Adultery is a common problem in our society. A lot of people come up with different “valid” reasons for them to excuse themselves from this great sin.
While most research varies in their studies, most will generally conclude that about over a third of men cheat on their wives and a quarter of women cheat on their husbands. Worst of all, more than 50% of marriages will be affected by infidelity at least once in their lifetime.
What a terrible and sad world we live in.
But what is so bad about adultery anyway? Is it really a serious sin that God has to include it in the Ten Commandments? Can we be unfaithful to our partners and still stay faithful to God? In this post, let me share with you three of the most important reasons why adultery is wrong and sinful.The 3 Most Important Reasons Why God Forbids Adultery:
1. Adultery is wrong because it destroys the person. An adulterer destroys himself financially, physically, and most importantly, spiritually.The deadly consequences of adultery are so severe that three chapters of Proverbs have been dedicated to this topic alone. Of course, there are other numerous passages in the Bible that talks about adultery. But I believe Proverbs is a great place to start to read about infidelity.
King Solomon is known to have 300 wives and 700 concubines. If there’s one person who knows why adultery is wrong, King Solomon would be at the top of the list. I highly recommend that you read Proverbs 5 to 7. But if there’s one verse to summarize all the points King Solomon made, that would be Proverb 6:32. We read:
“Whoever commits adultery with a woman LACKS understanding; He who does so DESTROYS his own soul.”
How does adultery destroy a person financially? Think about how difficult it is to sustain two families. Think about the incredible expense when a couple undergoes a divorce. In the United States alone, a divorce can cost from $15,000 to $30,000! When you cheat, you need to buy a second mobile phone just to avoid getting caught. Not only that, but you are risking to get blackmailed.
How does adultery destroy a person physically? Think about the many sexually transmitted diseases and infections a person get from promiscuity and infidelity.
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| The 3 Most Important Reasons Why God Forbids Adultery! |
2. Adultery is wrong because it destroys the family. Once a spouse is starting to go the way of adultery, there is a sense of betrayal and loss of trust. The loving relationship between a man and woman is DESTROYED.
The adulterous partner lives a life of hypocrisy and fraudulent life. He/she pretends that everything is okay while in fact, he/she is doing something that is destroying their family from within. Even when the adulterer is with his/her spouse, their thoughts are constantly about the other person and sadly, how to effectively deceive their spouse.
Because of adultery, many are permanently scarred from shame and a loss of self-worth. Lack of hope contributes to suicide, which is one of the leading causes of death among teens and adults.
The consequences of adultery do not end there. Some are consumed by anger and revenge while others become depressed and bitter.
In fact, adultery destroys a family with or without the knowledge of the other spouse. From the first thought of committing adultery, it begins to crumble down the family unit.
But what if the wife or husband approved of the adultery? Does that make adultery okay? Of course not!
Even if adultery might not be hurting the feeling of the spouse (which I highly doubt), adultery is hurting the institution of marriage.
God did not say, “Thou shalt not commit adultery UNLESS your spouse approved it.” Commandment no. 7 was made not to protect the feelings of your spouse, but it was given to protect the family and its ability to perform its God-ordained function.
Now, who else is affected by adultery? The children. Every child DESERVES a loving, stable, and secure home where they are nurtured to be future sons and daughters of God.
Yahweh, the Creator of this vast universe and at the same time our Father, gave us the blessing of having children so we can raise them into godly individuals through our actions and examples. One of the intentions of God in creating a family is for the parents to pass down values, principles, and godly teachings to children and for the generation to come.
And when a family is destroyed because of sexual immorality, it will most certainly destroy a civilization.
This leads us to the third point.
The adulterous partner lives a life of hypocrisy and fraudulent life. He/she pretends that everything is okay while in fact, he/she is doing something that is destroying their family from within. Even when the adulterer is with his/her spouse, their thoughts are constantly about the other person and sadly, how to effectively deceive their spouse.
Because of adultery, many are permanently scarred from shame and a loss of self-worth. Lack of hope contributes to suicide, which is one of the leading causes of death among teens and adults.
The consequences of adultery do not end there. Some are consumed by anger and revenge while others become depressed and bitter.
In fact, adultery destroys a family with or without the knowledge of the other spouse. From the first thought of committing adultery, it begins to crumble down the family unit.
But what if the wife or husband approved of the adultery? Does that make adultery okay? Of course not!
Even if adultery might not be hurting the feeling of the spouse (which I highly doubt), adultery is hurting the institution of marriage.
God did not say, “Thou shalt not commit adultery UNLESS your spouse approved it.” Commandment no. 7 was made not to protect the feelings of your spouse, but it was given to protect the family and its ability to perform its God-ordained function.
Now, who else is affected by adultery? The children. Every child DESERVES a loving, stable, and secure home where they are nurtured to be future sons and daughters of God.
Yahweh, the Creator of this vast universe and at the same time our Father, gave us the blessing of having children so we can raise them into godly individuals through our actions and examples. One of the intentions of God in creating a family is for the parents to pass down values, principles, and godly teachings to children and for the generation to come.
And when a family is destroyed because of sexual immorality, it will most certainly destroy a civilization.
This leads us to the third point.
3. Adultery is wrong because it destroys the society. According to noted historians, one of the earliest symptoms of a declining great civilization is sexual immorality. When people can’t even govern their sexual appetite, they would have difficulty in governing themselves, their family, and ultimately, the society.
When a husband or wife commits adultery, there is a possibility of pregnancy. That child will almost always grow up without a family – that is a married father and mother – to call his or her own.
The failure to raise a child in a godly manner may lead to numerous problems not just to the family but to the society as a whole. Not all, but a significant number of children coming from a broken family become juveniles who end up committing crimes.
Most often than not, adultery may cause children to have poor grades and eventually have to drop out. As time passes by, these children will become a problem of the society and start their own family – repeating the same problem over and over again. The vicious cycle and the compound effect of destroyed relationships and families will eventually lead to the destruction of a civilization.
Final thoughts
Our relationship with our spouse should reflect our relationship with God. Whoever you are, married or unmarried, rich or poor, young or old, must strive to live a life of sexual purity.
Not committing adultery is not just for ourselves, but also for our spouse, children, and the society as a whole. Before you even start to think of committing adultery, consider its many consequences. The pleasure you get from infidelity is nothing compared to the pain and problems you cause to yourself and to others.
Commandment no. 7, “Thou shall not commit adultery,” is not just about prohibiting the act of adultery itself. It encompasses all sexual immorality. Jesus Christ magnified this commandment in Matthew 5:28 to include a man lusting toward a woman in his heart.
Adultery is just one part of the equation. Watching pornography and committing promiscuity, fornication, homosexuality, and lesbianism, having sexual fantasies, and other acts of sexual immorality of every shape and form, should not be condoned and tolerated, BUT RATHER IT MUST BE OVERCOME.
Ephesians 5:3 tells us: “Since you are God’s people, it is not right that any matters of sexual immorality or indecency or greed should even be mentioned among you” (GNB). In other words, LET IT NOT EXIST AMONG US.
Let sexual immorality be so disgusting to the highest degree that even the mention or thought of it has become detestable to us.
Brethren, let us all strive to be sexually pure. Let’s do our best to overcome this sin in our lives. And remember the words of Jesus when He said to the adulterous woman, “Go and sin NO more!” becomingchristians.com
