Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so.

--Parallel verses:
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭27‬-‭30‬
[Jesus speaking]
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.

When I was just starting out in sales, I had a lot of energy and drive. I also thought pretty highly of my abilities. I would cold call many clients to try and find business. I would find a few who gave me an opportunity, but would get frustrated at times when I thought I had a better program to offer and a client just decided to stay put.

As I have now spent over 30 years in sales, I have found that my most productive years were focused on finding business referrals for my friends in the community and, in turn, they referred their clients and prospects to me. I read a book called “The Go Giver” which talked about building business by giving and blessing others. As I did this my sales and clients multiplied quickly.

What Paul is talking about here is something quite similar. Early on in the Christian faith, we focus on the basics of removing sin and its influence from our hearts with the help of God’s Spirit. Then we start to do the right things. And finally we should mature to valuing the things that God values, seeing his hand more and more, and having a deeper and deeper relationship with him. This involves taking more risks spiritually and trusting God with the outcomes. We have to put the control of our lives in his hands.

However, some people get stalled out. They decide that a life of full surrender is too difficult, too convicting, or too costly to them. So they settle for less than God’s best. This is what the Jews had done here.

It is similar to Jesus’ discussion on lust and adultery. We sin in our minds much earlier, typically, than we do outside the body. If we can control our thoughts to focus on the truth of God’s Word, the actions will typically follow suit.

Lord, thanks for this challenging passage to digest. You want so much more for me as I draw closer and become obedient. Teach me the more mature and dig into the deeper truths of your word — beyond the rule to the heart condition and intent.