SOTM 19: The Christian Lifestyle Tension

27"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.'[a] 28But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29If 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. 30And 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."

Mt. 5:27-30
(part 3)

In the Third Century, Origen of Alexandria took this passage to heart and castrated himself. He took Jesus quite literally, believing that if a part of your body leads you into sin you should cut it off. We are at once struck by these words of Jesus and wonder what to do with them. Common sense leads us to recognize that this is hyperbole--a device whereby you exaggerate the point to drive it home. Jesus is telling us that sin is so serious and destructive that we must do whatever it takes to keep ourselves from falling into it. "Cut off your feet" really means--don't go to places that might lead you to sinful compromise. What's key to all of this is to note that the conditional nature of the phrase makes its application relative to the listener. If watching certain movies leads you to think and act in inappropriate ways, then don't go to them. If it doesn't, then there is liberty. If listening to certain music leads you down the wrong path, then don't listen to it. If it doesn't, then there is liberty. The daily Christian life is living in the tension of enjoying all of God's creation while at the same time avoiding our many perversions of it and seeking the discernment to know the difference.