Many moral areas in our lives appear to be gray. When Jesus
gave the sermon on the mount, he showed us that some things are
definitely not gray areas, that we must do specific things to be
holy. These things are more challenging than what the Pharisees
told people to do, and show us that we cannot possibly please God
without the help of Christ.
In Matthew 5:21-22, Jesus tells us about hatred. Now, don't get confused. Some bibles say `every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgement.' It's okay to be angry.
Anger is a normal human emotion, which needs to be expressed in a constructive fashion. What Jesus is really talking about is hatred. When we hate someone enough to want them dead. When we
feel like killing them. That is sinful. This includes human prejudice. When we hate someone because of who or what they are, it is a sin. It's sinful to hate someone for their race, gender,
religion, ethnicity or `sexual preference,' even though that doesn't mean you have to accept it or endorse it. When you intentionally insult a person, to hurt their feelings, it's a sin. Sometimes, manipulative people say you've hurt their feelings in order to get what they want, or prove they're right, but that's not what I'm addressing here. Neither am I saying that the `hurt' that someone feels from not having a yacht or some other luxury someone else has is a sin. And neither am I saying it's wrong to hurt someone's feelings if you're trying to get them to stop doing evil. But other times when you intentionally hurt someone's feelings, just to be mean, it's a sin.
Matthew 5:23-24. A sacrifice doesn't mean much if you've got hatred in your heart against someone else in the congregation. There are certain instances where you need to present an issue of conflict before the elders or the congregation, but if you can help it, make peace with your fellow believer before coming to church.
Matthew 5:25-26. Always settle out of court and befriend the
prosecution. Enough said.
Matthew 5:27-28 mentions sins related to sexuality. Every man
who looks at a woman lustfully has committed adultery with her in
his heart. Vicariously, every woman who looks at a man lustfully
has committed adultery with him in her heart. This means that
looking at pornography is sinful, regardless of the media type
(magazine, video, internet, whatever). This verse also applies to
strip clubs and other forms of `adult entertainment.' In fact, can
apply to any person you see and feel tempted to look at lustfully.
Adultery is a sin, even if in your heart.
Matthew 5:29-30 tells us that we should cast away the things that
tempt us to sin, even if they are parts of our bodies, if you feel
that desperate. A blind person wouldn't have to worry about Matthew
5:27-28. On a less severe note, if you have problems with internet
porn, cancel your internet service, get your friends' paper mailing
addresses and use the postal service instead. If you're not
subscribed to the Playboy channel(or whatever), you won't be tempted
to look at it. If something tempts you to sin, get rid of it.
Dear Father in heaven, I am a sinner. I often follow the letter of your commandments, but not the spirit of your commandments. Again, I have fallen short of your glory. Please forgive me for my faults in the name of your Son. Help me to turn away from evil and obey you with my whole being. I pray this in your Son's holy name. Amen.