Jesus said a lot of things in the four gospels, but we must discern why He said certain things, in the light of the cross.
One of the things He did was to preach the full measure of the Old Covenant of the Law so that the hearers clearly knew that they stood no chance of being justified through works of the Law.
If you want to be saved through the Law, you have to be perfect just as God the Father is perfect.
You must love Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
You cannot have a single lustful or murderous thought.
If your body parts (eyes, hands, feet) cause you to sin, you must cut them off to keep yourself from stumbling.
Can anyone do all that?
God knew that we cannot, and that is precisely why He sent Jesus to die as our atoning sacrifice for sin. This was the only way we could be saved from eternal destruction and separation from God.
When you don’t understand why Jesus said certain things, you will make the mistake of trying to do what He said, not knowing that He wants you to give up on your self efforts.
There is great freedom in rightly dividing the Word, according to the covenants. I believe that “Understand the Four Gospels Through the Lens of Grace” will set you free from many wrong beliefs that hold sincere-hearted believers in the bondage of self-condemnation and defeat. Get it here: https://bit.ly/understandeveryparable
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