LEARNING DAILY

 

Matthew 5:27-28, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’  But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”  Jesus

 

The second illustration the Lord Jesus used to teach about the law was about adultery.  The Pharisees had once again taken the letter of the law and reduced it to a particular matter; they had taken the law prohibiting adultery to the mere physical act.  They believed that as long as they did not commit the actual act of adultery the law had been kept.  Jesus did not agree and told them to look upon a woman in a lustful way was to commit adultery.

 

Sin has great power. Sin is not just about actions; it is a matter of the heart.  Lustful desires are not the same as lustful deeds.  However, Jesus made it know from a spiritual point of view, they were equivalent.   What Jesus condemns is not the sudden thought that Satan may place in a person’s mind or an improper desire that arises suddenly.  No, rather it is a wrong thought or desire that is approved by one’s will.  In other words, it is an immoral desire that would try to be fulfilled if the opportunity came up.  Jesus is talking about the heart.  Sin is the symptom of a disease and it is the disease that kills.

 

Many men and women would never consider committing the physical act of adultery but they enjoy the sinning in their mind and imagination.  This has been made very easy for modern men and women; sexual temptation is everywhere due to movies, television, literature, and the internet.  The Christian must be very careful to abstain from watching this immorality.  Jesus reminded His listeners and people today that sin begins in the heart and every action is its expression.

 

Jesus also taught something else in this illustration.  Satan does all he can to pervert what God has given His creation to enjoy.  What God has given is excellent!  Sin changes or perverts the excellent.  Man has turned good into evil by allowing God-given things to be twisted into what He never meant them to be.  The Believer’s response is to get rid of that which has become a hinderance to him.  The Lord’s instruction is very clear.  Get rid of it!  Throw away what causes you to sin.

 

There is no doubt in my mind that the Lord Jesus knows every trial and temptation each of us faces.  The doctrine of sin is not a popular or an easy subject today.  But it must be dealt with.  The doctrine of sin needs to be understood in order to understand the New Testament way of salvation.  The problem lies with the heart where sin resides.  The Son of God came to earth from heaven to suffer and die for the penalty of sin.  The New Testament is clear that a person must be born again and given a new nature – the nature of Jesus Christ.  Lloyd-Jones states, “…mankind is confronted by the holiness of God, by His demands, and, also by the consequences of sin.  It is only the man who is brought to see his guilt in this way who flies to Jesus Christ for deliverance and redemption.”

 

I am so thankful God forgives and throws our sins into the sea of forgetfulness.  Micah 7:9, “He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities.  You will cast all our sins into the depth of the sea.”  God’s mercy and grace is for each Believer.  No sin is too big for Him to forgive.  I thank Him daily for Jesus Christ who has taken the sin and the guilt of whosoever believes upon Himself at the Cross of Calvary. 

 

Be encouraged today by the work of Jesus Christ!

 

 

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