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

Right out of the gate, let’s understand the number one reason for the prohibition of adultery. The greatest spiritual reason for marriage is that it is a living parable of the love relationship between Christ and His Bride, the Church. Adultery is a perversion of marriage as God has ordained it, and therefore a perversion of the parable of the love relationship between Christ and His Bride, the Church.

Throughout the Old Testament God called His people’s spiritual unfaithfulness to Him “adultery.” It is worth noting that He is never unfaithful to His Bride. Every time we sin, as individuals, and collectively as His Bride, we are guilty of spiritual unfaithfulness to Him.

Besides this all-important spiritual understanding of adultery, all unfaithfulness to one’s husband or wife is adultery. Do you remember that in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus set the bar higher regarding murder (to include sinful hatred)? Jesus likewise set the bar higher regarding adultery.

"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matthew 5:27-28

Unfaithfulness in marriage is not limited to physical acts of sexual unfaithfulness, but include the thoughts and intentions of the heart. My guess is that this means many more, if not all of us, are guilty of adultery (unfaithfulness) in marriage. This universal guilt does not make the guilty less guilty. Rather, it reminds us of (a) how much we need a Savior who forgives our sins; and (b) how much we need to forgive when we have been sinned against.

Next time: The relationship between adultery and all other kinds of sexual sin.