It Starts Small

¹⁴ Do not commit adultery. Exodus 20:14

Physical adultery is sex between a married person and a person that is not their spouse. It causes a world of hurt. It breaks hearts, rips apart relationships, and causes division in families. This is why God forbids adultery, but it goes deeper than just acts physical of adultery. We all must be careful to not say you have never broken this commandment.

When God created sex, it was created to be the act of marriage and represent a total union of a man and woman. This union is exclusive and lifelong. But also, marriage is not about a man and woman. Marriage is a metaphor for the love between Jesus and His bride. The love commitment between husband and wife is to reflect the love and commitment of between Christ and the church. The passion and desire a husband and a wife have for sexual union points to the the passion and desire Jesus has to live in union with His people.

This commandment is not exclusive to physical adultery. Jesus is perfectly faithful to His bride despite in the Old Testament, the Israelites continually committed spiritual adultery against God by worshiping idols. The books of Hosea and Ezekiel graphically depict how Israel broke God’s heart by acting like a prostitute. Israel’s union to idols is like a prostitutes union to other men.

Jesus teaches us that adultery starts in the heart.

²⁷ “You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery. ²⁸ But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹ If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. ³⁰ And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. Matthew 5:27-30

Adultery starts with lust. Selfishly desiring a person who is not your spouse is selfishly desiring an idol that is not God. Can we be bold and take liberty that this in not just about sexual intention of the heart? Can we replace it with sin in general. You think of a lie, you commit lying. You think of hurting another through action or speech, you are guilty of hurting that person. You think about stealing, you are guilty of stealing. Jesus says when we think about sinning, even though we have not physically done it, we already have in our heart. He says gouge it out and cut it off. These thoughts need to be thrown thrown out and confessed. Any ungodly desire of the heart that is given birth in our minds need to be gouged out and cut off.

Guard your heart above all else,
for it is the source of life.
Proverbs 4:23

Jesus is faithful to us! Faithfulness to Him needs to be reflected in our marriages. When our marriages are unfaithful, it tells a lie that God is not faithful to His people. Marriage and sex reminds us of the goodness of God and His unwavering commitment to His people.

Lust dehumanizes a person. Lust views them as an object to be used rather than an image-bearer of God. How does this fail to fulfill our calling to love one another?

Jesus pursues His people with a never-ending, fully committed, and passionate love. How does knowing this change your perception of love for others? How can we share the love of Christ with others?

Our commitments to one another and the desire to keep them reflect the desire we have for God.

²¹ submitting to one another in the fear of Christ. ²² Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord, ²³ because the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of the body. Ephesians 5:21-23

Our submission is solely tied to our submission to Christ. Unity in a marriage will not exist if both are not completely surrendered to Christ. Our unity to God will not exist if we are not surrendered completely to Him. Marriage and sex is a reflection of our submission to Christ. Do we view it as an object for our gratification or as an opportunity to reflect Christ?

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Part 1: God’s Holiness Revealed
Part 2: Depending on God
Part 3: Image of God
Part 4: What is in a Name?
Part 5: Resting in God
Part 6: Lifelong Honor
Part 7: Living in Unity
Part 8: Following a Faithful God
Part 9: Work and Generosity
Part 10 Honest Justice
Part 11: Transformed Hearts