by Tad Lindley
Matt Dawson, a Canadian field hockey player, broke his ring finger rather badly. To make it right again would require reconstructive surgery. There was only one problem, Mr. Dawson wanted to play men’s field hockey in the 2024 Olympics. If he got the surgery, he would be unable to participate, and so he chose instead to have the finger amputated from the tip to just below the first finger joint. He was not going to let his finger stop him from being in the Olympics.
What would you do?
I could care less about the Olympics myself. I have not watched any of it (I don’t have a TV), and I have zero interest in chasing it down on YouTube. The only spectator sport that interests me is dog mushing. How about you? I know that a few of you readers have already sacrificed healthy knees in order to keep playing basketball. If you had a shot at playing Olympic basketball would you trade a finger to do that?
Jesus tells them, “You better amputate!”
Remember in the Bible where Jesus told people they better value heaven so much that they would get amputated if that’s what it took. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched—where ‘Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.’ (Mark 9:43-44 NKJV) Then Jesus keeps going, telling us that if our foot causes us to sin, to amputate it (9:45-46), and the same thing for our eye (9:47-48). When we contemplate heaven and hell, the choice is pretty obvious, having two hands, or two feet, or two eyes won’t do a person much good if they wind up in hell.
What causes us to sin?
Our eyes, hands, and feet do not cause us to sin. If you are beating your wife and kids, or your husband and kids, it is not your hand that is making you sin. You could go to Anchorage and get both hands amputated, but unless you deal with the underlying sin, you will be abusing people with your arms and your words. Sin comes from our heart. At least according to Jesus: For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. (Matthew 15:19 NLT) And as you are well aware you can’t amputate the heart without killing the patient.
So what point was Jesus trying to make?
It would appear that the Lord was telling us, that if something is going to cause us to go to hell, we need it amputated from our life. No matter how much it might inconvenience us, we must be willing to let it go so that we might be saved. Remember the rich young ruler? He came to Jesus and asked him what he needed to do to be saved. Jesus told him, “Only one more thing you need to do, get rid of all of your things and give the money to the poor, and follow me.” The Bible tells us that this guy went away sad. He loved his money and his things more than he loved Jesus.
What do you need to amputate?
When we look into our hearts and lives, there may be things that are keeping us from salvation. Unforgiveness, fear, addiction, idol worship, sexual immorality, and much more. You can build quite a list by reading I Corinthians 6:9-11, and Galatians 5:19-21. If we love these things too much to let go of them, then they are our God, not Jesus. Just like Matt Dawson got rid of the finger that would keep him out of the Olympics, we need to get rid of the sin that will keep us from heaven.
Spiritual amputation
Getting sin out of our life happens through repentance and baptism. Take a look at Acts 2:38 with me: Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. I bolded the word remission. It means removal. When we are baptized in Jesus’ name, sin gets remitted, and we are promised the gift of the Holy Ghost through which Jesus gives us the power to rise up and walk in newness of life. What will you do?
Reverend Tad Lindley is a minister at the United Pentecostal Church in Bethel, Alaska.
