What does the Bible teach about adultery? What is adultery in the Bible?
What is adultery?
From the dictionary;
Adultery is voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and a person other than his/her spouse.
We can define adultery as sex or becoming one flesh with multiple people. See how two become one flesh and when two are married in the eyes of God.
God created one man for one woman and vise-versa thus the time you become one flesh with more than one man or one woman is committing adultery.
The first person you ever have/had sex with is your husband/wife in the eyes of God thus any other person you had/have sex with after the first person, is committing adultery.
What the Bible teaches about adultery
In accordance to Mosaic laws, the penalty of adultery is death.
Deut 22: 22 if a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then both of them shall die; the man that lay with the woman and the woman so you shall put away the evil from Israel.
As said, the first person you have sex with is your husband or wife in the eyes of God and you should do what custom dictates; if it’s paying bride price, pay.
Deut 22:28-29: If a man find a woman who is a virgin, who is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they are found. Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the woman’s father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he has humbled her, he may not put her away all his days.
Why not put her away all his days? Because God hates divorce. See what the Bible teaches about divorce (next).
It is only death which can separate a man and a wife not even a piece of paper in the name of a divorce certificate.
1 Cor 7:39: the wife is bound by the law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.
Rom 7:2: For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he lives; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.
Therefore, If you divorce your husband or wife, by giving her/him a divorce certificate or not, and marry another, you are committing adultery.
Mk 10:11-12: And he said unto them, whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry commits adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she commits adultery.
Rom 7:3: So then if, while her husband lives, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.
Reason Paul said,
1 Cor 7:27: Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek not a wife.
Adultery in the eyes of God is more than just sexual intercourse.
Jesus said,
‘Whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart’ (Mt 5:28).
Looking at a person of opposite sex and lusting after her/him is adultery.
Why? Because you have sexual intercourse with that person in your mind (heart). They time you make that picture in your mind, that is adultery and it is the same reason pornography is adultery.
Also see you shall not make to yourself a graven image
How many of us can say that we are not sinners; we have not/never committed adultery?
How many times have you lusted after a man or a woman? Ever watched pornography? Are you married to the first person you had sex with? Are you having sex with other partners while you have a husband or wife?
We are all sinners and every person is a sinner, and God commands, you shall not commit adultery (Ex 20:14).
Since the law demanded stoning to death, do we have to stone adulterers?
No! That was in the dispensation of the law, we are living under grace. Because of our sins, Jesus died on the cross for you and I paying the penalty of our sins once and for all.
We only need to repent, ask for forgiveness. See how to repent.
After being forgiven, you cannot continue committing adultery and say you have fellowship with Jesus Christ.
2 Cor 6:14: …for what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion has light with darkness?
1 John 1:6-7: If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleans us from all sin.
As you continue sinning, adultery will be your slave and lead you to hell. See sin enslaves.
The world has glorified adultery to it being advertised in the media. Many people conscience to differentiate good and evil is corrupt. Evil has become good and good evil.
Put it in your mind that no adulterer will inherit the kingdom of heaven and God will judge adulterers.
1 Cor 6:9-10: Know you that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind. Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortionists, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
Also see Gal 5:19
Heb 13:4: Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.
If you have committed adultery, repent. God will forgive and forget your sins.
If you’re married to a person not your first sex partner, repent and stick to your husband/wife.
If you are having sex with multiple partners, you are taking yourself to hell. Repent and sin no more.
John 8:11 …go and sin no more
In the Bible, adultery is also used to means idolatry. See idolatry.
God bless
