The Seventh, Eighth, And Ninth Commandments Series

THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT

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

This commandment prohibits sexual relationships between two persons with at least one of them belonging to another. It upholds the sacredness of marriage between a biological man and a biological woman as the divine plan for the propagation and multiplication of the human race.

Second, only to a personal relationship with God, marriage is the single most important relationship that a Christian will ever have. Marriage is the most HOLY thing they will ever do. Marriage is about living in harmony, commonality, and agreement, which is impossible without both partners being Born-Again (2 Corinthians 6:14-7-2).

Being unfaithful in a legal marriage is specifically addressed here. Marriage is most important to God.

“If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.” (Leviticus 20:10 ESV)

The binding commitment of marriage is similar to the relationship between God and every Christian. Unfaithfulness to God is also considered adultery (Genesis 39:9). Adultery is an invasion of the household that destroys the family, which is the primary basis of the social order.

It should be noted that God recognizes the equality of men and women. Israel’s Law was distinctive regarding adultery in that it recognized that equality, and the adulterer, as well as the adulteress, was to be punished by death (Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:22).

Jesus expanded on this commandment and set an even higher standard when He said,

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.” (Matthew 5:27-29 ESV).

God regards adultery committed in the heart the same as physical adultery. All sexual activity outside of marriage is adultery. It is a sin against God, oneself, the person involved, and their future spouse.

“For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well.” (Acts 15:28-29 ESV)

All sexual immorality emanates from the works of the sinful nature.

“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-21 ESV)

“Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:18-20 ESV)

“We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day.” (1 Corinthians 10:8 ESV)

“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” (Colossians 3:5 ESV)

“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.” (1 Thessalonians 4:3-7 ESV)

Breaking the covenant of marriage between two Christians is adultery. God considers marriage between two Christians a binding contractual commitment between them and Him. Divorce betrays and injures the husband, wife, children, and the marriage covenant. God made the husband and wife "one." (Genesis 2:18-25). God miraculously makes two totally different people become one flesh. God mysteriously binds husband and wife together in the most intimate fellowship. The Bible describes a man's wife as his "companion, and his “wife by covenant" (Malachi 2:14 ESV). The essence of the marriage relationship is friendship. Biblically, "covenant" is a bond of communion. In the communion of the marriage covenant, a man's wife is his "companion," his friend.