Matthew 5:29-30 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
PERSONAL COMMENTARY
1. If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out
2. If your hands cause you to sin, cut it off
Of course, if you read this as a principle, it can be applied to any body part. Guys, please be careful.
The UnHoly Bible 
July 29th, 2007 at 9:09 pm
I know of a man who dealt with lust issues. He wound up in prison and upon his release he requested emasculation for the purpose of keeping himself out of prison or defiling someone again. Now I don’t know if that man was a Christian, but he has set a standard that most Christians don’t follow.
Romans 2:13 “for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.”
Of course, this is referring to the Levitical Law, but the principle is horrifying.
2Peter 3:10 “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.
11 “Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,…”
Ahh… perspective. Severing your body parts is really not necessary though. Many people could avoid it by making themselves slaves to righteousness through obedience (Romans 6:17,18).
This passage from Matthew is what we English speaking folk call an “hyperbole” or an “hyperbolic statement”. Common to eastern writing and illustrations of God’s holy character and commands. Just another allusion to Luke 9:24.
Hardly a contradiction.
In truth,
Sam
August 3rd, 2007 at 9:30 pm
I do believe that this part was not meant to be taken literally. The hand and eye represent people, members of a family or congregation or whatever. This verse has been used to justify the cruel casting out of those that contradict the doctrine so that they don’t poison the rest of the group (“for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell”) parents casting out children and so on. It’s horrible but I don’t think mutilation was ever part of the deal…
August 14th, 2011 at 3:42 am
@tub1,
Are you serious? Are you really going to pick up a book that was written over 2,000 years ago to a primarily jewish audience and read it like you would a newspaper? You are of a completely different culture and 2000 years removed from when that text was originally written. That was never meant to be taken literally!!! HeardofGod is right it was a hyperbolic statement. What the Lord meant by that was if you have something in your life that is causing you to sin to get rid of it, because if you dont repent of your sins you will suffer eternal torment in hell
May 23rd, 2013 at 2:08 pm
so if a christian masturbates, does have to cut off his hand, or his dick?
November 6th, 2021 at 10:25 am
Funny and kinda testy as well. Not that “testy” is a word, but hey, everyone is intitled to say what they believe to be true and also should learn and realize that everyone is in a way right; no one is wrong to think that it is either symbolic or literal or whatever….If God puts it in your heart to do something, you should know, though, that it would never be something meant to harm you, (Jeremiah 29:11) therefore, everyone must judge for themselves what God’s good and ultimate plan for our individual lives are, for everyone will be taken into account. So judge at your best ability possible and may God’s Holy Ghost guide you over all. (John 16:13) For only He knows what is right and the truth and any other spirit out there is just misguiding and causing us permanent and sometimes irreversible harm.