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“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’
But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully
has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
— Matthew 5:27–28
Let us look at what the Word of God says.
The central theme of these lyrics is the heart of purity. Not merely sexual restraint in outward behavior, but purity at the deepest level of the inner life before God. Jesus is not satisfied with external compliance to a commandment; He goes to the root—the heart.
The related passages underline this same reality:
All these passages converge on one central truth: God is after a pure heart, and sexual sin is uniquely destructive to that purity—at the level of thought, imagination, and desire, not just physical action.
This teaching is not optional for disciples. It is at the very core of what it means to follow Jesus in a corrupt world under intense spiritual pressure.
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The main scripture—Matthew 5:27–30—appears in the Sermon on the Mount. This is Jesus’ foundational teaching on the righteousness of the Kingdom of Heaven.
### Who was speaking?
The one who speaks here is Jesus the Messiah, the incarnate Word of God. He is not just another rabbi commenting on the Law; He is the fulfiller of the Law (Matthew 5:17), the One who gave the Law at Sinai in the first place.
When He says, “But I tell you…,” He is asserting divine authority. He is not correcting Moses; He is unfolding the true depth and intention of what God required all along.
### Who was listening?
Jesus is speaking to Jewish people who had grown up under:
They had heard, correctly, the commandment: “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18). Adultery was seen primarily as an outward act—sexual union with someone else’s spouse.
The religious leaders of the day often focused on external performance—what could be seen and judged outwardly. If you did not physically commit adultery, you could think of yourself as righteous.
Jesus confronts this shallow understanding. He reveals that God has always been concerned with the heart (see Deuteronomy 6:5; 10:12; 1 Samuel 16:7).
### The situation Jesus addresses
Jesus is addressing a religious culture where people believed they could be righteous by:
Yet inwardly, their hearts could be filled with:
Jesus exposes this hypocrisy. He brings the spotlight into the inner chamber—the heart, the imagination, the thought-life.
By saying, “Anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart,” He is removing every hiding place. No one can say, “I am clean,” if their inner world is unclean.
Furthermore, by speaking of gouging out an eye or cutting off a hand, Jesus exposes the deadly seriousness of sin—specifically sexual sin. He uses vivid, shocking language to emphasize: deal radically, decisively, and immediately with anything that causes you to sin.
Paul, in 1 Corinthians 6:18, speaks into another corrupt culture—Greco-Roman Corinth—where sexual immorality was normalized and even religiously integrated. He commands, “Flee sexual immorality.” Do not negotiate with it. Do not entertain it. Run from it.
Proverbs 4:23 comes from the wisdom tradition of Israel. It emphasizes that the heart is the fountainhead of all conduct. What comes out in action begins as a spring within.
Jesus, Paul, and Proverbs are in perfect agreement: the battle for purity is a battle for the heart.
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To understand this teaching deeply, we need to examine two key words:
1. “Heart” – Greek: καρδία (kardia) / Hebrew: לֵב (lev)
2. “Lustfully” – Greek: ἐπιθυμέω (epithymeō)
### 1) “Heart” – καρδία (kardia) / לֵב (lev)
In Matthew 5:28, Jesus says: “…has already committed adultery with her in his heart (ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ).”
Proverbs 4:23 says: “Keep your heart (lev) with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”
The heart is:
This means the real battlefield for purity is not your body first, but your heart. The body only carries out what the heart decides.
So when the lyrics repeat:
> “Has already committed adultery with her in his heart”
they echo this truth: God judges from the center outwards, not from the surface inwards.
### 2) “Lustfully” – ἐπιθυμέω (epithymeō)
The phrase “looks at a woman lustfully” is from the Greek:
> ὁ βλέπων γυναῖκα πρὸς τὸ ἐπιθυμῆσαι αὐτήν
Literally: “the one who looks at a woman to lust after her.”
In this context, it is a deliberate, internal act of sexual desire toward someone who is not your spouse.
Note carefully:
It is not the involuntary first glance, but the intentional second look and inward indulgence that constitutes heart-adultery.
This deepens our understanding of the lyrics:
> “The old law touched the act, but Jesus sees the thought
> He calls us higher—to holiness we never bought”
The Law said, “Do not commit adultery” (action).
Jesus exposes the epithymia—the internal desire behind the action.
Holiness is not merely the absence of the act; it is the purifying of the desire.
---
Let us now walk through the themes in the lyrics and anchor each in Scripture.
### A) The Higher Standard of Jesus
> “You have heard the ancient command
> ‘Do not commit adultery’
> But I tell you something deeper now…”
This mirrors Matthew 5:27–28 precisely.
Jesus is not abolishing the Law (Matthew 5:17); He is intensifying it by taking it from the external realm to the inner realm.
Other passages confirm this heart-centered standard:
God is not merely a Lawgiver; He is a Heart-Searcher.
The lyrics state:
> “The old law touched the act, but Jesus sees the thought”
This is entirely accurate. The thought-life is now under direct scrutiny of Jesus’ teaching. That which we imagine, dwell upon, and enjoy in the mind is morally significant before God.
### B) Adultery of the Heart
> “Anyone who looks at a woman with lust
> Has already committed adultery with her
> Deep in his heart”
This captures Matthew 5:28:
This corresponds with the spiritual principle that sin begins inside:
Notice the order:
1. Desire (epithymia)
2. Conception in the heart
3. Birth in outward sin
4. Death
Jesus is addressing sin at the conception stage. He refuses to wait until it is “born” in outward conduct.
### C) Drastic Measures for a Pure Heart
> “If your right eye causes you to stumble
> Gouge it out and throw it away…
> If your right hand leads you to sin
> Cut it off—drastic measures for a pure heart”
Jesus’ statements in Matthew 5:29–30 are not a command to literal self-mutilation, but to radical self-denial. The principle is:
Your eye represents:
Your hand represents:
Colossians 3:5 echoes Jesus’ language: “Put to death (νεκρώσατε) therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire…”
Not negotiate with it. Not manage it. Put it to death.
The lyrics correctly apply this: “drastic measures for a pure heart.”
This is very different from casual Christian language about “struggling” but never decisively renouncing.
### D) Fleeing Sexual Immorality
> “Flee from sexual immorality
> Every other sin is outside the body
> But this one harms your very soul”
This stanza draws directly from:
“Flee” (Greek: φεύγω, pheugō) is not a mild word. It means:
Do not argue. Do not test your strength. Do not see how close you can get to the boundary. Run.
Paul explains that sexual sin is uniquely destructive:
This explains why so many believers remain in defeat, condemnation, and confusion: they are trying to serve God while tolerating sexual sin in their lives, often in the private realm of imagination, pornography, or fantasy.
### E) Guarding the Heart and the Gates
> “Keep your heart with all diligence
> For out of it flow the springs of life
> Guard your eyes, guard your mind, stay pure”
This is Proverbs 4:23 applied:
The word translated “keep/guard” in Hebrew is נָצַר (natsar):
We are to treat our hearts as a fortress—with guarded gates.
The main gates are:
Job said, “I have made a covenant with my eyes; why then should I look upon a young woman?” (Job 31:1 NKJV). That is an Old Testament example of heart-level purity.
The lyrics correctly identify the link: guard your eyes → guard your mind → stay pure.
### F) The Higher Call and the Role of the Holy Spirit
> “The old law touched the act, but Jesus sees the thought
> He calls us higher—to holiness we never bought
> Only by His Spirit can we walk this narrow road
> Clean hands, pure heart, carrying His lighter load”
Here we meet a vital theological balance:
1. Jesus raises the standard to heart-level holiness.
2. We cannot attain this by our own effort.
3. The Holy Spirit is given to enable this level of purity.
Romans 8:3–4 declares:
We are not saved by law-keeping, and we are not sanctified by self-effort alone. The standard is higher under Jesus, but so is the provision.
“Holiness we never bought” aligns with:
The “lighter load” alludes to Matthew 11:28–30:
The yoke is not light because the standard is lowered, but because the Lord Himself shares the yoke and supplies the power of the Holy Spirit to walk in obedience.
### G) Turning from the Old, Embracing the New
> “Turn away, look to Him, let grace renew your mind
> True freedom waits for those who leave the old behind”
This stanza aligns with:
The pathway to purity is:
1. Turn away – repent; renounce; refuse the old patterns.
2. Look to Him – fix your gaze on Jesus, not on temptation (Hebrews 12:2).
3. Let grace renew your mind – allow the Word and the Holy Spirit to reshape your inner world.
4. Leave the old behind – cut ties, remove triggers, abandon old habits.
This is not mere behavior adjustment; it is a radical break with the old life.
### H) God’s Goal: A Fully Surrendered Heart
> “God wants more than outward rules kept
> He wants hearts fully surrendered, fully kept
> Purity begins inside, where only He can see
> By His power we live clean and walk free”
This sums up the entire biblical teaching:
“Purity begins inside, where only He can see” is crucial. Many strive to appear pure before others but neglect the secret place of the heart and thought-life.
The promise is powerful: “By His power we live clean and walk free.”
God does not merely command purity; He provides for it in Christ and by the Spirit.
---
The teaching of Jesus is not abstract. It demands concrete response. Here are four clear steps, each accompanied by a pattern proclamation you can use.
### 1) Acknowledge and Confess Heart-Level Sin
First, we must stop minimizing or excusing internal sin. Lust in the heart is real sin before God.
Go before God and name your sins honestly:
Proclamation:
> “Lord, I acknowledge that lust in my heart is sin. I confess it before You. I do not hide it. I call it what You call it, and I ask for Your cleansing through the blood of Jesus.”
### 2) Renounce and Remove the Causes of Stumbling
Second, we must apply Jesus’ command about “gouging out” and “cutting off” in a practical way.
Ask yourself very plainly:
Then remove them. Not adjust. Remove.
This may mean:
Proclamation:
> “In the name of Jesus, I renounce every doorway to lust in my life. I choose to remove anything that causes me to stumble. My eyes and my hands belong to the Lord, not to sin.”
### 3) Guard the Heart by Guarding the Gates
Third, we must actively guard our eyes and minds.
Make deliberate choices:
Cultivate agreement with Job 31:1:
> “I make a covenant with my eyes. By God’s grace, I refuse to look with lust. My heart is not a playground for impurity but a dwelling place for God.”
### 4) Replace Lust with Worship and the Word
Fourth, we must not only say “no” to sin; we must say “yes” to God. The empty heart will be filled by something. Jesus drives out demons, but He expects the house to be filled with His presence and His Word (Matthew 12:43–45).
Fill your inner life with:
When tempted to lust, immediately turn to worship and Scripture. Do not negotiate with the thought. Replace it.
Proclamation:
> “I set my mind on things above. I fill my heart with the Word of God and the worship of God. I desire Jesus more than any sinful pleasure. By the Holy Spirit, I walk in the Spirit and do not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
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### Proclamation of Faith
Speak this aloud, thoughtfully and deliberately:
> **I proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord of my heart, my mind, and my body.
> I declare that lust in the heart is sin, and I refuse to tolerate it.
> I have been bought with a price; my body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.
> I flee from sexual immorality and I renounce every doorway to impurity.
> I keep my heart with all diligence, for out of it flow the issues of life.
> By the blood of Jesus, my heart is cleansed; by the Word of God, my mind is renewed.
> I choose to walk the narrow road of purity, not in my own strength,
> but by the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in me.
> I will have clean hands and a pure heart,
> and I will see God.
> In the name of Jesus, Amen.**
### Prayer
Father, in the name of Jesus, I come to You.
You see my heart. Nothing is hidden from Your sight.
I confess every sin of lust, impurity, and adultery in thought or imagination.
I ask You to forgive me and cleanse me through the blood of Jesus.
Lord Jesus, You said that anyone who looks with lust has already committed adultery in the heart.
I submit to Your authority. I agree with Your Word.
Grant me godly sorrow that leads to true repentance.
Holy Spirit, I invite You to take full control of my inner life.
Strengthen my will to say no to sin and yes to righteousness.
Show me every “eye” and every “hand” that must be cut off from my life.
Give me courage to remove every stumbling block, no matter the cost.
Teach me to guard my heart with all diligence.
Fill my mind with Your Word.
Turn my eyes from worthless things and fix them on Jesus.
I receive Your power to live clean and walk free.
Let the fear of the Lord rest upon me.
Let purity be established in the hidden places of my heart.
Make me a vessel of honor, set apart for Your use.
I thank You for Your grace that not only forgives but transforms.
I trust You to complete the good work You have begun in me.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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