Is it possible to avoid hell by self mutilation?
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It is clearly a parable. How could one eye be the cause of sin? Or one hand? By actually mutilating oneself for whatever reason in the way Jesus describes, no temptation is removed. Also, since our body is resurrected whole, the whole "it is better to enter the kingdom of god with a member missing than to go to hell with the whole body" is obviously figurative. We enter into both whole body.
He is clearly saying to remove anything from our live that causes us to stumble (tempts us, cause us to sin). That could be people, habits, hobbies, a job, our smartphone, anything that we cherish but which ultimately is not good for us. You know already what that is, and it is not your eye or hand. Like a body part, it could be something that is not in and of itself bad, but bad for you in particular.
Jesus is using drastic words to make clear that there is nothing that is above being sacrificed in order to remove yourself from sin if it tempts you. Using the own body is a good picture because that is what is closest, and most valuable, to us. Calling Jesus words hyperbolic exaggeration doesn't do them justice. This might be the most concise way to get across what he is trying to get across.
Self-mutilation does not save us from sin, Jesus does. Please don't harm yourself. If you think about harming yourself, please get help.
Upvote:1
The default position you should adopt when reading the Gospels is that if Jesus says it, it is usually a parable:
Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. (Matthew 13:34 NIV)
When reading Scripture, also compare it to other verses for clarification. The Apostle Paul addressed this issue:
If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:3 NIV)
In place of hardship, some translations use the more literal "deliver up my body to be burned". The idea here (and elsewhere in Paul's writings) is that harsh treatment of the body does not make us holy. It is not the harsh treatment but the urgency, sincerity and commitment to avoiding occasions for sin that Jesus is speaking about.
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