Adultery
We are facing
challenges economically, morally, spiritually and politically. People,
including unbelievers, are asking, "Where is God?" In times like
these, it is vitally important that we are vigilant in reaching out in love
with the Truth of Christ—not just here, but around the world.
We are living
in an age where sin is portrayed as a mere illness of the body or mind; when
sin is denied or laughed off, when sin is rationalized as merely doing one's
own thing, or doing what comes naturally. But a belief in the Holy God and
respect for the authority of his word demands that adultery be recognized and
acknowledged for what it is . . . sin.
The
seriousness of the sin of adultery can be seen in several ways. Under the law
of Moses the penalty was death by stoning. (Deuteronomy 22:21 ff, John 8:4,5).
Again, the only ground that God gave for divorcing one's mate was sexual
immorality. He said, "Whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the
cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery. And whosoever marry her
that is divorced, committeth adultery" Matthew 5:32. But the seriousness
of adultery is seen most clearly in the eternal punishment of those who commit
the sin. An impenitent adulterer cannot go to heaven. Ephesians 5:5 says:
" "No whoremonger, no unclean person hath an inheritance in the
Kingdom of Christ and of God." And in Colossians 3:6, we are told that
because fornication, uncleanness, and inordinate affection, the wrath of God
comes on the children of disobedience.
What is
adultery? Technically there are differences in the original Biblical language
as there is in the English between adultery and fornication, but as used in
this brief study, adultery is illicit sexual intercourse between married or
unmarried persons. God has graciously provided -for the sexual desires of men
and women to be satisfied only in marriage and to engage in pre-marital, or
extra-marital sex, before or outside of marriage is to sin in God's sight. It
should be made clear, however, that the sin of adultery, as serious in God's sight,
and as hateful as it -is to those who commit it, it is forgivable! The story of
Jesus and the woman who was taken in adultery (John 8) shows that adultery may
be forgiven when God's conditions of pardon are met.
And the LORD
said to Moses, "Give the following instructions to the people of Israel.
"Suppose
a man's wife goes astray, and she is unfaithful to her husband and has sex with
another man, but neither her husband nor anyone else knows about it. She has
defiled herself, even though there was no witness and she was not caught in the
act. If her husband becomes jealous and is suspicious of his wife and needs to
know whether or not she has defiled herself, the husband must bring his wife to
the priest. He must also bring an offering of two quarts of barley flour to be
presented on her behalf. Do not mix it with olive oil or frankincense, for it
is a jealousy offering—an offering to prove whether or not she is guilty" (Numbers 5:11-15)
This test for
adultery served to remove a jealous husband's suspicion. Trust between a
husband and wife had to be completely eroded for a man to bring his wife to the
priest for this type of test. Today priests and pastors help restore marriages
by counseling couples who have lost faith in each other.
Trust is a
fundamental bond in a marriage. Without it, the couple has little reason to
invest themselves in it. The marriage will simply unravel. This test served to
re-establish trust and prevent the marriage from breaking apart.
A thousand
forces can tear at a marriage's unity. Husbands and wives should work to
strengthen the bond of trust in marriage. Oftentimes, building trust is a
matter of practicing trust—being vulnerable, voicing needs or fears, inviting
help, listening. Sometimes these are risks. But if they feel risky, then that's
evidence that there's a lack of trust. Habits of trust are practiced. Good
patterns develop only by repeatedly choosing to do these hard things.
Now
concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have
sexual relations with a woman.” But because of the temptation to sexual
immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.
The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife
to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the
husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body,
but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for
a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come
together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of
self-control. ... (1
Corinthians 7:1-40)
Let marriage
be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will
judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. (Hebrews 13:4 ESV)
For you may
be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is
covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ
and God.( Ephesians 5:5)
For many
people, even for many Christians, the grass always seems greener somewhere away
from one's own spouse. The world used to take adultery seriously, but how
things have changed. The tabloids and TV chat shows send the message that
adultery is -- well, normal. "Everybody's doing it" becomes a moral
guideline, pushing aside that rather blunt statement in the Ten Commandments:
Do not commit
adultery.
Are there
forces tearing your relationships? It might be a marriage or a relationship
with a friend or family member. Restoring those relationships may require you
to take a risk. Whether you were wronged or you are at fault, what can you do
to begin the process of rebuilding that relationship?
.
We are living
in an age where sin is portrayed as a mere illness of the body or mind; when
sin is denied or laughed off, when sin is rationalized as merely doing one's
own thing, or doing what comes naturally. But a belief in the Holy God and
respect for the authority of his word demands that adultery be recognized and
acknowledged for what it is . . . sin.
The
seriousness of the sin of adultery can be seen in several ways. Under the law
of Moses the penalty was death by stoning. (Deuteronomy 22:21 ff, John 8:4,5).
Again, the only ground that God gave for divorcing one's mate was sexual
immorality. He said, "Whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the
cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery. And whosoever marry her
that is divorced, committeth adultery" Matthew 5:32. But the seriousness
of adultery is seen most clearly in the eternal punishment of those who commit
the sin. An impenitent adulterer cannot go to heaven. Ephesians 5:5 says:
" "No whoremonger, no unclean person hath an inheritance in the
Kingdom of Christ and of God." And in Colossians 3:6, we are told that
because fornication, uncleanness, and inordinate affection, the wrath of God
comes on the children of disobedience.
Adultery is
the complete corruption of God’s good creation of marriage. Through the sin of
adultery, Satan tempts us to seek sexual fulfillment in avenues other than the
one God has ordained—within the bounds of monogamous, heterosexual marriage.
Adultery rips at the fabric of society because it tears apart marriages and
families which are the building blocks of society. God’s law in general, and
the 7th commandment in particular, is held up as the standard for Christian
behavior.
This is not the time to fall into temptation, lose hope or give up. This is the time for God's people to redouble their efforts. This is the time to reach out in the name of Christ. This is the time to repent and rebuild what has been damaged by sin and neglect.
Blessings,
Raj Kosaraju
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