The 7th Commandment Thou shalt not commit adultery. So what is adultery? Adultery according to our dictionary definition is
Adultery (
anglicised from Latin
adulterium) is a term of condemnation used to refer to
sexual intercourse between a married person and someone other than their spouse. Interpretations of what constitutes adultery vary widely, as do the religious and legal consequences of the acts in question. But what does the Bible and specifically Jesus say about the subject of adultery.
Exodus 20:14 "Thou shalt not commit adultery"
Leviticus 20:10 "And the man that committeth adultery with his neigbours wife the adulterer and adulteress shall surely be put to death"
Deuteronomy 5:18 "Neither shalt thou commit adultery"
Need another one? Ok how about
Ezekiel 16:32 "A wife that committeth adultery which taketh strangers instead of her husband"
I know this is where someone says
"but thats Old Testament...that doesn't apply today obviously as Jesus did away with stoning and death for adultery?"
John 8:3-5 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, 4 they say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
You are correct Jesus did do away with death and stoning as a form of punishment for adultery and every sin for that matter but he did not abolish the law of adultery and it continuing to be a sin in any way.
Let's take a look at New Testament specifically and what Jesus says in the area of adultery. Jesus actually takes the commandment and
ADDS to it: HE states that not only is the act itself considered adultery but to even look at another with lust is considered adultery as well.
In Matthew 5:27 "thou shalt not commit adultery ; but I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart" This is not meant to make things harder to follow but put simply, it opens pathways to start sinful behaviour. Have respect for your spouse, for every other human being and for God himself.
Were you aware that Jesus also addressed 'divorce' and 'remarriage' in relation to the topic of adultery? It is often overlooked in organizational religions and denominations. What does the Bible say in this area?
Matthew 5:32 but
I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the
cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever
shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
Matthew 19:9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.
Mark 10:11-12 "And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. 12 And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery."
Luke 16:18 "Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery."
These scriptures make it very clear that each person in the marriage is responsible for his/her own actions and one cannot push their sin onto another. Marriage was a covenant that you both made in front of God "in sickness and in health til death due you part" and God takes very seriously. There should be no issues that can't be resolved other than the ones that Jesus specifically lists as acceptable reasons for divorce.
Scriptures also make it very clear there are no differentiating between the sins and that even though you may think that adultery only affects you and your spouse it greatly affects God. Adultery is just as wrong as murder according to Gods standards.
Matthew 19:18 "He
saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt
not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false
witness,"
Luke 18:20 "Thou knowest the
commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not
bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. "
Romans 13:9 For
this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt
not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and
if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
After reading this scripture thoroughly I have to admit this one stopped me long enough to make me question what I already knew to be true. It was only briefly Thank God xo but nonetheless I questioned the truth for a second. The devil he's a sneaky one! So I did some research in this area to help make it clear for all of us so you aren't temporarily deceived as well. This scripture at first glance made me stop and question....did Jesus Christ, the Chief Apostle (Heb. 3:1), teach ALL of the Ten Commandments? And Did He command His apostles to do the same? Or did he just simply address some commandments as some denominations think? When we look at the
first four of the Ten Commandments it is clear that it teaches man how to love God. “You
shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make unto you any
graven image…You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in
vain…Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Ex. 20:3-8).In Matthew 22:37-38,
Christ summarized all four of these, saying, “You shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment” He does however address each of the commandments separately so there is no confusion throughout the biblical cannon.
When Satan tried to tempt Jesus while He fasted in the wilderness, Christ quoted the First Commandment: “Get you behind Me, Satan: for it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve” (Luke 4:8; Matt. 4:10).In John 4:24, Christ was speaking about the Second Commandment
when He taught that men cannot use physical objects, images or
“aids”—in other words, idols—to worship a spiritual God. God is a
Spirit, His followers must are to worship Him in spirit.Paul also taught the Second Commandment in his teachings. “Neither be you idolaters,
as were some of them as it is
written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play” (I Cor. 10:7).
In Matthew 15:18-19,
Christ again teaches against breaking several of God’s commandments, including
the third. “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders adulteries , fornications, thefts , false witness [Ninth Commandment], blasphemies [Third Commandment]”. In other words, taking God’s name in vain.
The Fourth Commandment—observing
the seventh day Sabbath—is the one most professing Christians refuse to
obey. Most assume that men have the authority to change the Sabbath to
whatever day is most convenient.Yet Christ kept the Sabbath on the seventh day. “And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up: and, as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read” (Luke 4:16). Paul followed Jesus' example. He taught in the synagogues on the Sabbath (Acts 17:2).
And not just to the Jews, but also to the Gentiles. (Acts 13:42, 44). There no evidence that
he led them to keep Sunday and there is no evidence that the Jews accused Paul of not keeping the Sabbath indicating that he must have held to the original and only correct day; Friday sundown to Saturday sundown. When correctly translated, Hebrews 4:9 should read, “There remains therefore a keeping of the Sabbath to the people of God.”
Christ also says that He “is the same yesterday, and today, and forever” (Heb. 13:8) meaning He will not change now or in the future. New Testament observance of the seventh-day Sabbath
is established in Hebrews 4:9.
The last six of the Ten Commandments instruct man on how to love his
fellow man. “Honor your father and your mother…You shall not kill.
You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear
false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet…” (Ex. 20:12-17).
Centuries later, Christ said that anyone who wants to enter eternal life must keep these same commandments: “You shall do no murder [Sixth Commandment], You shall not commit adultery [Seventh Commandment], You shall not steal [Eighth Commandment], You shall not bear false witness [Ninth Commandment], Honor your father and your mother [Fifth Commandment]” (Matt. 19:18-19). Christ summarized these as “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” the second greatest commandment (Matt. 22:39).Years
after Christ’s sacrifice (which most religious leaders claim does away
with the law), Paul taught these same commandments to Gentiles
in Rome. “For this, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill,
You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, You shall not
covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended
in this saying, namely, You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Rom. 13:9).In Ephesians 6:2, Paul commanded Christians to obey the Fifth Commandment by honoring their parents. He commanded them to obey the Ninth Commandment: “Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor” (Eph. 4:25).
He observed the Tenth Commandment, saying, “I had not known sin, but by
the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, You shall
not covet” (Rom. 7:7). The
Apostle James also warned about the dangers of breaking the Tenth
Commandment. “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own
lust, and enticed. Then when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death” (James 1:14-15). So how about now? Is there still any confusion in this area? ALL of the Ten Commandments were preached throughout the New Testament and Jesus wants us to follow them all.
No wonder the Apostle John wrote, “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous” (I John 5:2-3).
What are people talking about when they speak of A New Commandment?
After all these biblical proofs, some will still believe
that the Ten Commandments were abolished and some claim that the Ten Commandments were
“replaced” by a “new commandment”. But what
is this “new commandment”? Does keeping the new commandment then negate keeping the Ten
Commandments?In John 13:34-35, Christ said, “A new commandment I give unto you, That you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love one to another.”In Matthew 22:37-39, Christ said we must love our neighbors as ourselves. Christ however gives us a new and higher standard to live by—to love others as Christ loves us not what we think constitutes loving our neighbours as ourselves.
Only those with God’s Holy Spirit dwelling in them can love people the
way Christ does. “Because the carnal mind is enmity against
God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So
then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in
the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his…For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Rom. 8:7-9, 14). This is talking about true BELIEVERS!When
Christ said, “love one another, as I have loved you,” He was talking to
His disciples. They, later on, were baptized and received the Holy
Spirit (see Acts 2),
becoming the New Testament Church. Only true BELIEVERS–those with the
Spirit of God in their minds—can hope to love others as Christ does.
Carnal man cannot.But what about the “new commandment” in I John 2:8? “Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in Him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shines.” What is it that is both “true in Christ” and in BELIEVERS?The answer is in John 16:13-15, It
is the Holy Spirit—the “Spirit of truth”—that is “true in Christ,”. This same spirit sets God’s
people apart from the world. The Holy Spirit empowers a BELIEVING mind, enabling us to love
the way Christ and God do. Without it, no human being can
perfectly fulfill I Corinthians 13:4-8:
“Love suffers long, and is kind; love envies not; love vaunts not
itself, is not puffed up, does not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her
own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil; Rejoices not in iniquity,
but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes
all things, endures all things. Love never fails”In II John 5-6, John wrote, “And now I beseech you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto you, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk after His commandments. This is the commandment, That, as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.”
After some research,some soul searching and asking God for guidance it is crystal clear this scripture does not replace or do away with the Ten Commandments. Instead, it reinforces them.
The
Ten Commandments existed before Moses from the time of Creation. All
ten were taught throughout the New Testament. They are still in effect
today.
God Bless xo
