Matthew 5:29-30
29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. KJV
Christ is not calling for self-mutilation here, There was a teaching that tried to make people not responsible for their actions. It was their eye's fault or their hand made them do something.
We have similar beliefs today as people who have heart transplants have supposedly started taking on desires and attributes of the donor. People who never drank, smoked or rode motorcycles want to all three and vegetarians have started craving cheeseburgers from a certain place. That is all malarkey. At best, it is a all lies and at worst, it is demonic influence to keep people from Christ. The heart is the mind not the blood pump.
That is where we come back to the text. Ladies, it is not your mouth or your stomach that makes you cheat on your diets. It is your heart that can't say no to that blueberry cheesecake or peanut butter pie. Even if friends pressure to to have a “tiny bite: it is your heart that makes you succumb, not your taste buds. It's not your tongue that makes you gossip. It is your heart.
Men (and women) it is not your eye that makes you look at the opposite sex and lust. Yes, the lady that puts it all out there to show is responsible for the temptation she causes but it is your heart that takes the second or third look and dwells on it. Sadly some Christian women have no clue as to modesty is or what causes men to lust; or do they? It may be their heart that is bent towards immorality that leads them to dress that way as I find it hard to believe that even Christian women are that naive or ignorant.
Ladies, what are you thinking about when you see a hunk in tight jeans. I have heard some of you talk so I know it is not style of the jean or its brand. It isn't the jeans or your eyes that makes you think that.
It is a heart problem and I mean the true meaning of cardiac since it comes from the Greek kardia, which was used of the mind, not the blood pump.
This is what Christ was trying to get the folks back then to look at and to look to their hearts, not their parts for the cause of their sins. What's your heart condition? For some, it will require a new birth and a new heart to get well. They will need to be saved.
Romans 10:8-11
8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. KJV
For those of us who are saved but allowed the cholesterol of sin to inflame us to wrong things and people we need like David to cry out for the forgiveness of sins that will bypass our guilt and bring fresh blood and spiritual energy in our souls.
Psalms 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. KJV
Don't try to be a surgeon and cut off parts. Come to Dr. Jesus and His Word that is “...is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Let the omnipotent cardiologist do the work. You will not be dissatisfied. His patients live forever and He makes office calls. Glory to His name! Maranatha!!
