“You shall not commit adultery.” – Exodus 20:14
Q: What is the seventh commandment?
A: You shall not commit adultery.
What does this mean?
Because we worship and love God, we should lead an innocent and good life in words and actions, and we should love and honor our spouse.
Have you ever been to a wedding ceremony? If so, what do you remember? Music, flowers, beautiful clothing, lots of photographs and gifts?
Those are all great things that come with a wedding ceremony but what do you think is the ultimate purpose of it?
The purpose of a wedding ceremony is for a man and a woman to stand before God and all their family and friends and publicly commit to being faithful to one another for life. The married couple enter into what is called a covenant. A covenant is a binding agreement between two parties that is based on a loving relationship. It is a form of making promises to one another.
One of the horrible things about adultery is that it is a betrayal of all those promises that are made on a wedding day. If you commit adultery you make yourself into a liar. You promised to remain faithful to only your husband or wife for the rest of your life but those promises turn into lies if you commit adultery.
Satan is the Father of Lies. He loves it when we lie. The reason he loves it is because lying destroys relationships and God has created us for an amazingly great relationship with him and with others, especially, the marriage relationship. Adultery makes us liars but God loves it when we are truthful and remain true to the covenant relationship with our spouse.
Read John 8:2–11:
Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”
- How does Jesus treat the woman who had committed adultery?
- Does Jesus say that her sin is no big deal?
- How can adulterers be forgiven?
Prayer
Our Father, apart from your forgiveness, we would be hopelessly lost. Help us to be true to our word but when we fail, remind us of your life, death, and resurrection that were for us to give us life. Life that doesn’t have to be one that is in slavery to sin but rather is full of joy in following you. Protect us from the enemy who would love to make liars of all of us. Fill us with your Spirit and keep us near you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.