Thoughts of a Pastor-Historian

The greatest threat to marriage in America today is not the push for homosexual marriage, but rather the current ease with which a married couple can get a divorce. The greatest attack on marriage was not the decision of the Massachusetts Supreme Court in 2003 that the state’s law banning same-sex marriages was unconstitutional. Instead the greatest attack on marriage as instituted and legislated by God was in 1969 when then California Governor Ronald Reagan signed the nation’s first no-fault divorce law. These laws are now on the books in all fifty states.

Robert L. Plunker, a practicing attorney who is vice dean of the Southern California Institute of Law and an adjunct professor of the University of LaVerne School of Law, wrote about the harmful effects caused by the rise of “no-fault” divorce laws:

This was the abolition of marriage. Whatever words were used in the ceremony, weddings ceased to be occasions where a man and woman mutually engaged to live their whole lives together as husband and wife. They became occasions where a man and woman agreed to call themselves husband and wife until one of them decided otherwise. . . .

The wedding vow had devolved from being the most serious and solemn oath a typical person ever made into being less than a contract. An oral contract made with a 2-year-old is more binding than the contract of marriage; it at least binds one party, the adult. A marriage contract is binding on no one. If [a Hollywood actress] says “OK” when asked by a producer if she will star in a movie and then backs out, she has made herself liable for millions of dollars in damages. If she solemnly swears in church to love, honor, and, forsaking all others, keep only unto that producer till death them do part, she is free to break that promise at any time without penalty.     National Review, “Vow for Now” May 29, 1995

Our nation’s divorce laws are a clear example, along with legalized abortion, that just because something is legal does not mean that it is biblical!

In this morning’s text, Jesus follows up His authoritative teaching on lust with an equally authoritative teaching on divorce. Here Jesus stakes his position in a current debate of His day and exalts the definition of marriage.

Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’  32 “But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.”  Matthew 5:31-32

A First Century Debate

Jesus begins in verse 31 by reminding His hearers of what others are saying about the issue of divorce. The statement “Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.” was the accepted interpretation of Moses’ instructions found in Deuteronomy 24:1-4. There Moses states,

When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, 2 when she has departed from his house, and goes and becomes another man’s wife, 3 if the latter husband detests her and writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her as his wife, 4 then her former husband who divorced her must not take her back to be his wife after she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the LORD, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.

The point here is clearly to protect the rights of the woman who could be put away easily. Moses does not condone divorce but offers protection to those who might be involved in a divorce. This legislation is actually a discouragement to a man’s divorcing of his wife because it basically says, “You had better think twice before you send your wife away, because you can’t take her back!” Thus, we see that in this text divorce is neither commanded nor condemned, only controlled.

But a very different interpretation of these verses held sway among first century Jews. They viewed Moses as here commanding men to divorce their wives if they found “some uncleanness in her.” The only debate was in regard to the meaning of “some uncleanness in her.” In the first century there was a debate between two schools of thought in regard to the meaning of this phrase. Some Pharisees, called “the school of Hillel,” interpreted the phrase to mean “any good cause” which included the burning of food or seeing a prettier woman than your wife. This was the majority view in Jesus’ day. Other Pharisees, “the school of Shammai,” interpreted the phrase as only referring to marital infidelity. Both schools believe that remarriage was permitted if a person was divorced.

This debate provides the context for not only Matthew 5:31-32, but also for the most extended teaching by Jesus on the topic of marriage and divorce found in Matthew 19:3-12. This teaching opportunity came as a response to the Pharisees’ question: “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?” (Matthew 19:3). Jesus began his answer with a reference to the Genesis account of creation. The institution of marriage is grounded in the act of the Creator Himself. See Genesis 2:21-24.

And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. 23 And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.” 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

After establishing this high view of marriage, Jesus (in response to another question) explains the allowance contained in the Mosaic law for divorce. Moses “permitted” (Matt 19:8), but did not “command” (Matt 19:7) divorce. Here Jesus is correcting the Pharisees misreading of Deuteronomy 24:1-4. Moses did not command you to divorce your wives, but permitted you to do so because of the hardness of your hearts. Scripture no where commands divorce. As we’ll see, there are places where it is allowed, but it is never commanded. Instead, Scripture recognizes that divorce exists in a fallen world, and provides legislation to regulate it. That’s all that Moses is doing in Deuteronomy 24:1-4.

After correcting the Pharisees misreading of Moses, Jesus is now ready to address their wrong interpretation of the phrase “some uncleanness in her.” According to Jesus, this phrase does not refer to any and everything unpleasant, but specifically to an act of sexual immorality(porneia). Jesus agreed with the Shammai school which acknowledged only infidelity as the proper ground for divorce.

This brings us back to Matthew 5:31-32. Now we can understand Jesus’ teaching in these verses in light of the debate of His day. Jesus plainly states here that divorce equals adultery. Therefore, the one who divorces, or marries a divorcee, is guilty in God’s eyes of the sin of adultery. That’s plain speak, but it is what the King has said.

An Exception
There is however, an exception. Where an act of sexual immorality has been committed by one of the marriage partners, divorce and remarriage are permitted without the penalty of the sin of adultery. Bible commentator Craig Blomberg has written,

Ancient Jews (like Greeks and Romans) almost universally agreed that lawful divorce granted a person the right to remarry. So Jesus’ words would almost certainly have been taken as permission for remarriage when divorce was permitted, i.e., after marital unfaithfulness. In other cases divorce causes adultery. (Matthew, NAC)

Thus, the exception clause applies to both divorce and remarriage of the innocent party in a marriage in which the other party was guilty of infidelity. There are some who allow for no remarriage, but they have a stricter view than Jesus who permits it, if the divorce was obtained for the reason of infidelity.

Are There Other Exceptions?
Jesus is responding to a specific issue in His day in Matthew 5:31-32 and 19:3-12. The apostle Paul responds to a different issue in 1 Corinthians 7. Paul follows the teaching of Jesus in regard to divorce. In verse seven, a direct reference is made to the teaching of Jesus: “Let not the wife depart from her husband.” This mirrors the statements found in both Matthew 5:32 and 19:9 where Jesus condemns all divorce as adultery, except that which is the result of “sexual immorality”. Paul’s view is clearly dependent upon the teaching of Jesus in this regard.

The apostle, however, goes beyond the teaching of Jesus by adding a second exception to the general law prohibiting divorce. Jesus prohibited divorce except when sexual immorality had occurred. Paul must contend with a new dilemma, believers who have unbelieving spouses. This was clearly not an issue before the establishment of the church. But with the rise of Christianity among the Gentiles, this situation does become an issue. The apostle is clear that he is speaking, but not Jesus. In other words, Paul is no longer referring to the explicit teaching of Jesus. John MacArthur comments, “This is not a denial of inspiration or an indication that Paul is only giving his own human opinion. It is only to say that God had not given any previous revelation on the subject, but Paul was now setting it forth” (1 Corinthians, 166). Paul’s new revelation is found in 1 Corinthians 7:15, “But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases.” This second exception allows divorce in cases where an unbelieving spouse departs from his/her believing spouse.

This begs the question, does the Scripture allow remarriage in the two cases where divorce is permitted? Not only does the apostle Paul argue that a woman is “free” from the law of marriage when her husband dies in Romans 7:3, he also encourages remarriage in the case of the younger widows in 1 Timothy 5:14. The same terminology of being bound and free found in Romans 7:1-3 is also found in Paul’s discussion of those believers from whom unbelievers have departed. The deserted believer is said to be “not under bondage in such cases” (1 Cor 7:15). If the widow is not only free but encouraged to remarry, is the deserted believer any less free to remarry since the same terminology is used to refer to the status of each? The teaching of both Jesus and Paul appear to be clear. Where divorce is permitted, remarriage is assumed. The terminology “not under bondage” (1 Cor 7:15) “alludes to the wording of Jewish divorce documents, which told the woman, ‘You are free to remarry any man”. To be “bound” meant one was still married by law, to be “free” meant one was able to remarry legally. Another clue that this is Paul’s meaning in 1 Corinthians 7 is the fact that a “loosed” person is classified in the same category as a virgin who has never married in verses 27 and 28. Neither person has sinned if they marry. Therefore, remarriage is permitted in three cases: death of spouse, sexual immorality by spouse, and desertion by an unbeliever. I would also include a physically abusive spouse in the category of desertion. But there are no biblical categories for incompatibility, unhappiness, or no longer being “in love.” Those are not biblical grounds for divorce and all such divorces are viewed by God as an act of adultery and the marriage of one divorced for such reasons is also viewed as an act of adultery.

Application and Summary
Let me first summarize the Bible’s teaching on divorce and then provide some closing words of application.

• No Divorce is Natural

God’s original design of marriage is for one man and one woman for one lifetime. Anything other than that is less than ideal. Although not every divorce is sinful (for the innocent party), all divorces are a result of sin being in the world.

• Some Divorces are Allowable

I believe Scripture is clear that in cases of infidelity and desertion by an unbeliever, the innocent part is free to divorce and remarry. These exception clauses are not excuses to get out of a difficult marriage, but rather refer to a person whose marriage has ended through no fault of their own and against their will.

• All Divorce is Forgivable

Divorce and remarriage are not unpardonable sins. There is no sin that cannot be forgiven through faith in Jesus Christ, not even the sin of adultery! If you have experienced an unbiblical divorce, there is forgiveness for you. Confess yourself to be a sinner to God. Trust in what Christ has accomplished for you by dying on the cross and rising from the dead. Be encouraged by the words of the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11,

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

And in the words of Jesus to the woman caught in adultery in John 8:11, “Go and sin no more.”

Now for some application:

• To those who have never married

Marriage is a serious matter and should be approached as such. When you marry you are making a lifelong commitment that cannot be broken without violating God’s holy law. No matter what our society says, you don’t have the option of trying out a few until you find the “right one”.

• To the previously married

If you are the innocent party in a divorce that occurred for the biblical grounds discussed already, then you are free to remarry, “but only in the Lord.” That is only to a believer. “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers.” (2 Corinthians 6:14)

If you are one who was divorced for unbiblical reasons, or were the guilty party in a biblical divorce, your sins can be forgiven, but you are not free to remarry. That would constitute an additional act of adultery. Remember the words of Hebrews 10:26-27,

For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.

• To the currently married (both undivorced and previously divorced)

Stay married! Work out your difficulties. Get counsel from a godly person who will tell you the truth of God’s Word. Don’t allow divorce to ever become an option. One survey a few years ago stated that Baptists have the highest divorce rate of any Christian denomination and are more likely to get a divorce than atheists and agnostics. Brothers and Sisters, this should not be so! The world will never listen to the church on the issue of same sex marriage, when we have such obvious lack of reverence for the institution of marriage ourselves.

Dr. Albert Mohler has written:

Where are our pastors on the question of divorce? Why are so many pulpits silent on this issue? The obvious answer is fear and intimidation. Divorce has become so common that many Christian leaders fear creating a tidal wave of offense and resentment if they deal honestly with the issue–or address it at all. Accordingly, successive generations of Christians have now grown to adulthood believing that divorce is simply a lifestyle option. Where is the recognition that divorce is an affront to the glory of God and a sin that is expressly described in the Bible as an evil that God hates?

Without clear leadership from the pulpit, the issue of divorce has simply fallen through the cracks of church life, and many congregations effectively ignore divorce in their midst, as well as all the tragedy and brokenness that follow. In so doing, the Christian church has become complicit with the divorce culture and will bear God’s judgment for its failure of nerve.

We need a recovery of courage and candor on the issue of divorce–and in a hurry. . . . Divorce is the greatest threat to the family in our times. We cannot expect this society to take us seriously as defenders of marriage if we are not the enemies of divorce.  From AlbertMohler.com

In Matthew 5:31-32, Jesus is the enemy of divorce. If we are to be faithful followers of Him today, we must be too!

Filed under: Expositions, Matthew | 4 Comments »

In the year 2006, the porn industry revenue in the United States was $13.3 billion. That is bigger than the revenues of the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball combined. Other statistics regarding the viewing of pornography are alarming. During the year of 2006, there were 72 million unique visitors to adult websites every month. Hollywood releases 11,000 adult movies a year, over 20 times the number of regular releases. (Source).  Not to mention the millions of suggestive material which is viewed on primetime on the major networks in homes all across America every night. Sex is being used to sale and Americans are buying it. When we understand that a look can lead to lust and lust leads to lewdness, no wonder the marriages in our country are in the shape that they are in!

In this morning’s text Jesus continues to assert his own unique authority to make, interpret, and enforce God’s laws. Jesus here raises the bar by asserting that the one who has the internal attitude of lust is as guilty before God as the one who commits the physical act of adultery.

You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. Matthew 5:27-30

I. Exposition: What They Heard, v. 27.
As in verses 21-26, Jesus begins by asserting what the people have heard from their teachers of the law. It is the exact words of the seventh commandment found in Exodus 20:14, “You shall not commit adultery.” This was rightly interpreted by the Jewish teachers of the law as referring to a sexual act by a married person with someone other than his or her spouse. This is adultery and is forbidden by God in both the Old and New Testaments. Paul says in Romans 13:9-10,

For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

They had heard correctly, but Jesus has more to say.

II. Explanation: What Jesus Says, v. 28.
In this case, as well as in the previous one dealing with murder, Jesus doesn’t refute what they have heard. Instead He raises the bar by informing his male hearers that if they had desired to have sex with a woman who was not their wife, they were guilty of adultery within their hearts. Here Jesus seems to take the interpretation of the neglected tenth commandment on covetousness and saying that it is equal importance with the prohibition against adultery. In Jewish life, the tenth commandment had been minimized because it is impossible to enforce by men since it involves an attitude of the heart which only God knows. Therefore, while the commandments against the outward and more easily observable acts of murder, adultery, stealing and lying were prominently discussed, the issue of covetousness was largely neglected. But Jesus says that if you have the internal attitude of coveting your neighbor’s wife, then you are guilty of the external act of adultery.

“Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has committed adultery with her in his heart.” Jesus is here describing the man who is looking at a woman for the express purpose of lusting for her. In Josh Harris’ book Not Even a Hint, he defines lust as “craving sexually what God has forbidden.” To lust is to want what you don’t have and weren’t meant to have. There is nothing wrong about sexual desire in and of itself in its proper place. God created us as human beings with sexual attraction that is to be expressed within the confines of marriage between a man and a woman. Sexual desire is a good thing, a gift from God. But like all of God’s gifts it can be misused and abused. That’s what lust does to sexual desire. John Piper has said that, “Lust is a sexual desire minus honor and holiness.”

Lust has always been a problem for men, but it is increasingly a problem in our modern image crazy society. Women dress more provocatively than ever before. There are more sexually suggestive billboards, tv and movie scenes, magazines, advertisements and internet sites than ever before. It is harder than ever to obey this command by Christ to not lust. But it is a command by Christ! Jesus begins this verse with His authoritative, “But I say to you . . .” As the Divine Messianic King he equates the punishment for lusting with that of adultery, which was death! Jesus is here saying that lust deserves the death penalty! But it is even more serious than that, because in the next two verses we see that the penalty in view is nothing less than hell itself! Individuals given over to the sin of lusting go to hell! This is a serious matter indeed!

I’ve often heard women naively/stupidly say of their husbands, “They can look, but they had better not touch.” That is not only contradictory to what Jesus says, but it is extremely foolish! A lustful look leads to temptation to touch! James 1:14-15 states,

But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. (KJV)

In Job 31:1 Job said “I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman?” Have you made a covenant with your eyes? Why then do you look with lust upon a woman? Jesus said, “Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”! Don’t commit heart adultery by looking with lust!

Excursus: To the Women
Most of this sermon has been addressed to the men, because men seem to struggle more in the area of lust because of visual stimulation through the eyes. But many women are also guilty of the same kind of sin when they are constantly checking out the cute guy, daydreaming about some movie star, watching a filthy soap opera, or reading a racy romance novel. In this image crazy world, women too must be on guard against looking upon men with lust! The same warning issued by Jesus to the men applies to you as well!

Another source of application for women is to be cautious about the way that you dress. This is the issue of modesty which Christian women are called to. It does not involve a certain type of clothes, but the motive the heart. Do you dress the way you do in order to be pleasing in the eyes of God or to make you pleasing in the eyes of men?

This is something that we need to be teaching our daughters from their earliest ages. If we wait till their teenagers the battle may already be lost. The world is targeting your children with their marketing. For example, Target carries a line of clothing called “Xhilaration” that is targeted to girls as young as 6 years old and contains this label: “There are no rules. Whether you choose to dress crazy or dress to thrill – make a statement, make a scene, wear what you want and it won’t be wrong.”  (Source: Mary Mohler’s Modeling Modesty).

There could be no greater summary than the world’s philosophy than this. But the Scriptures offer a very different perspective:

1 Timothy 2:9-10 In like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, 10 but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works.

1 Peter 3:3-4 Do not let your adornment be merely outward — arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel — 4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.

Richard Baxter, the great Puritan pastor, said to women, “And you must not lay a stumbling block in their way, nor blow of the fire of their lust, nor make your ornaments snares but you must walk among sinful persons as you would do with a candle among straw or gunpowder, or else you may see the flame which you would not foresee, when it is too late to quench it.”

Here are some questions to ask yourself about your heart’s attitude (adapted from Modesty Heart Check):

• What statement do my clothes make about my heart?
• In choosing what clothes to wear today, whose attention do I desire and whose approval do I crave? Am I seeking to please God or impress others?
• Who am I trying to identify with through my dress? Is the Word of God my standard or is it the latest fashion?

There is a difference between dressing attractively and dressing to attract. Learn that difference and avoid dressing in order to incite lust in the men around you. At the very least you owe this responsibility to your brothers in Christ who are struggling to keep their thoughts pure. This is a responsibility that every Christians woman and girl should take seriously. Men have a responsibility not to lust, but the way you dress can either be a help or a hindrance to that end.

This is an application for women today, but what is the application which Jesus Himself gave to His teaching on lust? For the answer to this question we must look again at our text in verses 29-30.

III. What We Are to Do: Application, vv. 29-30.
Jesus application of this text in verses 29-30 is both direct and drastic. He begins with the problem of the eye and moves to the problem of the hand. This highlights the progression from looking to touching which I mentioned earlier. If your right eye causes you to sin, stick in a spoon and pop it out of its socket and hurl it as far from you as possible! If you right hand causes you to sin, take an axe and chop it off and with your left hand throw it as far from you as you possibly can! These drastic measures speak of the serious nature of the sin of lust. The look of lust is that dangerous, so dangerous that these actions are reasonable responses.

The phrase translated “causes you to sin” translates the Greek word scandalizei which has the idea of “causing to stumble.” It is the word from which we get the English word “scandal.” It has the idea of being stuck in a trap which springs and closes when an animal touches it. That idea is passed down to us today when we speak of a prominent individual being “caught in a scandal”. The meaning is this: If your right eye or right hand is a cause for you to stumble or become ensnared in a trap of sin, it is far better for you to pull the eye out or chop off the hand than to be dragged down by your sin into the pit of hell!

Is Jesus calling on people to literally gouge out their eyes or amputate their limbs? The early church father Origen thought so and castrated himself. It’s interesting that Origen is known today as the father of the allegorical method of interpreting Scripture. I can understand why he began to interpret Scripture allegorically when we think of where a literal interpretation led him.

I don’t think Jesus is calling on people to mutilate their bodies. Self-mutilation is not a cure for the problem of lust. Blind people and amputees can still struggle with the heart problem of lust. Jesus point here is that desperate situations call for drastic measures!

Each of us have the choice of either being like Joseph or David when temptation comes. Joseph ran away from Potiphar’s wife, leaving behind his coat in his haste. David stood on his rooftop and gazed with lust upon Bathsheba who was bathing.

To pluck out our right eye and cut off our right hand means to act drastically to prevent temptation. Paul tells us in Romans 13:14 to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” We know what leads to lust and we must take action to prevent us from arriving at that point. Richard Baxter wrote, “Keep as far as you can from those temptations that feed and strengthen the sins which you would overcome. Lay siege on your sins, and starve them out, by keeping away the food and fuel which is their maintenance and life.”

Job made a covenant with his eyes. We need to make a covenant with our eyes! The psalmist David learned his lesson from the incident with Bathsheba and proclaimed, “I will set no wicked thing before my eyes.” (Psalm 101:3). There are certain times (late at night or when alone), certain places (business trip, hotel room, certain streets, etc.), certain television programs, certain books, newspapers and magazines, and certain internet siteswhich must be avoided if we are to avoid the problem of lust in our world today. I was talking to someone about this text this week and they noted how that it is almost impossible not to see scantily clad people in our world today. There are billboards everywhere. Every magazine has advertisements using men’s propensity to lust as a marketing tactic. Even wholesome television programs are interspersed with commercials which leave little to the imagination. People in stores or walking down the street wearing clothing that used to be reserved for the bedroom. How can a person keep a pure mind in such a world today? Stephen Arterburn, in his book Every Man’s Battle, proposes a tactic he calls “bouncing the eyes.” He says that although you can’t help seeing certain things, you can train your eyes to react to what they see in a certain way. Whenever your eyes see someone that you might be tempted to lust over, bounce your eyes away as quickly as possible. You must train your eyes to move away from such sights as quickly as you would jerk your hand away from a hot stove! Do you believe that lust is dangerous? Do you believe that it is deadly? If we really believed this, we would recoil from the sexually stimulating images that we see daily as we would from the most venomous of snakes!

A few years ago I read a news story that illustrates very well the point of Jesus’ application of His prohibition against lust. It is the story of Aron Ralston, who was a 27 year old mountain climber who was climbing in Blue John Canyon which is nearby the Canyonlands National Park in Utah. While climbing on this particular occasion, a 200 lb. boulder fell on Ralston pinning him down by his right arm. Three days later, he ran out of water. Two days later, he decided to take desperate action to save his life. He chose to amputated his right arm just below the elbow in order to escape his certain death. Ralston understood the seriousness of the situation in which he was ensnared and took drastic action to save his life.

Men and women, do you see this issue as serious as Jesus says it is? Or, are you willing to risk your soul for a look of lust?

Filed under: Expositions, Matthew | 6 Comments »