Verse of the day: Exodus 20:14 “You shall not commit adultery.”
To commit adultery is to engage in sexual relations with someone other than your spouse, regardless of whether the other person is single or also married. Any type of sexual activity outside of the marriage relationship is adultery. God included this in the Ten Commandments because of the sexual practices in Egypt, as well as in the land that God was giving the Israelites; as it was already inhabited by idolatrous and adulterous cultures. God created the institution of marriage from the beginning (Genesis 2:24). Marriage was created by God to be between one man and one woman, and the means by which to populate the earth (Genesis 1:28). Throughout the Scriptures we read God’s command to be pure sexually. We are told to be careful about what we put before our eyes and what we think about. Psalm 101:3 reads, “I will set nothing wicked before my eyes”. Philippians 4:8 encourages us to keep our thoughts pure; it reads, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” When a husband or wife commits adultery, he or she is responsible for their own choice to do so, and must take responsibility for what they have chosen. They must repent and confess it for what it is…sin against God, primarily. Long before a man commits adultery, he has already prepared his minds for it. When we are careless about what we watch, television shows that contain sexual scenes, or pornography on the computer, we put ourselves in a position to fantasize about being with other women besides our own wife. When we see an attractive woman and fantasize about being with her sexually, and she is not our wife, Jesus said that we have already committed adultery in our hearts with her; therefore, before God we have already committed the act (Matthew 5:28). It is a short “hop and skip” from there to plotting in our minds how to make that happen. Sadly, the devil has no problem putting someone before us that is more than willing to participate. The mindset that exists in the world, and society, makes it easy to stray from our marriage. There is a way that we can avoid falling into this trap. However, what I will say now is something that will not be popular with some Christians, but needs to be voiced. All too often, when one spouse strays from the marriage, it has much to do with a breakdown in the marriage relationship long before adultery happens. A failure on the part of one or both spouses plays a large part in one of them seeking an inappropriate, and sinful, relationship with someone else. A husband and wife need to establish an intimate relationship, first, and foremost, with Christ. Not only must we have an intimate relationship with Christ, we must have one with each other. That means friendship, love, respect, and yes, a healthy sexual relationship. The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 7:1-5, “Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. 2 Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. 3 Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5 Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.” Far too many spouses deprive each other of the pleasure they are supposed to enjoy in the marriage relationship, and some even use it as a “weapon” or “bargaining chip” to get their spouse to do what they want. This is clearly sin as it violates the Scriptures. When we deprive one another sexually in the marriage, the Bible is clear that we give Satan plenty of room to bring temptation into the marriage. This is something that is rarely addressed in cases of adultery, in marriage, and the only person disciplined, or outcast, is the person who is ultimately tempted because of the other spouses disobedience, and sinful behavior, in violating the Word of God. Again, this is an unpopular stance to take when addressing the sin of adultery. I will now take the time to address something that will once again offend some. Christian sisters, please be careful about how you adorn yourself. Society has no issues dressing in such a way that they might as well be walking around naked. This ought not to be within the Christian community. We must not only take personal responsibility for our own purity, we must also be careful not to contribute to vile atmosphere we already live in. Another aspect of this commandment is that of spiritual adultery, which this word, in the Old Testament, is also used for. When we worship someone or something other than God, we commit spiritual adultery against the LORD. When we commit idolatry, it goes hand in hand with spiritual adultery. In essence, even in this commandment, God is once again reminding us how much He despises idolatry. Let us seek to be both spiritually and physically pure in Christ.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
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