Text: Matthew 5:27-30

Lately, society has indicted men for lust and sexual misconduct. However, we as Christian women also need to take inventory of our own lives and root out our own sexual misconduct. It is not good enough to remember to sleep in our own beds with our own husbands every night. 

Jesus taught:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery’. But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27-28)

So are we off the hook as women unless we lust after other women? FALSE. We stand condemned just like the boys when we stare at handsome men in the gym or entertain our fantasies watching RomComs.

So what should we do? God has the answer–as always.

“If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell!” ((Matthew 5:29-30)

Ouch! Do we literally need to start removing our eyes and hands so that we can get to heaven? If only it were that easy. Anyone could then, as Dallas Willard put it, “roll into heaven [as a] mutilated stump” (From: Willard’s article, Jesus The Logician). Unfortunately, Jesus’ illustration challenges us to achieve a humanly impossible level of righteousness–greater even than the master legalists of the day, the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 5:20). Humbling right? Jesus wasn’t pointing us to salvation via self-mutilation; He was pointing us to trust wholly in Himself.

So the next time that we are tempted to invite another into the privacy of our lonely minds, let’s turn away from what is leading us into sin, turn towards God, and, if applicable, seek help from our husbands. Remember, marriage is not a burden, but rather, it is designed in part to ensure that both husbands and wives have their physical needs met in a godly fashion.

“Now in response to the matters you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to have relations with a woman.” But because sexual immorality is so common, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband. A husband should fulfill his marital responsibility to his wife, and likewise a wife to her husband. A wife does not have the right over her own body, but her husband does. In the same way, a husband does not have the right over his own body, but his wife does. Do not deprive one another sexually — except when you agree for a time, to devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again; otherwise, Satan may tempt you because of your lack of self-control.” (1 Corinthians 7:1-5)

Once again, God had the perfect answer.

What are your thoughts/reactions? Share your feedback in the comments section below!