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“Radical Steps to Purity” takes us straight to the uncompromising words of Jesus. There is nothing casual, nothing optional, nothing negotiable about what He says.
Let us look at what the Word of God says:
> “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you;
> for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish,
> than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
> And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you;
> for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish,
> than for your whole body to be cast into hell.”
> — Matthew 5:29–30 (NKJV)
And again:
> “Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body,
> but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.
> Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you,
> whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
> For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
> — 1 Corinthians 6:18–20 (NKJV)
And Paul writes:
> “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”
> — Colossians 3:2 (NIV)
>
> “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires…”
> — Colossians 3:5 (NIV)
The central theme is this:
Because of the reality of eternity and the holiness of God, the disciple of Jesus must take radical, decisive, practical measures against sin—especially sexual sin. Anything less is self-deception.
These are not suggestions. These are conditions of discipleship and pathways to freedom.
---
### a. The Setting of Matthew 5:29–30
Matthew 5 is part of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is not speaking to casual hearers only; He is defining the righteousness of the Kingdom for those who claim to follow Him.
Just before verses 29–30, He has said:
> “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.”
> — Matthew 5:27–28 (NKJV)
The religious leaders were content with external compliance: “I have not committed the physical act of adultery.”
Jesus exposes the inward reality: lustful desire cherished in the heart is already adultery before God.
Then, immediately, He moves to this severe language of tearing out the eye and cutting off the hand. He is pressing one point: sin in the inner life is so serious that anything that feeds it must be dealt with ruthlessly.
He is not preaching to atheists. He is talking to people who believe in God, who know the Scriptures, who claim to be the people of God. That is the same category many of us fall into.
### b. The Setting of 1 Corinthians 6:18–20
Corinth was a morally corrupt city. Temple prostitution, public immorality, and a culture of normalized sexual sin marked that society. Some of the believers in Corinth had been saved out of that very lifestyle (see 1 Corinthians 6:9–11).
Paul writes to a church where some are trying to justify sexual immorality under a false idea of “Christian liberty,” treating the body as insignificant. Paul answers forcefully:
Thus the command: “Flee sexual immorality.” Do not reason with it. Do not negotiate with it. Do not “manage” it. Flee.
### c. The Setting of Colossians 3:2, 3:5
In Colossians, Paul emphasizes our union with Christ:
> “For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Col. 3:3)
Because we have died with Christ and are raised with Him, we must live out in practice what is already true spiritually. “Set your minds on things above…”—that is the positive command.
Then the negative:
> “Put to death therefore whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires…” (Col. 3:5)
He is not talking about mild correction. He uses the language of execution: “Put to death.” There is no coexistence between the old sinful nature and the resurrected life of Christ.
---
Let us examine two key terms that sharpen our understanding: “stumble” and “flee / put to death.”
### a. “Causes you to stumble” – *skandalizō* (σκανδαλίζω)
In Matthew 5:29–30, the phrase “causes you to sin” or “causes you to stumble” translates the Greek skandalizō.
So, when Jesus says:
> “If your right eye causes you to stumble (skandalizō)…”
He is saying:
“If this eye has become the trigger that keeps springing the trap of sin in your life—deal with it ruthlessly.”
This is not a casual, accidental slip. It describes patterns, points of access, recurring snares that Satan uses. The lyrics echo this correctly:
> “If your right eye leads you into sin…
> If your right hand causes you to stumble…”
The eye and the hand represent avenues of temptation and instruments of action. Jesus is dealing with the source of repeated stumbling.
### b. “Flee” – *pheugō* (φεύγω)
and “Put to death” – *nekroō* (νεκρόω)
In 1 Corinthians 6:18 we read:
> “Flee (pheugō) sexual immorality…”
*Pheugō* is where we get the English “fugitive.” It means:
This is not passive. It is urgent, deliberate, decisive movement away from sin’s presence and opportunity.
In Colossians 3:5 we read:
> “Put to death (nekroō) whatever belongs to your earthly nature…”
*Nekroō* means:
It is the language of execution. Not anesthesia. Not temporary suppression. Death. Paul is saying: “Act in such a way towards your sinful impulses and opportunities that, in your practical choices, they are deprived of power.”
When you combine these words:
You have exactly what the lyrics call “radical steps to purity.”
---
### a. The Shocking Language of Jesus
> If your right eye leads you into sin
> Tear it out and throw it away
> It’s better to lose one part of your body
> Than for your whole body to be thrown into hell
Jesus uses extreme bodily imagery to make a spiritual point. We know from the rest of Scripture that He is not advocating literal mutilation (the final stanza of the lyrics captures this truth: “Jesus isn’t calling us to mutilate our frame…”).
The eye here represents the gate of perception. Much sin, especially lust, enters through the eyes:
The hand represents the instrument of action—what we do, what we touch, where we go. The principle is:
If something you look at or something you do is a repeated snare to sin, Jesus demands severe, final, costly removal of that thing.
He sets this in the light of eternity:
> “It is better… than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.”
The Greek word for hell here is Gehenna, the place of final judgment. Jesus is saying:
Eternal destiny is more important than temporal convenience, pleasure, or reputation. Any cost in this life is small compared with the horror of eternal separation from God.
The lyrics rightly echo this:
> “The cost is eternal, the danger is real
> So hate sin enough to cut off what steals”
This is the biblical order:
### b. The Unique Seriousness of Sexual Sin
> Run from sexual immorality
> Every other sin a person commits is outside the body
> But this one sins against your own body
> Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you
> Honor God with your body, keep it pure and clean
> Flee the temptation—don’t linger near the flame
This stanza is a direct paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 6:18–20. Paul distinguishes sexual sin from other forms:
Why is this? Because sexual sin touches the deepest levels of our personhood:
Our body is not just flesh and bones. For the believer, it is:
> “a temple of the Holy Spirit… you are not your own… you were bought at a price.”
Sexual immorality is therefore:
The line “don’t linger near the flame” is exactly the opposite of what many Christians try to do. We ask: “How close can I get to the line and still be safe?” Paul says: “Flee.” Remove yourself from the environment in which the flame can ignite you.
This is spiritual warfare. Lust is not just a psychological issue. It is a battlefield where demonic powers operate through images, memories, and atmospheres to enslave.
Scripture confirms this:
Sexual lust is one of the primary avenues through which these spiritual forces attack believers.
### c. The Battle of the Mind and the “Earthly Nature”
> Set your mind on things above, not earthly desires
> Put to death whatever belongs to your sinful nature
> Lust, impurity, evil passions in your heart
> Take every thought captive, make it obey Christ
> Guard your eyes, guard your heart, stay on the narrow way
> Radical steps for a life that’s set apart
Here we see two sides of the same coin:
1. Set your mind on things above (Colossians 3:2).
2. Put to death the earthly nature (Colossians 3:5).
Purity is not achieved by repression alone. It requires a new focus. We are not merely turning from something; we are turning to Someone.
“Set your mind” means:
Then: “Put to death” whatever belongs to the sinful nature—specifically named: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires. This is not vague. Scripture puts clear labels on what must die.
The line “Take every thought captive, make it obey Christ” quotes 2 Corinthians 10:5:
> “…bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”
This is warfare language. Thoughts do not just “happen.” They can be:
Guarding the eyes and heart (Proverbs 4:23, Matthew 6:22–23) is how we stay on “the narrow way” (Matthew 7:13–14). Radical holiness is the lifestyle of those who know they are set apart—that is the meaning of “holy.”
### d. The Nature of “Radical Steps”
> Jesus isn’t calling us to mutilate our frame
> He’s showing how deadly sin truly became
> The cost is eternal, the danger is real
> So hate sin enough to cut off what steals
> By His Spirit and grace we can walk in the light
> Turn away, run to Him—He gives power to fight
This stanza makes an essential clarification:
We must understand:
1. Sin is deadly. “The wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23).
2. The danger is real. Many professing believers will hear, “I never knew you.” (Matthew 7:21–23).
3. We must come to a place where we hate sin—not just fear its consequences, but hate its nature.
Psalm 97:10 says:
> “You who love the LORD, hate evil!”
Proverbs 8:13:
> “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil…”
You cannot love God and be neutral toward evil. You will either hate sin or eventually accommodate it.
Yet we are not left to our own power. “By His Spirit and grace we can walk in the light” (Galatians 5:16–17; Romans 8:13). The Holy Spirit is:
> “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”
> — Romans 8:13
Notice again: *“put to death”*—the same concept as Colossians 3:5—but here, “by the Spirit.”
### e. The Cost and Reward of Radical Obedience
> Take drastic measures to keep your soul safe
> Remove what tempts you, no matter the ache
> Eternity’s weight far outweighs the cost
> Choose holiness now—whatever is lost
> He’ll give you strength to live pure and free
This is the essence of discipleship. Jesus said:
> “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”
> — Matthew 16:24
Denying self will “ache.” Cutting off cherished habits, relationships, or sources of pleasure may feel like losing a part of yourself. But the lyrics rightly introduce the perspective of eternity:
> “Eternity’s weight far outweighs the cost.”
Paul says exactly this:
> “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory…”
> — 2 Corinthians 4:17
Whatever is lost in the pursuit of purity is temporary. What is gained is eternal. There is also a present reward:
“He’ll give you strength to live pure and free.” This is not human moralism. It is grace-enabled holiness. God does not call us to radical purity and then leave us powerless. He supplies:
---
Let us move from doctrine to practice. How do we actually take “radical steps to purity”?
### Step 1: Identify and Renounce the Triggers (*skandalon*)
First, we must identify what “right eyes” and “right hands” in our lives cause us to stumble.
For many today this includes:
Ask the Holy Spirit:
> “Lord, show me what in my life has become a snare, a trigger, a trap.”
Then renounce them as enemies of your soul. Call them what they are: not neutral “preferences,” but “occasions of sin.”
### Step 2: Cut Off and Cast Away (Radical Removal)
Second, we must take decisive action. The language of Jesus is: “tear it out… throw it away… cut it off… cast it from you.”
That may mean:
If your smartphone is your “right eye,” then you must be prepared—figuratively—to “tear it out.” That may mean turning a smartphone into a dumb phone. If the cost seems too high, remember Jesus’ words: “It is better for you to lose one part…”
You will not be delivered while secretly protecting your idols. Radical purity requires radical obedience.
### Step 3: Flee and Replace
Third, you must learn to flee and replace.
For example:
You cannot empty your mind and leave it vacant. Jesus warned that an empty house invites a worse invasion (Matthew 12:43–45). You must fill your inner life with “things above.”
### Step 4: Live as a Temple and Walk in the Spirit
Fourth, cultivate a daily awareness: “My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.”
Speak to yourself:
Invite the Holy Spirit to rule in every room of His temple. When temptation comes, say:
> “Holy Spirit, this is Your body. I yield my members to You as instruments of righteousness.” (see Romans 6:13).
And:
Freedom is not a moment only. It is a walk. “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16).
---
### Proclamation
Speak this aloud, deliberately, as an act of faith and consecration:
> I confess that Jesus Christ is my Lord.
> My body does not belong to me; I was bought with a price—
> the precious blood of Jesus.
> My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.
> Therefore I choose to glorify God in my body and in my spirit.
>
> In the name of Jesus, I renounce every form of sexual immorality,
> every impure habit, every secret sin.
> I refuse to make provision for the flesh.
>
> I choose to set my mind on things above, not on earthly things.
> By the Spirit of God I put to death whatever belongs to my earthly nature:
> sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires.
>
> I declare that I will not linger near the flame of temptation.
> I will flee from sexual immorality.
> I will guard my eyes and guard my heart.
>
> What causes me to stumble I will cut off.
> What draws me into sin I will cast away.
> I accept the cost of radical obedience
> because I value eternal life above temporary pleasure.
>
> By the grace of God, I am called to be holy.
> By the power of the Holy Spirit, I can walk in purity.
> I am set apart for God, and I will live as His holy temple.
> In Jesus’ name. Amen.
### Prayer
Father, in the name of Jesus, I bring before You every person who reads this teaching. You see the battles. You see the secret struggles. You see the chains that no one else sees.
I ask You now for the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Expose every snare, every trigger, every hidden doorway to sin. Grant true repentance—a deep turning of the heart from impurity to holiness.
Lord Jesus, You said, “If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” Stretch out Your hand now to break every yoke of sexual bondage, every defiling habit, every unclean spirit that has gained ground through sin. Let the power of Your blood cleanse the conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
Holy Spirit, fill Your temples afresh. Write the fear of the Lord upon the heart. Plant a hatred for sin and a love for righteousness. Give courage to take radical, costly steps of obedience—tearing out, cutting off, casting away whatever dishonors You.
Strengthen Your people to set their minds on things above, to walk in the light, and to glorify God in their bodies. Let there be a generation marked by purity, separated from the world, prepared as a spotless bride for Christ.
We ask it in the authority of the name of Jesus Christ, and we thank You for the victory that is in Him.
Amen.
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