Guarding Your Eyes (Part 2)

Bishop Riggen begins by expounding Matthew 6:22–23, where Jesus teaches that if the eye is single, the whole body is full of light, but if the eye is evil, the body is full of darkness. He explains that a single eye means a singular focus on God's kingdom, not divided between Christ and the world or between Christ and self. He criticizes the modern tendency to be 'sheep in wolves' clothing'—claiming Christianity while living like the world—and warns that claiming to have light when it is actually darkness makes the darkness even greater. He then argues that what we look at affects our hearts, and our hearts determine our actions, so guarding the eyes is essential. Bishop Riggen introduces the concept of abominations—things God utterly detests—and stresses that God, who is love, still hates certain things. He outlines six categories of abominations: moral abominations (including homosexuality, bestiality, pride, lying, cross-dressing); occult abominations (witchcraft, idolatry, divination, necromancy); vocal abominations (lying tongue, justifying the wicked); abominations of worship (offering God less than our best); abominations of character (deviousness, pride); and violent abominations (murder, including abortion). He emphasizes that these are not merely Old Testament rules but reflect God's unchanging character. The spiritual purpose is to call believers to renew their covenant with their eyes, intentionally avoiding what God hates and fixing their gaze on Jesus alone.