Matthew
5:27-30
Jesus
Teaches about
Lust
5:27
"You have heard that it was said,
' Do not commit adultery.'
-
- 28
But I tell you that anyone who
looks at a woman lustfully has
already committed adultery
with her in his
heart.
-
- 29
If your right eye causes you
to sin, gouge it out and throw
it away. It is better for you
to lose one part of your body
than for your whole body to be
thrown into
hell.
-
30
And if your right hand causes you
to sin, cut it off and throw it
away. It is better for you to
lose one part of your body than
for your whole body to go into
hell."
-
This
is the Word of the Lord ... It
is meant to change the way
that we think, and the way
that we live.
Commentary
by Bob
Pardue
Jesus
Teaches about
Lust
- Former
President Jimmy Carter once
gave an interview about being
a "born again" Christian and
the news picked up on one
profound statement he made; "I
have sinned in my
heart."
-
- This
passage is not only about sins
of the flesh but sins of the
heart.
The Old
Testament law said that it is
wrong for a person to have sex
with someone other than his or
her spouse (Exodus 20:14). But
Jesus said that the
desire to have sex with
someone other than your spouse
is mental adultery and thus
sin.
-
- Jesus
emphasized that if the
act is wrong, then so
is the
intention.
-
- To be
faithful to your spouse with
your body but not your mind is
to break the trust so vital to
a strong marriage.
-
- Jesus
is not condemning natural
interest in the opposite sex
or even healthy sexual desire,
but the deliberate and
repeated filling of one's mind
with fantasies that would be
evil if acted out.
-
- ... (..
'the eye or the
hand)... Is Christ asking
us to gouge out our eye or cut
off our hand? Of course not.
-
- Jesus
was speaking figuratively and
is not asking you to do
yourself harm. We sometimes
tolerate sins in our lives
that, left unchecked, could
eventually destroy
us.
-
- Christ
is stating here sometimes it
is better to experience the
pain of removal (getting rid
of a bad habit or something we
treasure, for instance) than
to allow the sin to bring
judgment and condemnation.
-
- Examine
your life for anything that
causes you to sin, and take
every step you can to remove
it.
Love in
Christ
-
Bob
If you have
never made the commitment to
receive the love and
life-changing experience of Jesus
Christ, please take a moment to
go
here
and take the first
steps
to salvation.
Bob
Pardue
is a member of First
Baptist
Church
in Lancaster, SC. He is ordained
from Rich Hill Baptist in
Lancaster.
Want
to place this passage and
commentary on your website or
e-zine for
content?
This
article about Jesus and lust may
be freely reprinted or
distributed in its entirety in
any e-zine, newsletter, blog, or
website. The author's name, bio,
and website links must remain
intact and be included
with every reproduction.
Bob
Verses are from Life
Application Study Bible: New
International Version
Comments are welcome.
Please email
me with any questions
or comments you may have.
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