“If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire, [where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.] If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into hell, [where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.] If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.” (Mark 9:43-48 NASB1995)

I am of the personal opinion that this passage of Scripture should be taken more figuratively, rather than literally, and here is why: Cutting off a hand or a foot, or gouging out an eye, doesn’t necessarily change a person’s heart. And it does not guarantee a change of one’s behaviors, thoughts, attitudes, and/or words. Only a heart transformation of the Spirit of God, resulting in us dying with Christ to sin and being raised with Christ to live no longer as slaves to sin, but as servants of righteousness, produces a heart change.

And in the Scriptures, the word “hand” is often used to symbolize our deeds, our actions, and our behaviors. And the word “foot” is often used to represent our walks, i.e. our daily habits, practices, and lifestyles. And the word “eye” is often used to signify our insight, discernment, and judgment. So, if our deeds, our practices, and/or our discernment are not of God, but they are of the flesh, so they are not godly, but worldly and immoral (sinful), by faith we need to cut them out of our lives via genuine biblical repentance.

Our lives must now be surrendered to Jesus Christ in submission to his will and purpose for our lives. And he must now be Lord of our lives, and no longer our flesh. Our dependency now must be in the Lord and in his word to guide us in the way that we should go. And daily we must be putting sin to death, by the Spirit, in our refusal to give in to any temptations of the enemy, and we must be walking in obedience to our Lord’s commands, in the power of God alive and at work within the hearts of those who love God.

For Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

Video Talk on Same Subject

Cut it Off and Throw it Out
An Original Work / January 29, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love