"You shall not commit adultery.” Exodus 20:14
“So do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
“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
We obey this commandment depending on whether we listen to today’s culture or to God’s Word. Our culture says that any sexual activity is permissible because the culture listens to the world, the flesh, and the devil. The culture listens, agrees, and acts. That is why there is so much promiscuity today. If Christians did not have the Holy Spirit to help them resist the tempting words of the world, the flesh, and the devil, Christians would also agree and act.
There is no point in making a case for why a person should not indulge in adultery, or homosexuality, or pornography, or other sexual activity that I will not even mention. There are certainly physical, psychological, and legal reasons to avoid wrongful sexual activity, but people do what they want to do. If you want sex you will have it, either as God has designed it for the first couple he created, or as the culture tells you is a “loving” way to relate to others.
Christians and non-Christians should be thankful that laws have been made to limit sexual activity that harms others. Years ago, there was a law against adultery, but today adultery is no longer illegal. Our culture has lost the understanding that adultery always hurts others – men, women, and children.
Whether the law prohibits adultery or not, the Bible to tell us that adultery is wrong. It hurts others, but it will also hurt us physically, mentally, and emotionally. God wants to protect his people from being hurt in these ways. He has given us this commandment and all the other nine because he loves us.
Ephesians 5:22-33 gives us a beautiful picture of how God loves his own. Christ loved his bride, the church, and gave himself up for her. Not even the tiniest thought of adultery. Husbands and wives are to do the same.
Actually, the question of adultery is simple. The culture says that adultery is ok. God says it is not ok. Who we listen to is our decision. Will we listen to God or listen to the culture? Listening to the culture will ruin our lives. And remember, the culture will never save us, only the Lord Jesus Christ will save us.
I have learned that the way we listen to God is through reading, studying, and acting on what the Bible tells us (I can tell you some good ways to study the Bible!). As for me I want to listen to God more each day and I pray you do too.
All of us have seen the incredibly painful fallout from adultery - either by personal experience or by witnessing it in someone else's life. God shows His love for us when He gives us these commandments. Each one is to spare us from pain or to lead us to abundant life, as we see in the first commandment. How foolish it is to disobey Him.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad to realize that not every person even knows The Commandments. For those that do my question to them is simple, "You believe that God is love, correct?" To that question I usually receive. "Yes." as an answer. My follow-up question is, "Then why are you choosing to live in an unloving way. The One who creates makes the best rules for His creation." The blindness our culture promotes is godless and has infected the church. Only the true Church can stand and respond with truth.
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