You Shall Not Commit Adultery

“You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14).

A little boy once asked his father, “Daddy, what does it mean, ‘Thou shalt not commit agriculture’?” Without hesitation his father replied, “Son, it means you’re not supposed to plow the other man’s field.” The answer satisfied them both.

The seventh commandment is every bit as relevant in modern America as it was 3500 years ago at Mt. Sinai. Negatively, it prohibits sexual immorality of every kind. Positively, it teaches us to honor marriage, God’s plan for sexual fulfillment. That plan is simple: one man and one woman in marriage for life (cf. Genesis 2:18-24; Romans 7:1-3; et al.).

In light of God’s command against adultery, we should consider some popular trends and how God’s people should respond to them.

Fornication and Adultery

Much like that little boy, increasing numbers of people don’t even know what “fornication” and “adultery” mean. Fornication describes all sexual intercourse outside of rightful marriage. Adultery is fornication in which at least one party is married to someone else. Some modern Bible translations use “sexual immorality” and “marital unfaithfulness” respectively.

While Americans may have trouble defining fornication and adultery, they have little trouble practicing them. Surveys and studies indicate the following:
• Only about 30% of us believe that pre-marital and extra-marital sex are always wrong.
• The average young person loses his/her virginity at age 16. By age 19, about 75% of girls and 85% of boys have had sex.
• Every year, one million teenage girls become pregnant and three million teens contract a sexually transmitted disease. America’s teen pregnancy rate is the highest of any developed country.
• Since 1970, the number of unmarried couples living together has increased more than 700%. The number of children born out of wedlock has tripled.
• The general consensus among researchers is that about 60% of men and 50% of women either have cheated or will cheat on their spouses.

God’s Spirit says, “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge” (Hebrews 13:4; see also 1 Corinthians 6:18; Galatians 5:19). In addition, homosexuality (male/male or female/ female sexual relations) is also condemned (1 Corinthians 6:9; Romans 1:26-27). In short, both Old and New Testaments forbid any sexual intercourse except that between a rightfully married man and woman.

In our culture, most adults view sex as a natural and inevitable part of dating. Marriage is increasingly regarded as a needless burden. Worse still, many adults not only expect but encourage teenagers to engage in sexual activity. The realities surrounding us make it all the more important that Christians commit themselves to God’s plan for sexual fulfillment — even if that makes us a little odd by the world’s standards.

Divorce

It would be an understatement to say that divorce is treated pretty casually these days. Over the last 30 years the divorce rate has increased by about 40%, while the marriage rate has fallen nearly 30%. Translation: fewer people are getting married, and fewer of those who do marry are staying married. According to most estimates nationwide, some 60% of new marriages will eventually fail.

God’s view of divorce is anything but casual. He hates it (Malachi 2:14-16). The world’s expectations of marriage may not be much, but God’s expectations are quite clear. Jesus addresses the subject of divorce in Matthew 5:32 and 19:9, Mark 10:11-12, and Luke 16:18. Put all these passages together and you get a simple formula: If a husband and wife divorce and either one remarries, that person is committing adultery against his/her original spouse. The only exception: if one divorces his/her spouse because of sexual immorality, he/she is free to remarry.

I find no valid reason to conclude that Jesus uses “adultery” to mean anything but “adultery” in these passages. In marriage, two people are bound together by God for life (Romans 7:1; Matthew 19:6). Sexual union with any other, even if civil law recognizes that person as one’s spouse, is adultery against the mate to whom one is bound by Divine law.

If you think Jesus’ teaching on divorce is strict, you share the opinion of the disciples who first heard it. Their reaction was, “If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry” (Matthew 19:10). Of course, God’s teaching about divorce is not designed to be a hardship, but rather to ensure the kind of commitment without which a marriage can be neither happy nor enduring.

Lust and Lasciviousness

When it comes to sexuality, God is as concerned with our thoughts as with our actions. Jesus explained, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; but I say to you that everyone who looks on a woman to lust for her has committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28).

Our culture needs to hear that teaching! I sometimes think lust has replaced baseball as America’s pastime. Our country is the world’s leading producer of pornographic videos; a recent statistic claims that 90% of the pornography sold worldwide is produced here. Rentals of pornographic videos are more than ten times what they were in 1985, accounting for one-fourth of all video rentals. Americans spend over $14 billion a year on pornography (including the millions worth of “pay-per-view” porn that is piped into their hotel rooms and living rooms).

Our national obsession with lust is self-evident. Every year, prime time network TV pushes the envelope of sexual content and nudity. Radio and printed media follow suit. Advertisements use sex appeal to sell everything from soft drinks to car parts.

God is grieved by this lustful mind set. His word condemns “sensuality” or “lasciviousness,” a word that describes unrestrained conduct, especially that of a sexual nature. God instead wants every person “to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion” (1 Thessalonians 4:4-5). We must guard ourselves against the wanton impurity of the world. That will often mean turning off the TV or radio. It may mean taking a second look at how we allow our children to dress. It may mean changing some habits. Let’s have the courage to think differently from the world. Our souls depend on it.