29: If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.
30: And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.
Matthew 5: 29-30
2006-07-19 05:52:03 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Oh great! Now I can't see and I only have one hand so I can't call for help... Dang literal Bible!
2006-07-19 14:52:27 · answer #1 · answered by go_to_girl 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You're absolutely right. This is hyperbole....a term that means exaggeration, and Jesus used this to make a point.
He is saying, in essence, to take very seriously the things that tempt you to sin, and to get them out of your life at any cost.
The golden rule of interpretation is: if the most literal sense makes sense, seek no other sense. Since it's not really sensible to cut off hands or gouge out eyes (there would be alot of handless, eyeless people around)....then there must be another meaning, and there is: it's exaggeration for the purpose of making an important and serious point about sin.
2006-07-19 12:57:31 · answer #2 · answered by christian_lady_2001 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe it to be literal. God gave us a mind so that we could control our animal instincts which, although required for survival tens of thousands of years ago on a planet dominated by animals, today is just an impediment to the advancement of ourselves as individuals and as a society. If your mind is so weak that you cannot control your eye from wandering to covet your neighbor's wife, then cut it out so that your soul may be saved.
Of course the preferred option is to become a better person, use your God-given powers, and resist the animal temptations that cause sin.
2006-07-19 13:20:21 · answer #3 · answered by chris m 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well by reading this it sounds like you just became a believer and have a lot of questions!(just like me) what i think it means is that if something is making u sin, like say cards! the cards make you want to gamble a lot and you win all the time but this time you lose and you r ready to kill your self because you gambled every thing you had! well if the cards make you sin stop playing them. You should also get a new version bible its better 2 understand!
2006-07-19 14:35:11 · answer #4 · answered by Stacey 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Good Heavens no, it's not literal, though some idiots think it is. What He is saying is to curb your ability to gain power and control over others. The eye represents the ability to recognize weakness and the arm represents the strength to perform the control. This is what is called a parable, which he used to confound those who are wise in their own conceits, like atheists.
'Get_Unlost' also has a good read on this. While my explanation is more specific, his covers more ground because of its generality. Good question and answer, guys!
2006-07-19 12:59:55 · answer #5 · answered by Lonnie P 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i don't think it's literal. i think it means to remove those things in your life that influences u/motivates u to sin. for example, bad friends or a bad job...or something like u have a house but the payments are so high that u steal stuff, then it's better to get rid of that house.
2006-07-19 12:59:38 · answer #6 · answered by chloe 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What he is talking about is how severe sin is and explaining that we need to do all we can not to fall into sin.
2006-07-19 12:57:28 · answer #7 · answered by papaofgirlmegan 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
get rid of anything in your life that causes you to stumble. that means don't loopk or touch it; go to any extreme to avoid it.
2006-07-19 12:55:36 · answer #8 · answered by get_unlost 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
....IT'S NOT AN EXAGERATION...BT A DEMONSTRATION TO HOW MUCH OF A TORMENT IS HELL....
2006-07-19 13:01:33 · answer #9 · answered by Diablous 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋