Examining What You See: A Salvation Issue?

There’s a question I got often as a youth pastor and I still get it every now and then. The question is

“Is _____________ a salvation issue?”

The reason why I dislike the question is not because of how difficult it is to answer it, but rather because it demonstrates the wrong attitude.

Imagine Jesus, nailed to cross, suffering because of your sins, then you walk up to Him and ask Him whether ____________ is really a salvation issue. Would you feel okay asking that question? Maybe you would, I would not. It just feels like the wrong question to ask at that time, it comes across as selfish, self-indulgent, uncaring, unloving.

Here’s how I think about it, I imagine my wedding day. My wife is there in her beautiful wedding dress, it is one of the happiest days of our lives, and I try to imagine myself asking her if she would consider ___________ a “divorce issue.”

Maybe you’re wondering what the “___________” could be. Here are some possible scenarios,

“Wow my love, you look beautiful, I have waited for and anticipated this day for so long (7 years at least). I love you with all my heart, you are the love of my life. But I was wondering, how important is it for you for me to remember your birthday and our wedding anniversaries? You know me, I struggle with dates. Would you divorce me if I never remembered our wedding anniversary and always celebrated your birthday on the wrong date?”

Another scenario could be,

“You are the love of my life, I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you. But I was wondering, would you divorce me if I had dinner with other women?

It’s just dinner, I promise that I love only you. Also, if during dinner I were to hold her hand, not all the time, just sometimes, would that be okay? After all dinner and holding hands are not considered cheating right? What if I put my arms around her shoulders as we walk side by side, would you consider that a reason to divorce me?

You love me right? You would not divorce me just because I was holding hands with another woman while taking her out for a meal and maybe a concert or just a walk at the beach. That’s not considered cheating, so you would not divorce me right? After all, I love you with all my heart. That other woman means nothing to me.”

I say this to hopefully give you some perspective. What’s wrong with those questions? Are they not legitimate? Perhaps you agree with me that the problem is not so much the question but what it says about the heart of the person asking the question. Whenever you wonder if something is a salvation issue, I invite you to consider the posture of your heart.

The Lamp of the Body

22 “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
— Matthew 6:22-23 NKJV

It may seem like Jesus is starting to go overboard here. Who cares what I look at? Looking is not sinning after all, is it? Is looking at the wrong thing a sin? Is beholding sin as a form of entertainment considered a sin? Does what I look at impact my salvation?

As I mentioned earlier, focussing in my personal salvation feels selfish to me. I don’t want to go through life chronically concerned about my personal salvation. That would cause me to live a self-focused life and that seems like a recipe for anxiety, fear, and stress. I prefer to live a life with the assurance of my salvation because of what Jesus has done for me (Titus 3:5; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 3:16). A life focused on how I can be a blessing to others and how I can help alleviate the suffering of those around me.

With a perspective of mission and service I read this text and gain clarity on how to better follow Jesus and experience more fully what He has in store for me. When I am more intentional about what I look at, I can experience a deeper connection with God and as a result those I interact with will also be blessed.

How can I love you more?

To go back to my marriage analogy, instead of asking my wife at which point she would be willing to divorce me, I prefer to ask how can I be a better husband. I prefer to ask
“How can I love you more?”
“How can I better demonstrate my love for you?”
“How can I make you feel secure in my love for you?”

Life is infinitely better when I approach God desiring more of Him in my life as opposed to the minimum amount required for my salvation. Instead of asking God how small a relationship is required for my salvation, I prefer to ask God how strong of a relationship does He want to have with me? I recognize that God wants what’s best for me, therefore I also want whatever He wants for me.

When I desire more of God in my life and a stronger relationship with Him I read texts such as Matthew 6:22-23 (above) with great excitement because it guides me to a deeper relationship with God. Instead of seeing it as God trying to control my life and limit my fun, I see it as an opportunity to grow in my relationship with Him which is always in my best interest. When I grow closer to God not only do I benefit from peace, joy, and a sense of purpose, but everyone who interacts with me also benefits from the blessings I receive from God.

The character of God

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
— Genesis 3:1 NKJV

The serpent presented God as someone who withholds good things, who limits our freedom. How often do we describe our faith along these lines? I remember being asked about my faith as a child and responding with a list of things I don’t do. Do we do that as adults also. Do we see our faith as prohibitive and restrictive. there are so many incredible benefits to being a follower of God, but instead we tend to focus on what we don’t do.

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;
— Genesis 2:16 NKJV

God gave Adam and Eve of every tree in the garden! Yet the serpent focuses on the one fruit God told Adam and Eve not to eat of.

but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
— Genesis 2:17 NKJV

The serpent suggests that God does not allow Adam and Eve to eat from any tree in the garden, which is a lie, but how often do we believe this lie? God invites us to rest on the Sabbath day, and instead of rejoicing that we get a Sabbath rest, we resent God for keeping us from working. God gives us directions on how to live the best life possible and we complain that we don’t get to partake in self-destructive behavior.

O be careful little eye…

There’s a song I grew up singing that says “O be careful little eye what you see…” I think we all agree that we should be careful with what kind of images kids are exposed to. That’s why we have ratings for movies and TV shows correct? Does it stop affecting us once we are adults? I understand, to a degree, that at different developmental stages the brain handles inputs differently. But do we really believe that it is a good idea for adults to consume what is often called “adult entertainment?” Is it only bad if you’re under 21 or 18 or whatever the age limit is? Do the negative effects of alcohol stop affecting the body once you’re 21? Is smoking less destructive once you turn 18?

Does what we see not impact us as adults?

I get it. We don’t like being told what to do. The problem is that we don’t always know what the best course of action is. We often don’t know what to do. We feel lost and hopeless and argue over how to live healthier lives, how to raise our kids, how to invest our money, how the country should be run…

So in one way, we desperately need guidance, yet when God offers guidance we rebel against it.

Are we okay with Jesus telling us to be careful with what we look at?

Treasure, heart, eye

On my last post (Where is Your Treasure?) I addressed the connection between the treasure and the heart, based on Jesus’s words (Matthew 6:19-21) and on this post I am focusing on the very next things that Jesus says which is concerning the eye. Jesus is concerned about our heart, but what we treasure and what we look at impacts our hearts. The problem is not so much the eyes but the whole being, the eyes are just the access point. What you consume with your eyes (and ears) will impact you just as much if not more than what you put in you eat.

Just as the “heart” (v. 21) forms the center of one’s affections and commitments, the “eyes” enable the whole person to see. Good and bad eyes probably parallel a good and bad heart and thus refer, respectively, to storing up treasures in heaven versus storing them up on earth.
— Craig Blomberg, Matthew, vol. 22, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 123.

Look where you’re going

Where we look affects where we are going. It is not a good idea to walk, run, or drive, while looking to the side or behind us. if you’re driving and looking elsewhere not only do we not see what is ahead of us but we also tend to turn where we look.

The National Safety Council reports that the use of cell phones while driving causes about 1.6 million collisions per year. Apparently keeping your eyes on the road is important while you’re driving.

Does where we look affect the direction of our lives?

I forget where I heard or read this, but it stuck with me. I don’t remember the exact quote, but the general idea was when you choose who you follow on social media, you’re also choosing your future thoughts. I believe this applies to all media, books, movies, tv, newspapers magazines, music, entertainment, streaming services, podcasts, church, etc. The messages that you consume shape your thoughts.

If you watch enough makeup commercials you will begin to feel insecure regarding your natural appearance. If you watch enough car commercials you will become dissatisfied with your car. If you see enough people on social media who have more financial means you will become even more aware of how much you’re missing out by not making or having more money.

We are in an election year as I write this. For the majority of our interactions with people, their political affiliation does not make any difference. But depending on what media you are consuming you will become strongly convinced that those who belong to the other party are going to destroy this country and your life will be significantly worse if they win the election. And just like that family ties are destroyed, churches are divided, friendships are ruined, and all as a result of the media you choose to consume.

But I am sure that you think that you’re not affected by this.

Surely not I

“Others may be affected by what they consume with their eyes, but I am wise and discerning, I won’t be affected by it.” That is exactly the type of thinking that gets you in trouble. If putting things in front of your face didn’t impact the way you live your life would companies invest so much money into advertising?

When we look at and read content that makes us angry, we are more likely to engage, to read more, to share, to comment, to argue. The algorithm notices that and begins to give you more of that. Now you feel a sense of great danger, perhaps despair, mixed with anger, frustration, and the desire to do something about this great injustice or whatever it is you’re looking at. Now your blood pressure is up, you’re in a bad mood, and the situation won’t change at all. So your emotional reaction is essentially useless as far as any real and tangible impact on the issue upsetting you, but now everyone who interacts with you will be negatively impacted by your emotional state.

Let me ask you this. Are your actions being shaped by the character of God? Or are you being manipulated by a political party, or company, etc. Everyone is fighting for our attention. Eyeballs mean money in our economy. Jesus was aware of the impact of what you see long ago when he preached the sermon on the mount and spoke these words.

22 “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
— Matthew 6:22-23

You are in control

You choose what you will look at. On most occasions, you are in charge of what you see. You decide what to focus on, what to stare at, what to watch, what to read, and what to look at. Jesus tells us that what we choose to look at will impact our whole being.

I am not going to give you a list of things you’re not allowed to look at. That is not my job, but I do want to encourage you to consider carefully what you look at. How often do people refrain from doing horrible things, but feel perfectly at peace consuming it as entertainment.

Halloween is just around the corner here in the United States. So there’s plenty of movies, videos, books, games and activities that involve death, violence, demonic powers, the occult, and the list goes on. I am not going to tell you what to do with your life, but I do want you to consider carefully the words of Jesus. “If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness.” (Matthew 6:23b)

Two Masters

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
— Matthew 6:24

Notice that Jesus does not say that it is not a good idea to have two masters. Jesus does not tell us that it is inefficient to have two masters. Jesus says it is impossible to have two masters. We can only love and be loyal to one master. If we are not serving God with our all, we are not serving Him at all.

But if our vision becomes clouded by the false gods of materialism, and we lose our sense of values, then our whole life is in darkness and we cannot see where we are going.
— John R. W. Stott and John R. W. Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7): Christian Counter-Culture, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985), 157–158.

The two options are being enslaved by the material things of earth, or being liberated by God and led by His Spirit.

As I have mentioned above, Jesus’ words go beyond what we look at, His concern is ultimately with our hearts, and He is pointing to us that we can’t follow Him halfway. We cannot afford to hold on to a favorite sin.

Through persistently cherishing evil, willfully disregarding the pleadings of divine love, the sinner loses the love for good, the desire for God, the very capacity to receive the light of heaven. The invitation of mercy is still full of love, the light is shining as brightly as when it first dawned upon his soul; but the voice falls on deaf ears, the light on blinded eyes.
— Thoughts from the Mount of Blessings p92 (emphasis mine)

Conclusion

I began this post expressing my dislike for questions regarding salvation issues. There is much more I could say on the topic, but I wanted to have a healthy frame of mind to interpret and apply the words of Jesus. When Jesus says that the eye is the lamp of the body and that we cannot serve two masters He is not taking away our freedom and making our lives miserable. Quite the opposite, He wants what’s best for us, His commands preserve our freedom and guide us to a meaningful life lived in harmony with Him. Not an easy life, but the best possible life.

You might recoil at this message. Perhaps it seems extreme. Maybe you’re not ready to completely cut ties with your favorite sin. Maybe you hope that it is enough to not commit sin, but just occasionally entertain yourself by watching it. This is a general application, that I believe is valid and implicit in the text.

A more direct application of the words of Jesus is related to material gain. I can go through life focusing on maximizing material goods, power, and influence. However, this will corrupt my heart, hijack my will, and blind me to what is of real value in life.

Jesus is very clear when He says we cannot serve two masters. Ultimately we are slaves. We have the freedom to choose our master, but our master will lead us to an eternal consequence. Jesus will lead us to life eternal (John 3:16) and all options that are not Jesus will lead to eternal death (Romans 6:16, 23; John 3:36; 12:26)

You are free to choose your master, but you are not free from the consequences of your choice. Choose Jesus, choose live, choose God, He loves you and wants to save you. You can’t do it halfway, and it may seem scary, but choosing Jesus is the best decision you can possibly make. Sin always leads to pain and suffering. You may think you need it, you may think it helps. Maybe your favorite sin has been with you so long you cannot imagine life without it. Let Jesus fill in that void. You don’t need that crutch. You know it is hurting you and those you love most. Allow God to empower you and guide you to your best possible life.

This does not mean your life will be easy. Nobody gets to live an easy life, but your life will be a good one, a meaningful life where you will never be alone, and where victory is guaranteed at every step of the way.

And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”
—Deuteronomy 31:8 NKJV