“If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.” (Matthew 5:29-30, ESV)
Jesus’ second explanation of the Law dealt with that of adultery. He Indicated that adultery was a problem of the heart which was full of lust. Then He gave a prescription for dealing with temptation. He stated that if our eyes and hands cause us to sin, we should tear them from our bodies. Now, while I always prefer a literal interpretation to the allegorical, here Jesus clearly uses a metaphor.
What is it that Jesus prescribed in the area of sin? In this prescription He presented two connected aspects. The first is to avoid getting into areas of personal weakness.
Let us look at a biblical example. We must wonder how long David gazed upon Bathsheba bathing before he summoned her to his residence. Then while in she was there, he probably touched her prior to engaging in the overt sexual activity of adultery. David should have looked away while on his rooftop rather than feasting his eyes on Bathsheba. Then he would not have summoned her to his place.
In the same way, we must realize that we should seek to avoid placing ourselves in areas where we have fleshly weaknesses. We all will struggle with enough temptation in life without foolishly entering areas that will cause us to stumble. For example, in the extreme case drug addicts should not go to parties where people are using drugs. Young people with overactive hormones should not spend time alone in apartments together with one of the opposite gender.
Yet the issue is deeper. It is with the heart of a person. This deals with intent and connects with the flesh. In a sense, David’s problem was not one of the eyes when he saw Bathsheba bathing. It was in the heart. It was not an accidental glance at Bathsheba’s body but the dwelling in his heart and mind upon what he saw which took it to adultery.
Let me give this example. A doctor sees plenty of parts of others human anatomy without sinning. What is the difference between the doctor’s viewing of a naked body and David’s? It is the intent of the heart. The doctor must view the patient at times but it is not to gratify the sensual desires of the flesh. It is to help the patient. We could hardly call the doctor’s activities sin. On the other hand, David’s viewing of Bathsheba had the intent of satisfying a sensual desire, the lust of the eyes. The difference between the doctor and David is the intent of the heart.
Therefore, we have two issues. The main and underlying one is that of the intent of heart. We must ask the question, “Why am I doing this?” Why did I take that second glance at that woman? Why did I go to that party? You see the eyes and the hands function as the heart desires. We first must deal with the corruption of the heart. Only God by His grace can solve the problem of the corrupt heart. This happens at salvation. However, the struggle with the flesh lingers on. Thus, we must endeavor to live by the Spirit and not foolishly place ourselves in areas of fleshly weakness.
Renewing the Heart 