Biblical Gender Identity: Adultery (Jayden12 Mobile)

Biblical Gender Identity

Site: Jayden12.com › Rock › Gender Identity › Adultery (Mobile) - Full Site

Section: Intro ⋅ Single ⋅ Marriage ⋅ Adultery ⋅ Living Together Not Married ⋅ Prostitution ⋅ Cross Dressing ⋅ Homosexuality ⋅ Animals ⋅ Incest ⋅ Self ⋅ Cycle ⋅ Polygamy ⋅ Divorce ⋅ Abortion ⋅ Adoption ⋅ Style ⋅ General ⋅ Conclusions

Disclaimers:

1. This is a mature topic only intended for people who've at least begun puberty. If you are less than 13 years old then I pray you don't have any reason to concern yourself with this yet, and you should ask a trustworthy adult before reading this. (My Family in the Bible page (here) is meant for all ages.)

2. This summary is not intended for general counseling, it is for those who want to know what the Bible says on this topic, and for those who claim the Bible is silent or says the opposite, plus a little commentary to get us started on what it means and how all this fits in a Biblical worldview.

Adultery

This should be about as non-controversial of a topic as we can get. While I don't hear this being actively defended in our culture by anyone (except those who stand to profit financially from other people doing it) we have passively resigned ourselves to self-declared inevitability. However, God has an opinion on this topic and He communicated it real succinctly.

Exodus 20:14 hub
Deuteronomy 5:18 hub

God's opinion on the issue didn't start when He gave the 10 Commandments to Moses. Consider these situations where people (even very powerful people) almost did indecent things hundreds of years earlier but God intervened first.

Genesis 12:10-20
Genesis 20:1-18
Genesis 26:6-11

Notice in these passages God didn't have to argue that adultery was wrong. They knew it already. God didn't even have to use the word, He just said "she's married" and we can imagine the look on Abimelek's face. While these stories may seem strange at face value, they teach us a valuable lesson that our culture has caused us to overlook. In the early days, there was a universally accepted agreement (commonly accepted by many cultures that really didn't care what each other thought) that marriage was sacred. That opinion came from somewhere. It came from God, specifically through Adam and Eve, as recorded (or at least alluded to) in Genesis 2:24-25.

The Bible has many more references to adultery than just in the 10 commandments:

Direct

Leviticus 18:20 hub
Leviticus 20:10 hub
Numbers 5:19-21 hub
Deuteronomy 22:22-29 hub
2 Samuel 12:10 hub
Proverbs 2:16-18 hub
Proverbs 5 hub
Proverbs 6:26-35 hub
Proverbs 7:6-27 hub
Jeremiah 7:9-10 hub
Ezekiel 18:5-6 hub
Matthew 5:27-30 hub
Matthew 15:19 hub & Mark 7:21-23 hub
Matthew 19:18 hub
Mark 10:11-12 hub & Luke 16:18 hub
Romans 13:9 hub
1 Timothy 3:2 hub
1 Timothy 3:12 hub
Titus 1:6 hub
Hebrews 13:4 hub

Indirect

There's an important recurring theme in scripture that God gave us marriage as an object lesson to demonstrate the relationship between Christ and the Church (God and His people). Adultery in the physical damages the parallel in the spiritual.

2 Corinthians 11:2 hub
Ephesians 5:23-32 hub
Revelation 19:7 hub

God specifically pointed out Israel's breaking of the first two of the Ten Commandments by describing them in adulterous terms on numerous occasions. For examples: Deuteronomy 31:16, Jeremiah 3:1, Ezekiel 23:3, Hosea 1:2, 3:1, and Matthew 16:4.

Bible Stories

Genesis 38 - Judah & Tamar
2 Samuel 11:1-12:25 - David & Bathsheba
Hosea 1:2-3, 3:1-3 - Hosea & Gomer
John 8:1-11 - The woman brought before Jesus

Worldview

Adultery has an added bonus in that it's breaking a promise. Marriage is more about commitment than love. The feeling of love ebbs and flows because life is a roller coaster, not a monorail. But our commitment to each other shouldn't fluctuate. Marriage by definition is a promise and a commitment, arguably the most significant commitment of our lives. Adultery ruins everything, including their spouse's trust, their kid's trust, and their qualifications as a respectable role model to society, just as a start (Psalm 11:3). For those of you screaming "why?!" at your laptop or phone right now, here's why: Because marriage is the most important commitment in your life and the foundation of society, and committing adultery is scoffing in the face of the people you've publicly pledged your life to, for the sake of a brief, forbidden, self-gratifying, selfish moment of indulgence (or weakness). If this is the way you treat the most significant, most meaningful relationship in your life, what signal does that send to everyone else whom you ever have or ever will make any form of promise or commitment to? By definition if we commit adultery we are publicly humiliating our family. May this always be taboo. Now, this side of the cross, even if a person fails in this regard doesn't mean we are commanded to divorce and/or shun that person. We are all fallen people (Psalm 143:2, Romans 3:10) and the condition of the heart is critically important when deciding what to do after a failure. The topics of forgiveness and repentance are incredibly important and deserve entire books, but even then these don't change the nature of right and wrong.

Exodus 20:14 is the 7th of the 10 Commandments. The 10th says "don't covet your neighbor's wife" (Exodus 20:17). According to dictionary.com, "covet" means "to desire wrongfully, inordinately, or without due regard for the rights of others." When we dive into this concept, there's what occurs to us (pops into our heads) and then there's what we allow our minds to dwell on. Paul points out that we can take our thoughts, which God knows are always selfish (Genesis 6:5, Jeremiah 17:9), and consciously force them to align with God (Colossians 3:5, 2 Corinthians 10:5). Paul's not saying this is a onetime activity and then for the rest of our lives our consciences will be clear. It's a lifelong commitment to focus our thoughts on righteousness, holiness even (1 John 2:16). Besides the fact that this is "every man's battle," even Paul may have struggled with this (2 Corinthians 12:7-9) so we shouldn't be surprised when we do too. A key point here is there's an important distinction between the existence of desire in our soul and how we allow that to manifest itself in our body and mind (Genesis 4:7). Having a temptation is one thing (we all have them) acting on it (in even the smallest way) is another.

It's only a little different if a person is driven to adultery. Sometimes a wife can feel like a single parent because her husband puts all of his energy into his job and leaves none for his family. This is an easy trap for a man to get in, for many reasons (including 2 Thessalonians 3:10). That doesn't make adultery any more acceptable, but does mean both may be to blame, not just the one who goes through with the act. Because husbands are commanded to love their wives (Exodus 21:10, Ephesians 5:33, Colossians 3:19) and negligence of this is very serious (Malachi 2:13-15). A spouse can't avoid the penalties of adultery or divorce by simply "checking out" of the relationship, but skipping the formality of either of these sins. A couple dealing with this problem is in a desperately sad situation and needs outside help.

Similarly, if a couple acts married for a significant time and then one of you just gets bored and decides to sleep around, that's not really better just because you never had a wedding. In the eyes of human law it's very different, but to God this is still adultery (Exodus 22:16, Mark 10:6-9). Human law doesn't have to be fully redundant to God's law, it just needs to not contradict. The term "consummate a marriage" exists for a reason, and that is once you have sex, in God's eyes you are now married.

The universal danger of sex is, once you sample this experience with one person, the sad reality is you now have unprecedented ability to at-least-halfway-accurately know how good it would be with another. But our Creator clearly said it was forbidden to act on that knowledge. This is the ultimate example of 1 Corinthians 10:13.

Lastly, there's a related concept here that should be mentioned. Jesus essentially said that pornography is no better than adultery (Matthew 5:27-28).

Last Modified: Sunday, December 03, 2023


	Biblical Gender Identity Site: Jayden12.com › Rock › Gender Identity › Adultery (Mobile) - Full Site Section: Intro ⋅ Single ⋅ Marriage ⋅ Adultery ⋅ Living Together Not Married ⋅ Prostitution ⋅ Cross Dressing ⋅ Homosexuality ⋅ Animals ⋅ Incest ⋅ Self ⋅ Cycle ⋅ Polygamy ⋅ Divorce ⋅ Abortion ⋅ Adoption ⋅ Style ⋅ General ⋅ Conclusions Disclaimers: 1. This is a mature topic only intended for people who've at least begun puberty. If you are less than 13 years old then I pray you don't have any reason to concern yourself with this yet, and you should ask a trustworthy adult before reading this. (My Family in the Bible page (here) is meant for all ages.) 2. This summary is not intended for general counseling, it is for those who want to know what the Bible says on this topic, and for those who claim the Bible is silent or says the opposite, plus a little commentary to get us started on what it means and how all this fits in a Biblical worldview.

	Adultery

	This should be about as non-controversial of a topic as we can get. While I don't hear this being actively defended in our culture by anyone (except those who stand to profit financially from other people doing it) we have passively resigned ourselves to self-declared inevitability. However, God has an opinion on this topic and He communicated it real succinctly. Exodus 20:14 hub Deuteronomy 5:18 hub God's opinion on the issue didn't start when He gave the 10 Commandments to Moses. Consider these situations where people (even very powerful people) almost did indecent things hundreds of years earlier but God intervened first. Genesis 12:10-20 Genesis 20:1-18 Genesis 26:6-11 Notice in these passages God didn't have to argue that adultery was wrong. They knew it already. God didn't even have to use the word, He just said "she's married" and we can imagine the look on Abimelek's face. While these stories may seem strange at face value, they teach us a valuable lesson that our culture has caused us to overlook. In the early days, there was a universally accepted agreement (commonly accepted by many cultures that really didn't care what each other thought) that marriage was sacred. That opinion came from somewhere. It came from God, specifically through Adam and Eve, as recorded (or at least alluded to) in Genesis 2:24-25. The Bible has many more references to adultery than just in the 10 commandments: Direct Leviticus 18:20 hub Leviticus 20:10 hub Numbers 5:19-21 hub Deuteronomy 22:22-29 hub 2 Samuel 12:10 hub Proverbs 2:16-18 hub Proverbs 5 hub Proverbs 6:26-35 hub Proverbs 7:6-27 hub Jeremiah 7:9-10 hub Ezekiel 18:5-6 hub Matthew 5:27-30 hub Matthew 15:19 hub & Mark 7:21-23 hub Matthew 19:18 hub Mark 10:11-12 hub & Luke 16:18 hub Romans 13:9 hub 1 Timothy 3:2 hub 1 Timothy 3:12 hub Titus 1:6 hub Hebrews 13:4 hub Indirect There's an important recurring theme in scripture that God gave us marriage as an object lesson to demonstrate the relationship between Christ and the Church (God and His people). Adultery in the physical damages the parallel in the spiritual. 2 Corinthians 11:2 hub Ephesians 5:23-32 hub Revelation 19:7 hub God specifically pointed out Israel's breaking of the first two of the Ten Commandments by describing them in adulterous terms on numerous occasions. For examples: Deuteronomy 31:16, Jeremiah 3:1, Ezekiel 23:3, Hosea 1:2, 3:1, and Matthew 16:4. Bible Stories Genesis 38 - Judah & Tamar 2 Samuel 11:1-12:25 - David & Bathsheba Hosea 1:2-3, 3:1-3 - Hosea & Gomer John 8:1-11 - The woman brought before Jesus Worldview Adultery has an added bonus in that it's breaking a promise. Marriage is more about commitment than love. The feeling of love ebbs and flows because life is a roller coaster, not a monorail. But our commitment to each other shouldn't fluctuate. Marriage by definition is a promise and a commitment, arguably the most significant commitment of our lives. Adultery ruins everything, including their spouse's trust, their kid's trust, and their qualifications as a respectable role model to society, just as a start (Psalm 11:3). For those of you screaming "why?!" at your laptop or phone right now, here's why: Because marriage is the most important commitment in your life and the foundation of society, and committing adultery is scoffing in the face of the people you've publicly pledged your life to, for the sake of a brief, forbidden, self-gratifying, selfish moment of indulgence (or weakness). If this is the way you treat the most significant, most meaningful relationship in your life, what signal does that send to everyone else whom you ever have or ever will make any form of promise or commitment to? By definition if we commit adultery we are publicly humiliating our family. May this always be taboo. Now, this side of the cross, even if a person fails in this regard doesn't mean we are commanded to divorce and/or shun that person. We are all fallen people (Psalm 143:2, Romans 3:10) and the condition of the heart is critically important when deciding what to do after a failure. The topics of forgiveness and repentance are incredibly important and deserve entire books, but even then these don't change the nature of right and wrong. Exodus 20:14 is the 7th of the 10 Commandments. The 10th says "don't covet your neighbor's wife" (Exodus 20:17). According to dictionary.com, "covet" means "to desire wrongfully, inordinately, or without due regard for the rights of others." When we dive into this concept, there's what occurs to us (pops into our heads) and then there's what we allow our minds to dwell on. Paul points out that we can take our thoughts, which God knows are always selfish (Genesis 6:5, Jeremiah 17:9), and consciously force them to align with God (Colossians 3:5, 2 Corinthians 10:5). Paul's not saying this is a onetime activity and then for the rest of our lives our consciences will be clear. It's a lifelong commitment to focus our thoughts on righteousness, holiness even (1 John 2:16). Besides the fact that this is "every man's battle," even Paul may have struggled with this (2 Corinthians 12:7-9) so we shouldn't be surprised when we do too. A key point here is there's an important distinction between the existence of desire in our soul and how we allow that to manifest itself in our body and mind (Genesis 4:7). Having a temptation is one thing (we all have them) acting on it (in even the smallest way) is another. It's only a little different if a person is driven to adultery. Sometimes a wife can feel like a single parent because her husband puts all of his energy into his job and leaves none for his family. This is an easy trap for a man to get in, for many reasons (including 2 Thessalonians 3:10). That doesn't make adultery any more acceptable, but does mean both may be to blame, not just the one who goes through with the act. Because husbands are commanded to love their wives (Exodus 21:10, Ephesians 5:33, Colossians 3:19) and negligence of this is very serious (Malachi 2:13-15). A spouse can't avoid the penalties of adultery or divorce by simply "checking out" of the relationship, but skipping the formality of either of these sins. A couple dealing with this problem is in a desperately sad situation and needs outside help. Similarly, if a couple acts married for a significant time and then one of you just gets bored and decides to sleep around, that's not really better just because you never had a wedding. In the eyes of human law it's very different, but to God this is still adultery (Exodus 22:16, Mark 10:6-9). Human law doesn't have to be fully redundant to God's law, it just needs to not contradict. The term "consummate a marriage" exists for a reason, and that is once you have sex, in God's eyes you are now married. The universal danger of sex is, once you sample this experience with one person, the sad reality is you now have unprecedented ability to at-least-halfway-accurately know how good it would be with another. But our Creator clearly said it was forbidden to act on that knowledge. This is the ultimate example of 1 Corinthians 10:13. Lastly, there's a related concept here that should be mentioned. Jesus essentially said that pornography is no better than adultery (Matthew 5:27-28). Last Modified: Sunday, December 03, 2023