Does Matthew 5:29-30 Literally Mean We Should Gouge Out Our Eyes If They Cause Us to Sin?

welcome to real truth real quick my name is Adam torno joined as always by Todd Wagner hello Adam hello friends Todd question is this does Matthew 5:29 through 30 literally mean we should gouge out our eyes if they cause us to sin we were gonna be so irreverent when you first told me this you know I mean it was gonna have my arm like this and go well you know what I think what no it doesn't that's right right and so this is so important and because you want to take you want to interpret the Bible not literally you want to put the Bible correctly yeah and there are times when you have different forms of speech that you want to make sure that you don't go do exactly what it says because that would be an incorrect application of the literal meaning of the text that's right right so here we have a form of speech which we believe is hyperbolic which is Jesus speaking in strong exaggerated terms for the purpose of making a point yes this comes right after where he just got through talking about just Jesus's intention with the law the law is a really serious thing you want to make sure you fulfill it and so he just got through saying hey you've heard it said you shouldn't murder but I tell you if you look at your brother with enmity in your heart you think he's a fool you call him a fool he goes that's murderous hmm shouldn't do it and then he says listen you've heard of said you shouldn't commit adultery but I say to you if you look at a woman with lust in your heart that you've committed adultery and so like all of a sudden everybody's like wow whoa okay so I haven't literally slept with a woman that's not my wife being married or I haven't literally killed somebody but Jesus just said I'm a violator that one of the Big Ten mm-hmm and then he just comes back and he says that's right and you guys need to understand the righteousness of God that's the entire purpose of the Sermon on the Mount yeah right what true holiness is and what Jesus is trying to tell you is how you do whatever it takes to get yourself reconciled to God and in effect what he's just saying is you guys who say that you're committed to righteousness you don't even know what righteous does this but if you were really committed to righteousness and you knew what what adultery was and you're I was the reason you committed adultery then you get rid of your eye because the very end of the little text right here in verse 30 he says because you undo everything you can here's the key to keep your whole body from going to hell yeah okay Adam you're not gonna go to heaven if you cut your hand off pluck your eyes out because you know that you're an adulterer right you go to heaven because you understand that unless God and His grace makes provision for you through the perfect provision of his glorious son on a cross for you that God made him who knew no sin to become sin on your behalf that you might become the righteousness of God at him until you understand that the wages of your sin is death and you have no hope apart from Christ I don't care what you do in terms of what's called asceticism or self flagellation that's not going to get you to have and here's why okay in mark chapter 7 there's another conversation going on let me just kind of read some of these passages to you right here in mark 7 starting in verse you know 20 Jesus talking and he says look the problem is not what you're doing the problem is who you are right sin that proceeds out of a man that's what defiles the man it's not what he does he does what he does because of who he is he says in verse 21 for from within out of the heart of men that's where evil comes evil thoughts fornications thefts murders adulteries that's what the scripture says in mark chapter 7 is the problem right deeds of coveting and wickedness deceit all that he just goes through watch here's the key verse 23 all these things recede from within and they defile a man so you can pluck out your eye you can cut off your hand you can beat yourself on the back until you bleed and that's not gonna make your righteous in God's eyes right alright there is none that does good there's none that pursues righteousness it's the psalmist says and Paul quotes in Romans chapter 3 and and the wages of our sin is death so here's the hope right that God made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God am but that being said let's take seriously the war we must declare against sin yeah all right make war I mean the mortification of the flesh is what the theologians who talk about what we should do we should be continually dying to ourselves so that he may live right that's what Jesus says if anyone wishes to come after me that I'm taking miss cross to deny himself and follow me what Jesus doing the years hyperbolically those saying if you get to heaven by plucking you're out it'd be worth it yeah but that's not what's gonna do it because sin comes from within so no you should not literally cut your eyes up I'll tell you what you should cut your eyes away from things that make you lust yes okay job talks about that rice has I've made a covenant with my eyes that I may not sin against the Lord so be careful little eyes what you see be careful little hands what they're doing in every which way the life which you now live in the flesh with your eyes with your hands live by faith Paul says in Galatians chapter 2 verse 20 that the love of God might make itself manifest and known through you but been praised God that we don't get to heaven by chopping off the things that causes trouble or we'd have to pluck our own heart out yeah okay and that's not what Jesus has us to he has us give our heart to him and receive His grace I like that really good answer Todd thank you so much be sure to look at those show notes for other helpful resources thank you so much for watching and we'll talk to you again next week hey friends thanks for watching that episode of real truth real quick where I try and give answers to life leadership in the world we live in we love doing this because it's a great way to push forward biblical truth and equip the Saints hey do us a favor and subscribe to our channel which you can do by hitting up YouTube or just hit the link in the show notes below

Channel: Real Truth. Real Quick.

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Id: Y29EPWo3LA8

Length: 5min 57sec (357 seconds)

Published: Mon Feb 24 2020