Read: Matthew 5:27-30 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. 29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Under the old covenant that God had with the children of Israel, a person was not guilty of sexual immorality, like fornication or adultery, until they performed the act. This was the basis of the poser thrown at Jesus by the scribes and Pharisees in John 8:4-5:
“They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?”
What they failed to realise was that Jesus came to establish a new covenant with mankind and not to perpetuate the old. Under the new covenant, Jesus made it clear that it is not until you sleep with someone other than your spouse that you are guilty of sexual immorality. Rather, in Matthew 5:28, He said thus:
“… Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”
This is food for thought for us who live in such times as this, where nudity and lust are glorified and glamorised by the world. This however should not be the case in the Church of Jesus Christ. When we promote the lust of the eye by allowing nudity in the Church, we expose members to sexual immorality, even if they do not actually carry out the act. A member of the choir who dresses seductively to lead praises and worship songs will not lead the congregation into the presence of God; rather, he or she will leave the congregation worse off than they were before coming to church. This is not a question of being legalistic; it is a matter of divine principle as put forth by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. We should remember that God can only be worshipped in spirit, because He is a Spirit. When we then, in the name of liberty, promote adultery and fornication through lust, are we operating in the same Spirit as the Almighty God we claimed to worship? Hear the recommendation of the Lord Christ in Matthew 5:29:
“And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.”
Based on the standard laid out in this recommendation, if a member of the Body of Christ conducts himself or herself in a way that exposes the people of God to committing sexual immorality through lust, such a fellow should be corrected in love and warned to desist. Further appropriate spiritual sanctions can be applied if the fellow does not heed this warning. Are you in any way living in sexual immorality? Repent and ask the Lord Jesus Christ to save you!
Prayer Point: Father, restrain me from becoming a stumbling block to my fellow believers in all that I do.
Bible in one year: Leviticus 6-7, Jeremiah 6:22-7:7
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