The Trick of Sin

Matthew 18:7 – 9

“Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin!  Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come! ⁸If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.  It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. ⁹And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away.  It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.”   

I want to first make it clear that I do not think that Jesus was telling us to go and cut off our hand or foot or gouge our eye because we have sinned using them.  It is not our hands, feet, or eyes that causes us to sin but it is our will and the influence of the world through others actions that causes us to sin.  I am of the opinion that what Christ was telling us in these verses is to not have anything to do with people that may cause us to sin.  I say this because of the  verses previous to verse 7 where Jesus is talking about someone who causes a child to sin.  Remember, it is better for them if a millstone is tied around their neck and dropped into the sea.    And then in verse 7 He says, “woe  to this world”.  In the same way, people we hang around can influence us to do things that we should not do.  I always told my students to hang out with people that bring the best out of them not the worst.  It is so easy to fall into sin when you see others doing it.

Sin is fun until judgment.  It is deceitful and when we are around those who are seemingly having fun we seem to gravitate towards it.  Think of Adam and Eve.  When Eve took the forbidden fruit, Adam looked at her and must have thought it was okay because she was still alive.  Judgment came though when he ate of the fruit.  Sin was deceitful and caused judgment upon all those who partook of it. We don’t want to find ourselves facing judgment for the sin that we were tricked into committing and for sure we don’t want to cause others to sin. Remember, there was a consequence for the serpent that tricked Eve, there was a consequence for Eve who convinced Adam, and there was a consequence for Adam who partook.

No matter what sin you have committed we have a Lord and Savior that is here to forgive you of that sin.  As it says in Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (NIV).  But we can find forgiveness through Jesus Christ  as we see in Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (NIV)  How amazing to have a Father that forgives us!!!!!!

Our lesson today is to seek out those who are seeking to know Him with all their hearts.  Find people who have the love of Jesus within them so that they can build you up and encourage you to walk a life worthy of the calling through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila