IF YOUR RIGHT EYE MAKES YOU
STUMBLE,
TEAR
IT OUT AND
THROW
IT FROM YOU: ei de o ophthalmos sou o dexios skandalizei (3SPAI) se,
exele (2SAAM)
auton kai
bale (2SAAM)
apo sou
(Mt 18:8,9; Mark 9:43-48) (19:12; Romans 6:6; 8:13; 1 Corinthians 9:27;
Galatians 5:24; Colossians 3:5; 1 Peter 4:1-3)
Note:
All verbs in
bold red
indicate commands, not suggestions!
Related Resource: See
exposition of Solomon's proverbs dealing with sexual purity -
Pr 5:1-14;
Pr 5:15-23;
Pr 6:20-35;
Pr 7:1-27
Charles Simeon writes...
MANY of the precepts of our holy
religion are so strict, that persons indisposed to obey them are ready
to turn away from them in despair, exclaiming, “This is an hard saying;
who can hear it?” But must we on that account keep back the truth, or
lower the commands of God to the habits and inclinations of men? Must we
not rather “declare the whole counsel of God,” and enforce to the
uttermost the authority of his word? Our blessed Lord has set us an
example in this respect; an example which all his servants must follow.
He had declared, that an impure look was, in God’s estimation,
constructive adultery. To this it might be objected, that our
constitution, rather than our will, was chargeable with this offence.
But our Lord shuts out at once all objections of this kind, by saying,
that even a right eye or a right hand must be parted with, rather than
that we should suffer them to lead us to the commission of any sin; and
that, if we refuse to sacrifice any thing for his sake, eternal misery
will be our merited and inevitable portion. (Read the entire sermon
-
Matthew 5:29,30 The Necessity of Mortifying
Every Sin)
Spurgeon exhorts us to...
Give up the dearest, choicest,
and apparently most needful thing, if it leads you into sin. (Pleasures
which block the road to heaven ought to be given up) The same
rule that bids you avoid sin, bids you also avoid all that leads to sin.
If adultery be forbidden, so also is that glance with which the sin
usually begins. We are to turn away our eyes from beholding that which
leads towards sin, and we are not to touch or taste that which would
readily lead us into iniquity. Oh, that we had sufficient decision of
character to make short work of everything which tends towards evil!
Many persons, when their right eye offends them, put a green shade over
it; and when their right hand offends them, they tie it up in a sling.
But that is not obeying the command of Christ. He charges you to get rid
of everything that would lead you wrong; make a clean sweep of it. You
are wrong enough at your best, so do not permit anything to appertain to
you, which would lead you still further astray,
Your eye indicates the problem
is not that you live is a sex crazed society. You have a choice over
what your eye can look at or not look at. When the football game pans to
the sideline (at you know what), you can consciously choose to look
away. Don't delay. Don't underestimate the power of your God given
imagination. D. L. Moody, certainly one of the more godly men of the
modern era wisely recognized the source of the problem, admitting
that...
"I have more trouble with D. L. Moody
than with any man I know."
The man I see in the mirror each
morning is my greatest impediment to holiness and godliness. Stop saying
"The devil made me do it!" When you get up in the morning and look
in the mirror to shave, you are looking at your worst problem, because
blood bought, heaven bound men still contend daily with the old Sin
nature inherited from Adam. Granted, Sin no longer has the right to
reign as our master, because of our co-crucifixion and co-resurrection,
but it can still rear its ugly head.
Thomas Fuller warned
that...
Our eyes, when gazing on sinful
objects, are out of their calling and God's keeping.
Job wrote...
I have made a covenant with my
eyes. How then could I gaze at a virgin? (Job 31:1) (Comment:
"Gaze" in Hebrew = consider carefully, diligently consider, discern, get
understanding, look carefully, observe, paid close attention, pay heed.
Do you get the picture that Job is trying to convey? He's not talking
about a casual glance or an accidental viewing of an attractive woman
(that would be virtually impossible to avoid in "non-blushing"
America... but it is possible to make certain provisions -- all under
grace of course -- and they include not going to PG-13 movies or even PG
ratings...they have all become too sensual because the moral compass of
Americans, especially the media moguls is going "due south" toward the
abyss. We can chose not to watch talk shows that bring up "lusty"
subjects so commonly these days. So Job is saying don't stare at her
because if you do, Jesus says you've already committed adultery in your
heart Mt 5:28...pluck your eye out before you do this! That's how
enslaving this sin can be...so it requires radical surgery and complete
extirpation! Don't just biopsy it! Cut it out completely!).
William Jenkyn wrote
that...
The right way to put out the
fire of lust is to withdraw the fuel of excess.
Some other passages related to
eyes and lust...
2 Samuel 11:1 Then it happened
in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent
Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the
sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem. 2 Now
when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof
of the king's house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing;
and the woman was very beautiful in appearance. 3 So David sent and
inquired about the woman. And one said, "Is this not Bathsheba, the
daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?"4 And David sent
messengers and took her, and when she came to him, he lay with her; and
when she had purified herself from her uncleanness, she returned to her
house.5 And the woman conceived; and she sent and told David, and said,
"I am pregnant."
Psalm 119:37 Turn away my
eyes from looking at vanity, And revive me in Thy ways.
Pr 4:25 Let your eyes look directly ahead, and let your gaze be
fixed straight in front of you.
Pr 6:25 Do not desire her beauty in your heart, nor let her catch
you with her eyelids.
James 1:14 But each one
is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.15 Then
when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is
accomplished, it brings forth death.
Expositor's Bible Commentary
writes that...
Imagination is a God-given gift;
but if it is fed dirt by the eye, it will be dirty. All sin, not least
sexual sin, begins with the imagination. Therefore what feeds the
imagination is of maximum importance in the pursuit of kingdom
righteousness (see note
Philippians 4:8).
Not everyone reacts the same way to all objects. But if your eye is
causing you to sin, gouge it out; or at very least, don't look! The
alternative is sin and hell, sin's reward. The point is so fundamental
that Jesus doubtless repeated it on numerous occasions (cf. Mt 18:8-9).
(Gaebelein,
F, Editor: Expositor's Bible Commentary 6-Volume New Testament.
Zondervan Publishing)
Stumble (4624)
(skandalizo from
skandalon=
a trap = put a snare or stumbling block in way) (Click
for in depth study of root word
skandalon)
means to entrap, trip up, or entice to sin, offend.
Skandalizo is
derived from a word that refers to stick in a trap on which the bait is
placed and which springs up and shuts the trap at the touch of the
careless, unwary animal. It follows that the idea is to put a stumbling
block or impediment in one's way, upon which another may trip and fall.
Jesus' point is that anything or anyone that morally traps us (by our
senses, visual, touch, and by expansion not excluding the other senses
such as hearing), and causes us to fall into sin should be eliminated,
radically and quickly. If we do not make every necessary effort to
control our surroundings, what we watch and read, who we keep company
with and speak with, etc, then those things will control us. If you
cannot control something, it needs to be "jettisoned" to keep the boat
afloat so to speak.
Tear out
and
throw are
both in the
aorist imperative,
a command from our Lord and Master calling for urgent action. Do this
now! It is critically important! Don't hesitate or delay! Deal
drastically with anything that predisposes you to sin! We must quickly
and ruthlessly deal with ourselves and not encourage the imagination to
“feed on” the inward lustful fantasies, the inner desires that can
quickly lead to the destructive sin of physical adultery.
Even simple logic says that what
Jesus is commanding is not a literal action. Why? Would the loss of one
eye or one hand prevent lustful look or thought via the other hand or
eye? Of course, not, because the problem is not the eye or the hand.
They are morally neutral instruments.
Skandalizo - 29x in 27v - Matt
5:29f; 11:6; 13:21, 57; 15:12; 17:27; 18:6, 8f; 24:10; 26:31, 33; Mark
4:17; 6:3; 9:42f, 45, 47; 14:27, 29; Luke 7:23; 17:2; John 6:61; 16:1; 1
Cor 8:13; 2 Cor 11:29
As Paul writes to the Romans
Therefore do not let sin
reign (command to stop a practice already occurring) in your mortal
body that you should obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting (stop
an action which is already occurring) the members of your body
(eyes, hands, ears, etc) to sin (refers to the old sin nature
still latent in believers) as instruments of unrighteousness; but
present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members
as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over
you, for you are not under law, but under grace. (see notes
Romans 6:12;
6:13;
6:14)
Peter gives similar advises...
Beloved, I urge you as aliens
and strangers to abstain (continually hold yourself away from =
present tense,
middle voice)
from fleshly lusts, which wage war (present
tense =
continually carry on a military
campaign, not just one skirmish but fleshly lusts are personified as a
rebel commander carrying out a long-term guerilla campaign with the
intend to capture, enslave and destroy) against the soul. (see notes
1 Peter 2:11)
Tasker writes that
"Jesus is expressing in
metaphorical language the all-important truth that a limited but morally
healthy life is better than a wider life which is morally depraved.”
(The Gospel According to St Matthew)
Commenting on
1 Peter 2:11
John MacArthur writes that...
because our souls are saved and
because we've received a new heart and because we've been washed and
because we've been regenerated, there is a newness in us, but as we have
noted in the past, it is incarcerated in our unredeemed human flesh.
That's why we have a spiritual battle because the new man in us is
battling the
flesh.
And the
flesh
is where lust comes from. And so we
are called to, literally the Greek word is, "hold oneself away from
fleshly lusts." Boy, that is tough. That is tough enough because the
fleshly lusts are in us, it is especially tough in our society because
we live in a pornographic society. And in a pornographic society our
fleshly lusts are fed constantly by the visual images of pornography and
the verbal expressions of pornography that are all around us all the
time. And so for us this is a great challenge for the Holy Spirit in us
to give us victory." MacArthur continues in the note (highlight "aliens"
for note).
Marvin Vincent writes
that...
Christ’s meaning here is: “If
your eye or your hand serve as an obstacle or trap to ensnare or make
you fall in your moral walk.” How the eye might do this may be seen
in the previous verse. Bengel observes: “He who, when his eye proves
a stumbling-block, takes care not to see, does in reality blind himself.”
The words scandal and slander are both derived from
skandalon (Vincent, M. R. Word Studies in the New Testament. Vol 1,
Page 3-41)
William Barclay adds this
comment on the root noun "skandalon"...
"The word he uses for a
stumbling-block is ...skandalon...a form of the word skandalethron...the
bait-stick in a trap. It was the stick or arm on which the bait was
fixed and which operated the trap to catch the animal lured to its own
destruction. So the word came to mean anything which causes a man’s
destruction. Behind it there are two pictures. First, there is the
picture of a hidden stone in a path against which a man may stumble, or
of a cord stretched across a path, deliberately put there to make a man
trip. Second, there is the picture of a pit dug in the ground and
deceptively covered over with a thin layer of branches or of turf, and
so arranged that, when the unwary traveler sets his foot on it, he is
immediately thrown into the pit. The skandalon, the stumbling-block is
something which trips a man up, something which sends him crashing to
destruction, something which lures him to his own ruin....ANYTHING which
helps to seduce us to sin is to be ruthlessly rooted out of life. If
there is a habit which can be seduction to evil, if there is an
association which can be the cause of wrongdoing, if there is a pleasure
which could turn out to be our ruin, then that thing must be surgically
excised from our life." (Col 3:5, Heb 12:1 "the sin") Coming as it does
immediately after the passage which deals with forbidden thoughts and
desires, this passage compels us to ask: How shall we free ourselves
from these unclean desires and defiling thoughts? It is the fact of
experience that thoughts and pictures come unbidden into our minds, and
it is the hardest thing on earth to shut the door to them. There is one
way in which these forbidden thoughts and desires cannot be dealt
with—and that is to sit down and to say, I will not think of these
things (cp Col 2:23). The more we say, I will not think of such and such
a thing, the more our thoughts are in fact concentrated on it.
The outstanding example in
history of the wrong way to deal with such thoughts and desires was the
hermits and the monks in the desert in the time of the early Church.
They were men who wished to free themselves from all earthly things, and
especially of the desires of the body. To do so they went away into the
Egyptian desert with the idea of living alone and thinking of nothing
but God. The most famous of them all was Saint Anthony. He lived the
hermit’s life; he fasted; he did without sleep; he tortured his body.
For 35 years he lived in the desert, and these 35 years were a non-stop
battle, without respite, with his temptations. The story is told in his
biography.
“First of all the devil
tried to lead him away from discipline, whispering to him the
remembrance of his wealth, cares for his sister, claims of kindred, love
of money, love of glory, the various pleasures of the table, and the
other relaxations of life, and, at last, the difficulty of virtue and
the labor of it. The one would suggest foul thoughts, and the other
counter them with prayers; the one fire him with lust, the other, as one
who seemed to blush, fortify his body with prayers, faith and fasting.
The devil one night even took upon him the shape of a woman, and
imitated all her acts simply to beguile Anthony.”
So for thirty-five years the
struggle went on. (Barclay, W:
The Gospel of Matthew The New Daily
Study Bible Westminster John Knox Press)
(Bolding added)
FOR IT IS BETTER FOR YOU TO
LOSE ONE OF THE PARTS OF YOUR BODY, THAN FOR YOUR WHOLE BODY TO BE
THROWN INTO HELL:
sumpherei (3SPAI) gar soi ina apoletai (3SAMS) en ton melon sou kai me
olon to soma sou blethe (3SAPS) eis geennan (Mt
16:26; Proverbs 5:8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14; Mark 8:36; Luke 9:24,25)
Sow a thought and reap an act.
Sow an act and reap a habit.
Sow a habit and reap a character.
Sow a character and reap a destiny.
The Puritan William Gurnall
asked...
What lust is so sweet or
profitable that is worth burning
in hell for?
Hell (Gehenna) (1067)
(geenna from Hebrew gay = valley + Hinnom = a
deep narrow ravine south of Jerusalem once associated with the pagan god Moloch and
his disgusting rite of infant sacrifices [cp modern practice of
abortion!], 2 Kings 23:10; 2 Chr 28:3; 33:6; Jer 7:31, 19:5-6, 32:35; Ezekiel 16:20;
23:37 clearly prohibited by God in Lev 18:21, 20:2-5) is literally the
valley of Hinnom, the valley where the filth and dead animals of
the city were cast out and burned and where there were trash fires
and perpetually burning rubbish, all a fit symbol of the future
home of all unrepentant, unregenerate wicked men and women. It was a
foul, forbidding place where the fire, smoke, and stench never ceased.
It is thus fitting that gehenna is where sin and unrepentant sinners
will one day find it's "resting place".
Good men avoid sin from the love of
virtue: (2Co 5:9, Gal 1:10). Wicked men avoid sin from a fear of
punishment.
It is said (although not every
historical record concurs) that the Early Church Father, Origen, took
this command literally and had himself castrated. Whether true or not,
clearly that is not what Jesus is calling for! The trouble with a
literal interpretation is that it does not go far enough! Even if
you did cut off your hand or gouge out your eye, you could still sin
with your other hand or eye. When all those are gone, you can still sin
in your mind!
><>><>><>
In his excellent tract
Thoughts for Young Men, the pithy evangelical writer, J C Ryle
(1816-1900 -
read a short biography)
has the following "thoughts" relative to Jesus' warning about what
we look at...
Another danger to young men is the
LOVE OF PLEASURE.
Youth is the time when our passions are strongest--and like unruly
children, cry most loudly for indulgence. Youth is the time when we have
generally our most health and strength: death seems far away, and to
enjoy ourselves in this life seems to be everything. Youth is the time
when most people have few earthly cares or anxieties to take up their
attention. And all these things help to make young men think of nothing
except pleasure.
"I serve lusts and pleasures:" that
is the true answer many a young man should give, if asked, "Whose
Servant are you?"
Young men, time would not permit me to tell you all the fruits this love
of pleasure produces, and all the ways in which it may do you harm. Why
should I speak of carousing, partying, drinking, gambling, movie-going,
dancing, and the like? There are few to be found who don't know
something of these things by bitter experience. And these are only
instances. All things that give a feeling of excitement for the
time--all things that drown thought, and keep the mind in a constant
whirl--all things that please the senses and delight the flesh--these
are the sort of things that have mighty power at your time of life, and
they owe their power to the love of pleasure. Be on your guard. Do not
be like those of whom Paul speaks, "Lovers of pleasure rather than
lovers of God" (see note
2 Timothy 3:4).
Remember what I say: if you would
cling to earthly pleasures--these are the things which murder souls.
There is no surer way to get a seared conscience and a hard heart
towards the things of God, than to give way to the desires of the flesh
and mind. It seems like nothing at first, but it tells in the long run.
Consider what Peter says:
Abstain from sinful desires, which
war against your soul (see note
1 Peter 2:11)
They destroy the soul's peace, break
down its strength, lead it into captivity, and make it a slave.
Consider what Paul says:
Put to death,
(aorist
imperative =
command to carry this out now! conveys a sense of urgency!) therefore,
whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity,
lust, evil desires and greed" (see note
Colossians 3:5)
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have
crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires (see note
Galatians 5:24).
Once the body was a perfect home for
a soul--now it is all corrupt and disordered, and needs constant
watching. It is a burden to the soul--not a helper; a hindrance--not an
assistance. It may become a useful servant, but it is always a bad
master.
Consider, again, the words of Paul:
Clothe
(aorist
imperative =
command to carry this out now! conveys a sense of urgency!) yourselves
with the Lord Jesus Christ, and
do not think
(present
imperative +
negative = stop doing this!) about how to gratify the desires of the
sinful nature" (see note
Romans 13:14)
"These," says Leighton, "are the
words, the very reading of which gave Augustine a great conviction of
heart, causing an immoral young man to be turned into a faithful servant
of Jesus Christ."
Young men, I wish this might be the
case with all of you.
Remember, again, if you cling to earthly pleasures, they will all be
unsatisfying, empty, and pointless. Like the locusts of the vision in
Revelation, they seem to have crowns on their heads: but like the same
locusts, you will find they have stings--real stings--in their tails.
All that glitters is not gold. All that tastes sweet is not good. All
that pleases for a while is not real pleasure.
Go and take your fill of earthly pleasures if you will--you will never
find your heart satisfied with them. There will always be a voice
within, crying, like the leech in Proverbs 30:15,
"Give! Give!"
There is an empty place there, which
nothing but God can fill. You will find, as Solomon did by experience,
that earthly pleasures are but a meaningless show--promising contentment
but bringing a dissatisfaction of spirit--gold plated caskets, exquisite
to look at on the outside, but full of ashes and corruption within. Be
wise in your youth.
Write the word "poison" on all
earthly pleasures. The most lawful of them must be used in moderation.
All of them are soul-destroying if you give them your heart. Pleasure,
must first have the guarantee that it is not sinful--then it is to be
enjoyed in moderation.
And I will not shrink from warning
all young men to remember the seventh commandment; to beware of adultery
and sexual immorality, of all impurity of every kind.
I fear that we don't very often speak
on this part of God's law. But when I see how prophets and Apostles have
dealt with this subject, when I observe the open way in which the
Reformers of our own Church denounced it, when I see the number of young
men who walk in the wicked footsteps of Reuben, and Hophni, and
Phinehas, and Amnon, I for one cannot, with a good conscience, hold my
peace. The world becomes more wicked because of our failure to teach and
preach on this commandment. For my own part, I feel it would be false
and unscriptural delicacy, in addressing men, not to speak of that which
is preeminently the "young man's sin."
The violation of the seventh commandment is the sin above all others,
that, as Hosea says,
"takes away the understanding" (Hosea
4:11).
It is the sin that leaves deeper
scars upon the soul than any other sin that a man can commit. It is a
sin that destroys thousands of young men in every age, and has even
overthrown a few of the saints of God in the past. Samson and David are
fearful proofs. It is the sin that man dares to smile at, and smoothes
over using the terms: thrills, love, uncontrollable passions, and
natural desires. But it is the sin that the devil rejoices over, for he
is the "unclean spirit;" and it is the sin that God abhors, and declares
He "will judge" (see note
Hebrews 13:4).
Young men, "Flee
(present
imperative =
command to keep on fleeing for we never will outgrow the need to obey
this important command) from sexual immorality" (1Cor 6:18) if
you love life.
Let no one deceive
(present
imperative
with a negative commands them to stop
an action already in progress or forbidding of a continuation of being
deceived) you with
empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who
are disobedient (Eph 5:6-note).
Flee from the opportunity of it--from
the company of those who might draw you into it--from the places where
you might be tempted to do it. Read what our Lord says about it in
Matthew 5:28,
I tell you that anyone who looks at a
woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Be like the holy servant Job:
I made a covenant with my eyes not to
look lustfully at a girl" (Job 31:1)
Flee from talking about it. It is one
of the things that ought not even be hinted about in conversation (Eph
5:12-note).
You cannot even touch black grease without getting your hands dirty (see
powerful illustration of
the life of the ermine).
Flee from the thoughts of it; resist them, destroy them, pray against
them--make any sacrifice rather than give way to them. Imagination is
the hotbed where this sin is too often hatched. Guard your thoughts, and
there will be little fear about your actions.
Consider the caution I have been giving. If you forget everything else,
do not let this be forgotten. (J. C. Ryle.
Thoughts for Young Men)
><> ><> ><>
Kill The Spider! - We sometimes have mixed feelings
about our sins. We are afraid of being hurt by them, and we want to be
forgiven. But we aren't sure we want to be rid of them right now.
A man told me he has a bad habit that is hindering his fellowship with
God and hurting his Christian testimony. He says he prays that
God will forgive him for
his addiction—but he doesn't stop. He reminds me of the story about the
man who often went forward at the
end of church services to
kneel and pray, "Lord, take the cobwebs out of my life." One Sunday
morning his pastor, tired of hearing the same old prayer, knelt beside
him and cried out, "Lord, kill the spider!"
Yes, sometimes it takes radical action to break a sinful habit. We need
to do more than ask God for cleansing each time we succumb to
temptation. We must take whatever steps are needed to get the cobwebs
out of our life. We must confess our sin and determine to be done with
it. Then we must feed our mind with God's Word and do all we can to stay
away from the people and places that tempt us to sin. That's what Christ
meant when He said, "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out"
(Matthew 5:29).
Kill the spider and you'll get rid of the cobwebs. —H V Lugt (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
It's not enough to say to God,
"I'm sorry, I repent,"
And then go on from day to day
The way I always went. —Anon.
Admitting sin is no substitute for
quitting sin.
><> ><> ><>
Sinning In Moderation? - A magazine advertisement for the MTV
special The Seven Deadly Sins carried this line: "Lust: Where would we
be without it?" A popular radio and television personality said that
greed can be good because it makes capitalism work well. An MTV
commentator said, "A little lust, pride, sloth, and gluttony--in
moderation--are fun, and that's what keeps your heart beating."
Gluttony in moderation? That's doubletalk. How can we practice excess in
moderation? Moderation is a virtue, but it can never apply to an action
that is immoral.
There may be nothing wrong with eating some goodies, especially those
marked "lite," "cholesterol free," or "low calorie." But there is no
such thing as "light lust" or "low-calorie greed." Lust, greed, or sin
of any kind and in any amount is always wrong.
Christians who are serious about pleasing the Lord will continually
examine and judge their inner thoughts and motives. They'll confess and
repent of greed as a motive for making more and more money. And they'll
work at disciplining their thoughts and actions.
Enjoy a few "lite" desserts. But don't fall for the idea that a little
sinning is all right if done in moderation. --H V Lugt (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
O Lord, help us to recognize
When we begin to compromise;
And give us strength to follow through
With what we know is right and true. --Sper
Moderation in sin is no more possible
than moderation in death.
><>><>><>
The cartoon depicted a
frustrated father changing a flat tire in the rain. His two children
were peering out the car window. In response to their complaining, he
said, "Don't you understand? This is life. This is what's happening. We
can't switch to another channel!" Television and reality—does the former
distort the latter? After 10 years of research, media analyst Kenneth
Curtis measured TV's
impact on society. He concluded that the omnipresent, flickering screen
constantly tries to tell us what behavior and attitudes are desirable.
He described the effect of TV as a subtle process that has become a
significant force in defining reality. If this is true, we had better be
careful about what we watch. The networks are not committed to
portraying Christian values. Many things that are presented as
acceptable are in fact dangerous. Furthermore, watching TV makes us
passive observers rather than active participants in solving life's
problems. The violence, sex, and materialism on TV can make us
insensitive to our calling as Christians to be salt and light in a
sinful world.
Only as we meditate on God's
Word (Psalm 1:2) can we have the right perspective. To avoid a distorted
view of life, we must allow God's truth to define reality. —M R De Haan
II (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
Our thoughts are shaped by what
we see,
And thoughts affect our soul;
So if we'd profit from TV,
We must be in control. —DJD
The Bible is the best TV guide.
><>><>><>
Charles Simeon
writes...
MANY of the precepts of our holy
religion are so strict, that persons indisposed to obey them are ready
to turn away from them in despair, exclaiming, “This is an hard saying;
who can hear it?” But must we on that account keep back the truth, or
lower the commands of God to the habits and inclinations of men? Must we
not rather “declare the whole counsel of God,” and enforce to the
uttermost the authority of his word? Our blessed Lord has set us an
example in this respect; an example which all his servants must follow.
He had declared, that an impure look was, in God’s estimation,
constructive adultery. To this it might be objected, that our
constitution, rather than our will, was chargeable with this offence.
But our Lord shuts out at once all objections of this kind, by saying,
that even a right eye or a right hand must be parted with, rather than
that we should suffer them to lead us to the commission of any sin; and
that, if we refuse to sacrifice any thing for his sake, eternal misery
will be our merited and inevitable portion.
In his words there are two things to
be noticed:
I. The alternative proposed— It is here supposed, that we have,
both within us and without, many things which may operate as incitements
to sin. And experience proves that this is really the case: there is not
a faculty of our minds, or a member of our bodies, which may not become
an occasion of evil; nor is there any thing around us which may not
administer fuel to the flames of corruption that are within us. Beauty
has a tendency to create unhallowed desires; splendour, to call forth
envy and ambition; and plenty, to promote intemperance.
But our Lord sets before us an alternative, either to turn away from
those things which are occasions of evil, or to suffer the displeasure
of an angry God in hell.
Now this is,
1. An only alternative—[Nothing leas will suffice on our part;
nor will any diminution of punishment be admitted on God’s part. It is
to no purpose to urge, that the evil disposition which we harbour is but
small, or that it is in a manner necessary to our happiness: if it is as
dear as a right eye, or as necessary as a right hand, it must be
sacrificed. Nor is there any intermediate state, like that of purgatory,
to which small offenders can be consigned. As there is no medium between
the renunciation of sin and the allowance of it, so there is no middle
state between heaven and hell. The alternative is clear, definite,
irreversible. You cannot be “Christ’s, unless you crucify the flesh,
with the affections and lusts.”
It is worthy of observation, that our Lord does not affirm that the
retaining of a right hand or eye will ensure eternal punishment; but he
takes it for granted; he considers it as an acknowledged truth: yea,
even before the resurrection of the body had been fully revealed, he
considers that also as acknowledged; he takes for granted that the body,
as well as the soul, shall be a subject of happiness or misery in the
eternal world; and he assumes this truth as the ground of his argument.
There can be no doubt therefore but that “the whole body will be cast
into hell,” if any one member of it be made an instrument or occasion of
sin.]
2. A desirable alternative—[It may seem strange to represent such
an alternative as desirable: but it is really so: for a permission to
harbour one unmortified lust would be like a permission to drink so much
poison, or to retain one disorder preying upon our vitals. But this is
not all. Sin, if allowed any part in our affections, will strive for
mastery, and never cease, till it has attained an undisputed dominion.
It is a leprosy which will overspread the whole man; “a canker which
will eat,” till it has consumed us utterly. Is it not desirable then to
have it altogether eradicated, and to be compelled to wage incessant war
against it? Were there any other alternative allowed us, we should want
a sufficient stimulus to exertion: we should be apt to side with the
traitor, and, for the sake of present ease or gratification, to neglect
our true interests. But, when there is no other choice given us, but
either to mortify every sinful propensity, or to suffer eternal misery
in hell, we are constrained to gird ourselves to the battle, and to
“fight without intermission the good fight of faith.”]
3. A necessary alternative—[This alternative is no arbitrary
imposition to which we are subjected without necessity: it arises out of
the very nature of things. God himself could not alter it consistently
with his own perfections: he could no more give license to his creatures
to harbour sin, or decline punishing it if harboured, than he could
cease to be holy, or to have a due respect for the honour of his law.
But supposing he were to cancel this alternative, and to admit to the
regions of bliss a person who retained one bosom lust, it would be of no
avail; for heaven to such a person would not be heaven. Place a man here
at a royal banquet; set before him every thing that can please the
appetite; let him hear the sweetest melody that ever charmed the ear;
let all around him be as full of happiness as their hearts can hold;
what enjoyment of it would he have, whilst “a thorn was in his eye?” We
do not hesitate to say, that darkness and solitude would to him be far
preferable to all this gaiety and splendour. And precisely thus would it
be to one who should be admitted into heaven, whilst one unmortified sin
was yet rankling in his bosom.]
What to do under such circumstances we learn from,
II. The advice given—The advice is simply this, To mortify sin
without reserve—[It is here allowed, that the mortification of sin
is a difficult and painful work, like the destruction of an eye, or the
excision of a hand. But still it must be done. Of course, the language
of our text is not to be taken literally: the maiming of the body,
though it might incapacitate that individual member for the commission
of sin, would effect nothing towards the eradicating of sin from the
heart. We must understand the text as referring to the dispositions of
the mind, and to the things which cull forth those dispositions into
exercise. Do our connexions draw us aside from the path of duty? Are we
beguiled by their example, or intimidated by their authority? We must
learn to withstand their influence, and to submit either to their hatred
or contempt, rather than be betrayed by them into any thing that is
displeasing to God. Doubtless, we should do every thing in our power to
conciliate them; but if nothing but a dereliction of duty will satisfy
them, we must be prepared with meekness to reply, “Whether it be right
to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.” Do our interests
betray us into sin? Are we engaged in a trade which we cannot carry on
without doing things which our consciences condemn? Or have we prospects
in life which must be sacrificed, if we will follow the Lord fully?
There must be no hesitation on this point: we must pluck out the right
eye, and cut off the right hand, and “cast them from us” with
abhorrence, rather than suffer them to warp our judgment, and defile our
conscience.
Are our passions the occasions of sin? We must learn to subdue them by
fasting and prayer, and to restrain the gratification of them to the
limits which God himself has assigned. We must “mortify our members upon
earth,” and “crucify the whole body of sin.”
Let it not be said, We require too much. It is not man, but God, that
requires these things: and he has promised that “his grace shall be
sufficient for us;” so that, however the work may exceed all human
power, we need not be discouraged: we are authorized, every one of us,
to say with the Apostle, “I can do all things through Christ who
strengtheneth me.” Only “walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the
lusts of the flesh.”]
The argument with which this advice is enforced, is such as no human
being can withstand—[We have before observed, that our Lord assumes this
as an acknowledged and indisputable truth, namely, that eternal misery
in hell must be the consequence of indulging one single sin. From hence
he argues, that “it is expedient” to part with sin, rather than incur
that tremendous punishment. The pleasure of sin will surely be too
dearly purchased at such a price as this. Whatever we design to procure,
we always consider what its value is: no man would give a large estate
for a worthless insignificant bauble: nor would any man gratify his
palate with a poisonous draught, which he knew would fill him with
excruciating agony to the latest hour of his life. We grant then that
sin is pleasant, just for the moment: but will that momentary enjoyment
repay an eternity of misery, of such misery too as no imagination can
conceive? We grant too that something may be gained by sin: but can the
gain ever equal the loss that will be sustained? “If a man should gain
the whole word, what would it profit him, if by that means he lost his
own soul?”
Moreover, the pain of mortifying sin can never be compared with that
which will follow from the indulgence of it. Be it so, the mortifying of
sin is painful; but what are the sufferings of hell fire? Were the pain
of self-denial a million times greater than it is, it is but for a
moment: whereas the pains of hell are everlasting. Alas! who can think
of them, and not tremble? Who can think of them, and hesitate one moment
about the mortifying of sin? See what we do when informed that the
retaining of a limb will endanger our lives: we suffer amputation,
however painful it may be; and are glad to pay the person that will
perform the operation for us. O let us be equally wise in relation to
our souls!
From the contemplation of this argument then we most heartily concur in
our Lord’s advice: If your connexions ensnare you, renounce them; if
your interests, sacrifice them; if your passions, get them subdued and
mortified. Having your choice given you, learn, with Mary, to “choose
the better part.”]
We cannot conclude the subject without pointing out to you the
importance,
1. Of ministerial faithfulness—[It can be no pleasure to us to
speak of “hell fire,” and to alarm you with denouncing it as the portion
of so great a multitude of our fellow-creatures. But what are we to do?
What did our Lord himself do in the words before us? If we are silent,
we cannot alter God’s determinations: whether we tell you of it or not,
this is the alternative which God has given you: we cannot reverse it;
we cannot soften it; we cannot lower it to your wishes or attainments.
We may deceive and ruin you by our silence; but we cannot benefit you at
all: we shall only involve ourselves in your ruin. If indeed we have put
a wrong construction on our text, then we are blameable for alarming you
without reason: but yet, as long as we believe this to be the mind and
will of God, we must declare it: “knowing, as we do, the terrors of the
Lord, we must persuade men;” and you may at least derive this advantage
from our warnings, namely, to be stirred up to a diligent inquiry after
truth. But suppose our interpretation of the passage to be just, of what
infinite importance to you is it to be rightly informed respecting it!
How many of you may now escape the miseries of hell, who, but for this
warning, might have been subjected to them for ever! Surely then,
brethren, you are indebted to us for our fidelity. You cannot but know
that such faithfulness is the parent of contempt and obloquy. But we
would gladly endure infinitely more than ever we have endured, if only
you would take heed to our words, and flee from the wrath to come. To
all of you then we say, Be thankful for the ministry that probes you to
the quick, and that consults your benefit rather than your approbation.]
2. Of personal integrity—[Self-love inclines us always to view
ourselves more favourably than we ought. If we are conscious of some
secret evil, we excuse ourselves as much as possible, in order to
dissipate all fear of future punishment. If we hear that evil exposed,
we are rather led to contemplate it in others, than to view it in
ourselves: or if constrained to advert to our own case, we condemn the
minister, either as personal, or as too severe. But what folly is this!
If we had reason to apprehend that we had caught the plague, should we
not be anxious to ascertain the truth, in order that we might counteract
the infection, and escape its baneful effects? Why then are we not
equally solicitous to know the state of our souls before God? Why will
we shut our eyes against the light? What harm can arise from knowing
what God has said concerning us? O put not from you, brethren, the word
of life! Rather come hither, in order that you may be probed; in order
that there may be no evil in you undiscovered. Examine yourselves with
all imaginable care. Be afraid of nothing so much as being left in
ignorance, and deceiving your own souls. When we speak the severest
truths, apply them, not to others, but yourselves: take them as a light
wherewith to search your own hearts: and beg of God to aid you by his
Holy Spirit. Let David’s prayer be ever on your lips: “Search me, O God,
and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any
wicked way in me; and lead me in the way everlasting.”] (Matthew 5:29,30
The Necessity of Mortifying Every Sin)