01.06.2021

Does Jesus literally means we should pluck out our eyes when someone is addicted to lustful looking or pornography?

Preamble:
Matthew 18:9 “And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire”.
Question:
Does Jesus literally means we should pluck out our eyes when someone is addicted to lustful looking or pornography?
Bible passages: 
Matthew 18:9, Matthew 5:26-27, Psalm 51, Romans 6, 1Corinthians 10:13.
Discussion:
This is one of the controversial questions that might come up for discussion. Jesus used the analogy of an eye in Matthew 18:9 to show the seriousness of the topic.
Jesus intensified on the importance of being His followers and informed us that the determination of following Him comes with a sacrifice.

The sacrifice to make might be:
getting rid of addiction - pornography, adultery, fornication or other forms of lustful desires.
getting rid of some friends or access to certain things that feeds one’s sinful nature.
Matthew 5:27-28 tells us that sin starts from the heart.
God wants us to be willing to do something about what could lead us to sin. Action to take could include:
1. Acknowledgement that there is a problem;
2. Identify what causes one to sin;
3. Understand one’s weakness;
4. Learn the devises that leads to sin;
5. Identify the pattern or ways that you could easily fall into sin or temptation
6. Make effort, take steps of saying “no” to sin.

In conclusion:
When we are led by the Spirit; the Spirit will give us or show us the way out. John 16:13-14
“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come”.

Praise God