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. 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. Matthew 5:29-30 NIV
Did Jesus really say that??? If your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. That sounds a bit extreme, don’t you think? Is sin really that dangerous?
So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. Galatians 5:16-17 NIV
The desires of the flesh and the desires of the Spirit are in conflict with each other! Can you relate to what it feels like to be caught in the middle of that battle? Jesus’ words in Matthew 5 are extreme because He wants to make sure that we don’t become casualties of that war!
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21 NIV
The cost of losing the battle with sin is just too high! Do whatever it takes to be sure the Spirit has victory in your life, even if it’s as extreme as gouging out your eye, or cutting off your hand. It’s safe to say, whatever you give up will never equal what Jesus gave up for you.
After telling His disciples how much He was going to suffer for them, Jesus made these statements:
If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? Luke 9:23-25 NIV
Jesus could not have made it any clearer; if we want to follow Him, we must follow Him all the way to the cross. As He emptied Himself for us, we too must empty ourselves for Him. As He gave up His life by the Father’s side to enter our world, we must give up our lives to enter His. We must give up everything, if that’s what it takes, to walk by the Spirit instead of gratifying the desires of the flesh, for they are in conflict with each other!
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Galatians 5:24 NIV
Our human nature makes us want everything to come easy. But let’s be honest, crucifixion is painful! It requires sacrifice, there’s just no way around that. The deeper ingrained the desires of the flesh are in your life, the more painful the process of killing them will be, yet they must go! But take consolation in this, you will never lay down anything for God, that He will not greatly reward you for.
Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!” “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.” Luke 18:28-30 NIV
Will you pick up your cross today and follow Jesus? Will you do whatever it takes?