Sin Slaying

The Bible - Matthew 18:9

καὶ εἰ ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου σκανδαλίζει σε ἔξελε αὐτὸν καὶ βάλε ἀπὸ σοῦ καλόν σοί ἐστιν μονόφθαλμον εἰς τὴν ζωὴν εἰσελθεῖν ἢ δύο ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχοντα βληθῆναι εἰς τὴν γέενναν τοῦ πυρός

And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the Gehenna of fire. (ESV)[1]

Look at the intensity of this phrase: ἔξελε αὐτὸν καὶ βάλε ἀπὸ σοῦ Both verbs (in bold) are aorist, active, and imperative. The aorist tense lets the reader know that the kind of action which needs to take place must be complete. Jesus is saying that the part of the body which offends must be torn out and thrown away, implying that it cannot be torn out or thrown away again. If I cut my eye out, the usefulness of that eye is at an end. The active voice lets the reader know that the person who lost an eye was the one who took it out. It is not passive. This person is not a victim, and shouldn't wait to be one. Instead they should actively remove the eye if it is a cause of sin. That sounds painful... Finally, the imperative mood lets the reader know that this is a command. The ESV's rendering "tear it out and throw it away" is helpful here. It is not a suggestion, or a plea, but a command. Do it, and do it right away.

Jesus' point is simple for the mind to hold, but difficult for the heart to accept. If you are not willing to maim yourself in an effort to kill sin, your whole being will be eternally maimed.

Understanding the way sin works is a helpful step in keeping the correct perspective toward it - namely that it ought to be shot dead. Continually reinforcing in our minds how subtle, vigorous, tenacious, and untiring sin is as it seeks mastery in our lives will keep us running to Christ for salvation from it and power to overcome it. Note what John Owen said on the subject in his (highly recommended) work Mortification of Sin:

Sin doth not only still abide in us, but is still acting, still labouring to bring forth the deeds of the flesh. When sin lets us alone we may let sin alone; but as sin is never less quiet than when it seems to be most quiet, and its waters are for the most part deep when they are still, so ought our contrivances against it to be vigorous at all times and in all conditions, even where there is least suspicion.[2]

Let us strive to be active in our killing of sin, complete in our aim. Moreover, let us recognize the command of Christ to be rid of it - because it leads us to things which are much less valuable than Christ.

Footnotes
[1] See the Resurgence Greek Project
[2] Chapter 2, II. "Mortification of Sin" John Owen.