Are some scripture versus literal?

[Embankment]

"You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell."

Excuse me for butting in but, Jesus was not speaking about law vs. grace. As you can plainly see from the context that he mentions adultery prior to his statement. And so he is speaking about sin in general. That said, if Jesus were speaking literally, then all believers would have no body parts left. He also said "unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you have no life in you." Do you think that is to be taken literally as well?

Jesus is speaking figuratively here, meaning to sever from our lives the willful sin that leads to condemning judgment in the lake of fire. I believe that this is similar to the letters to the seven churches where at the end of each letter he makes reference to "him who overcomes." Whatever sins is impeding our walk in Christ, cut it out! Overcome it! Better to get that sinful pleasure out of our lives, than to be condemned and thrown into hell.

If we confess our sins he is faith and just and will forgive us our sin and cleanse us of all unrighteousness and that without cutting anything off. - 1 John 1:9

Hope this was helpful

Blessings to you in Christ!

True, if you want to live under the Law then you won't have many parts left.

 

[TraySir]

Thank you for your tolerance with me.

My stance is that Jesus did not sugar coat anything he said. He talked plainly and in a matter of fact way. When did he not speak that way? Did he speak figuratively at any other time other than obvious parables?

The Law was set into place to make us own up to being a sinner in need of a savior. Jesus is pointing out in this case that we all are adulterers in our hearts and minds. Pick your commandment, Jesus commented on most of them and proved we cannot keep them. Many say Jesus expanded the commandments to mean more than what they did originally. I say Jesus explained what the true meaning was from the beginning. No one ever lived up to them. The commandments were all consuming and exposed the intent of your heart and mind.
If you break one in the least way you are totally guilty. Burn in Hell.
Jesus gave us an alternative to follow him and live in his grace. Two choices,
die or live.

Thank you! I meant no insult to you. Just showing the result of the position you take on the eye and hand.

I don't find in your above response any reason to take the words of the Lord literally in Matthew 5.29-30.
Can a paralyzed person be guilty of murder? No help, no assistance. Paralyzed. Can that person hold a knife and stab? No. Hold a revolver, aim, and shoot? No.
Paralyzed or not, that same person is capable of hate. What then should that person cut off from his body? His lifeless arm? No. (I mean no disrespect to anyone in that illustration.)

If we hate someone, we are as murderers. 1 John 3.15.

What shall a person who hates cut off? Shall he cut out his heart! Absurd.

 

[Ahwatukee]

True, if you want to live under the Law then you won't have many parts left.

Please don't misquote me and redirect what I said to support your interpretation! The scripture is not referring to the law anywhere in the context, but was referring to sin in general which is why I drew your attention to the mention of adultery in the beginning of the verse. The context has nothing to do with law vs. grace.

 

[Embankment]

Thank you! I meant no insult to you. Just showing the result of the position you take on the eye and hand.

I don't find in your above response any reason to take the words of the Lord literally in Matthew 5.29-30.
Can a paralyzed person be guilty of murder? No help, no assistance. Paralyzed. Can that person hold a knife and stab? No. Hold a revolver, aim, and shoot? No.
Paralyzed or not, that same person is capable of hate. What then should that person cut off from his body? His lifeless arm? No. (I mean no disrespect to anyone in that illustration.)

If we hate someone, we are as murderers. 1 John 3.15.

What shall a person who hates cut off? Shall he cut out his heart! Absurd.

He doesn't cut off anything. He chooses to follow Jesus. Problem solved. If you are trying to follow law as were the people Jesus was speaking, you must be perfect as perfect as God himself.
It's like this. If you ask a person if he is good the answer generally would be "yes i am a good person. A person who thinks like that has no need of a savior. God grades on a different scale. Jesus illustates this by taking requirements for being good to an unattainable level that a person cannot live up to. No one is going to pluck out an eye to stop from lusting. Jesus knows this. The people he is talking with know this. If you choose the law then you better do everything in your power not to break it, if you see you lust. This shows they are not willing to sacrifice everything to be sinless if they even could. People value themselves above God. That kills you under the law. The only way out is Jesus.

 

[samuel23]

Folks a literal interpretation simply means to accept the obvious meaning, like you would interpret any written message. A literal interpretation means that you accept exactly what is written while taking into account context and the natural use of metaphors. In our normal speech and writing we use metaphors, so we should not go off the deep end because Jesus used metaphors in his speech. Jesus relied heavily on metaphors, however it is easy to distinguish a metaphor from something that is not a metaphor, at least it always has been for me. Jesus told of two men who died and one went to paradise and the other went to hell, there are no metaphors in that story, just a clear distinct story of something that happened. On the other hand, Jesus tells us that if our hand, or foot, or eye offend us to cut it off. We know that this is a metaphor about something very dear to us that is causing us to lose out with God, not about our body parts offending us, because body parts do not offend, they are just body parts. God make us intelligent enough to recognize the difference.

 

[Embankment]

Folks a literal interpretation simply means to accept the obvious meaning, like you would interpret any written message. A literal interpretation means that you accept exactly what is written while taking into account context and the natural use of metaphors. In our normal speech and writing we use metaphors, so we should not go off the deep end because Jesus used metaphors in his speech. Jesus relied heavily on metaphors, however it is easy to distinguish a metaphor from something that is not a metaphor, at least it always has been for me. Jesus told of two men who died and one went to paradise and the other went to hell, there are no metaphors in that story, just a clear distinct story of something that happened. On the other hand, Jesus tells us that if our hand, or foot, or eye offend us to cut it off. We know that this is a metaphor about something very dear to us that is causing us to lose out with God, not about our body parts offending us, because body parts do not offend, they are just body parts. God make us intelligent enough to recognize the difference.

Jesus says be perfect as God is perfect because that is the only way to satisfy the law that will otherwise kill you. That is a metaphor....