Jesus gives a strong warning. Whoever causes a young believer to sin (false teachers find young believers and early, immature believers to be easy prey) would find it better to be drowned in the sea than what God would have in store for him. Likewise, we should be very severe in how we treat sin in our own lives. Isn’t it better to cut off your hand and be a cripple than let your hand be the reason you enter hell? The same with your foot or eye. You can’t save yourself from hell by maiming yourself, only Jesus can deal with our real sin problem. The point is to be decisive about the areas in our lives that cause us to sin. We are generally too permissive about things we should cut off. Don’t be alone with a boy if the temptation is too great. Don’t be alone on the internet if the temptation is too great. Don’t go to the place which always results in sin. Be open and honest and accountable to someone who will help you stay away from temptation.

Salt in the closing verses points to sacrifice. We are called to live our lives in sacrifice as Jesus sacrificed His life for us. Our trials present us with opportunities to live that sacrifice. Salt was used for preservation and seasoning. We are called to be salt. If we lose our saltiness (by giving in to temptation and living just like everyone else in the world) then how will we regain that saltiness? We can’t. A ruined witness is a ruined witness. We must live as a witness of Christ and in peace with one another.