His Way

If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It's better to enter eternal life with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of hell with two hands. Mark 9:43 NLT

In our studies of historical peoples we have read of those who prepared the corpse for a successful afterlife with horse, weapon, money, and even wives and servants. Imagine having all of this prepared for you, but no hands! Of course Jesus knew when He said this that hands don't just take off on their own to do sin. When it comes to dismemberment for preventing sin, the head would seem to be the place to start. But that causes other problems such as being rather permanent. He who has ears to hear... cannot hear when his head has departed his body. The message here seems to be about priority. Is your priority entering God's kingdom in Heaven, or is it to be with the sinners in Gehenna, that Greek name for Hell? Eternity sounds like such a dreadful long time to be in a place of fire and brimstone.

Of course we know from the Word that salvation comes by faith in Christ Jesus, and not (sigh of relief!) by dismembering our sinful bodies. Praise God for His way!

Bucky