Matthew 6:22-23 says, “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness.” When the eye is clear, the body is full of light. Likewise, if the eye is bad, the body is full of darkness. Because of this, we need to be very aware and careful of what we take in with our eyes. Once we see something, we may never forget the images.

It does not seem that people, and young people in particular, have the hesitation that they once had about rejecting the temptation of staring at men and women who are clothed immodestly, watching R rated (or worse) movies, watching inappropriate television, or visiting questionable websites. Parents have not heard tough, consistent preaching on these subjects, and consequently, their children are practicing them, making churches weaker and weaker morally.

In Matthew 5:29, if your eye offends you, or causes you to stumble, it would be better to pluck it out than to have your whole body cast into hell. Now, no one is eager to go plucking out their eyes when they are tempted, but there is another way. Staying away from what tempts you is essential! God will not allow you to be tempted with more than you can withstand, and He provides a way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). However, He will not remove you from the temptation. That is your job! If saving your soul from condemnation means that you only get the basic channel package or you live without Internet access, is that not a small price to pay?

Kyle Campbell