Category Archives: Sin

Adultery / Sex Outside Marriage, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law

Avoid Even Adulterous Thoughts

While teaching to the crowds during the Sermon on the Mount, as documented in Matthew 5:27-30, Jesus powerfully clarifies the commandment about not committing adultery to show us how high God’s standard is for us.

27 “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’[a] 28 But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 So if your eye—even your good eye[b]—causes you to lust, 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 hand—even your stronger hand[c]—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 be thrown into hell.

Jesus is not telling us to poke out our eye to overcome adultery. He is, however, clearly telling us how important it is for us to fight sinful thoughts rather than dwell on them. Do not accept lustful thoughts thinking “I am not physically committing adultery, so it is ok to think about it.” Avoid, fight or flee from lustful thoughts or situations.

There are at least two good reasons for doing so:

  • Our thoughts ultimately guide our actions. If we dwell on sinful thoughts it can lead us to sinful behaviors.
  • Even just accepting the sin in our minds, if we never act on the behavior, can have a damaging effect on our relationship with our spouse or with God.

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Adultery / Sex Outside Marriage, Creation, Free Will, Homosexual Behavior, Marriage, Sin

God Formed the Man From the Dust

Genesis 2:5-25 provides a lot of important details about God’s creation of man (and woman) that may be easy overlook. Try to avoid reading this scripture too quickly just because it is something we may think we know well. Spend time thinking about what it means… and how to apply it in your life.

When the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, 5 neither wild plants nor grains were growing on the earth. For the Lord God had not yet sent rain to water the earth, and there were no people to cultivate the soil. 6 Instead, springs[b] came up from the ground and watered all the land. 7 Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.

8 Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he placed the man he had made. 9 The Lord God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground—trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

10 A river flowed from the land of Eden, watering the garden and then dividing into four branches. 11 The first branch, called the Pishon, flowed around the entire land of Havilah, where gold is found. 12 The gold of that land is exceptionally pure; aromatic resin and onyx stone are also found there. 13 The second branch, called the Gihon, flowed around the entire land of Cush. 14 The third branch, called the Tigris, flowed east of the land of Asshur. The fourth branch is called the Euphrates.

15 The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. 16 But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— 17 except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”

18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” 19 So the Lord God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man[c] to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one. 20 He gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals. But still there was no helper just right for him.

21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs[d] and closed up the opening. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man.

23 “At last!” the man exclaimed.

“This one is bone from my bone,
    and flesh from my flesh!
She will be called ‘woman,’
    because she was taken from ‘man.’”

24 This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.

25 Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame.

Here are a few of my observations:

  • God created man and man was special in his relationship with God, above the rest of God’s creation.
  • God created a place to meet man’s physical needs… a beautiful, well watered garden.
  • God created purpose for man… to watch over the garden.
  • God gave man free will and then also gave him clear instructions on what he should do and what he should not do… and what would happen to him if he did not obey God’s instruction.
  • God created woman to be the perfect companion to man. It is clear that God intends man and woman to be husband and wife… not marriage between same sex couples. God intended it to be one man and one woman in marriage… not adultery and sexual promiscuity. God did not intend for divorce to be considered. The relationship of husband and wife is to be second only to relationship with God and should be held above prior relationships with parents or friends.
  • There was not yet any shame… thus no sin at that point. Sin came later through the decision of Adam and Eve to disobey God and eat from the tree He told them not to. God did not create sin, he gave man free will and thus created the opportunity for sin. However, without free will there is also no love or relationship.

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Anger (unrighteous anger), Grace / Forgiveness, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law

God’s Law Demands A High Standard

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Jesus explains the full measure and expectation in the law regarding “murder” in Matthew 5:21-26. He reveals exactly how high God’s standards are and reveals to those of us that are listening that we continue to fall short of those standards.

21 “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’[c] 22 But I say, if you are even angry with someone,[d] you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot,[e] you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone,[f] you are in danger of the fires of hell.[g]

23 “So if you are presenting a sacrifice[h] at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, 24 leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.

25 “When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 And if that happens, you surely won’t be free again until you have paid the last penny.[I]

Jesus commands us not to hold unrighteous anger toward others. Instead we should seek to be reconciled with them. Holding anger toward others creates bitterness and separates us from God and the joy filled life He wants us to have.

We also see in this scripture that as sinful beings we will never perfectly meet the standard of God’s law. This realization should help us to turn toward Jesus and accept His offer of grace through His death on the cross. Only in this way can we be set free from the bondage of sin.

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