/or profane language, and some are tasteless videos. When confronted about this, Christian B argues, "These aren't my words or actions. I just shared it because I thought it was funny." Would Jesus have shared this? Would Jesus have 'Liked' that picture?
At this point, depending upon which side of the "Christian fence" you straddle (and yes I actually heard that phraseology used yesterday by a Christian), you either totally agree or you feel the above statements are legalistic. Some would even say, "We're under grace now and love love love....come on pastor, get with the times." This isn't a popular thing to talk about, especially among Western (mostly American) Christians. This business of "guarding your hearts/eyes" and warning fellow Christians about sinful patterns in their lives is frowned upon and even scolded.
What happened to accountability? What happened to being "in but not OF the world?" What happened to being a light in this world? What happened to being salt? What happened to being at constant war/struggle with the old sinful nature (Rom. 7)?
If Christians are doing and 'Liking' and 'Sharing' and watching and listening to and, etc., like every other lost person in the world, just because we can or just because we don't want to be weird or deprive ourselves of something, do we really understand the calling of the Christian life? Do we really understand the cost of being a disciple of Christ?
I leave you, reader, with this: Hebrews 12:1 - "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses (the members of the 'Hall of Faith' in Heb. 11), let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us..."
Christians, we're called to lay aside every weight, sin that ensnares. Even if these aren't sins we're participating in directly (but especially those that we are), we need to get rid of them. We need to treat them as seriously as Jesus portrayed in Matthew 5 - get rid of any avenues you have that will cause you to sin, or that cause others to sin, or that will ruin your Christian example and credibility. None of us is perfect, including myself, so the question is, "What 'weights' do I need to lay aside today?" What do you need to lay aside for the sake of Christ and your example?
To some, Jesus' teaching here can be puzzling. Is Jesus seriously advocating self-mutilation? What's the teaching here? What's the underlying principle? Simply put, the principle Jesus is teaching here is one that's far too often neglected or ignored by Christians - our sin and the snares to fall into those sins need to be taken with the utmost seriousness.
Far too many Christians, for whatever number of reasons or excuses, partake in sinful activities without batting an eye. Some may not even directly partake, but still applaud, thus rendering themselves advocates of the sin portrayed. For example, Christian A wants to go see a movie that's rated R. In the description, this film is rated R because of "Strong Language (which will almost certainly involve taking the Lord's name in vain), Graphic Nudity, and/or Intense Violence." Would Jesus watch this? How does seeing this film edify and/or strengthen Christian A's walk with the Lord? "But," Christian A defends, "it's just a movie. I have a right to entertainment like everyone else."
Or, what about Christian B. Christian B, like many other Christians on social media, never personally posts things on his Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. that are sinful, and every now and then he may even post or take a snapshot of a Bible verse or two, or maybe a Christian article. But, Christian B, on occasion, 'Likes', 'Shares', forwards, etc. other folk's posts that aren't so Christian. Some of these posts contain provocative images, some contain vulgar and/or profane language, and some are tasteless videos. When confronted about this, Christian B argues, "These aren't my words or actions. I just shared it because I thought it was funny." Would Jesus have shared this? Would Jesus have 'Liked' that picture?
At this point, depending upon which side of the "Christian fence" you straddle (and yes I actually heard that phraseology used yesterday by a Christian), you either totally agree or you feel the above statements are legalistic. Some would even say, "We're under grace now and love love love....come on pastor, get with the times." This isn't a popular thing to talk about, especially among Western (mostly American) Christians. This business of "guarding your hearts/eyes" and warning fellow Christians about sinful patterns in their lives is frowned upon and even scolded.
What happened to accountability? What happened to being "in but not OF the world?" What happened to being a light in this world? What happened to being salt? What happened to being at constant war/struggle with the old sinful nature (Rom. 7)?
If Christians are doing and 'Liking' and 'Sharing' and watching and listening to and, etc., like every other lost person in the world, just because we can or just because we don't want to be weird or deprive ourselves of something, do we really understand the calling of the Christian life? Do we really understand the cost of being a disciple of Christ?
I leave you, reader, with this: Hebrews 12:1 - "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses (the members of the 'Hall of Faith' in Heb. 11), let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us..."
Christians, we're called to lay aside every weight, sin that ensnares. Even if these aren't sins we're participating in directly (but especially those that we are), we need to get rid of them. We need to treat them as seriously as Jesus portrayed in Matthew 5 - get rid of any avenues you have that will cause you to sin, or that cause others to sin, or that will ruin your Christian example and credibility. None of us is perfect, including myself, so the question is, "What 'weights' do I need to lay aside today?" What do you need to lay aside for the sake of Christ and your example?
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