In the 10 commandments, God said, “Do not commit adultery.” (Exodus 20:14). Adultery is a serious crime against God and humanity. It wrecks marriages, tears apart families, and fills people with hurt, anger, and resentment. Adultery is a sin of betrayal that destroys the peace and harmony of communities. It compromises our integrity, corrupts our character, and mars the sacred image of God within us.
That is why God takes adultery seriously. In the civil law for Israel in the Old
Testament, the punishment for adultery was death. Deuteronomy 22:22 – “If a man is discovered committing adultery, both he and
the woman must die. In this way, you will purge Israel of such evil.”
That may seem to be too harsh of a penalty to us who live in
the modern era. But if you’ve ever been betrayed by an adulterous spouse, you may wish the OT penalty was still in effect. Adultery is evil and destructive, not just to the spouse. It harms families and society.
While infidelity may have become more common in civilian
life, the military continues to enforce strict prohibitions against adultery. It is still illegal for married military personnel to engage in adultery. It is a military crime that can be prosecuted, because the military understands
adultery is a distraction that leads to the loss of trust and morale, and a decline
in fighting efficiency. If convicted of adultery, a soldier can face up to a year of jailtime, dishonorable
discharge, and forfeiture of all pay and allowances.
Hopefully, you have never cheated on your spouse. However, statistics indicate that there are some here who probably have. I’ve read research that says anywhere from 10-20% of married couples cheat. If that’s true, there’s probably several people reading this today who have cheated on their
spouse. But for those of who haven’t, we need not be too proud of ourselves. Jesus has a few words to say about adultery in the sermon on the mount. His words challenge all of us.
Matthew 5:27-30
27 “You have heard the
commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ 28 But
I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed
adultery with her in his heart. 29 So
if your eye—even your good eye—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it
away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole
body to be thrown into hell. 30 And
if your hand—even your stronger hand—causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it
away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole
body to be thrown into hell.
The holiness God demands of His people is tremendous. Those tremendous demands are spelled out in the Old Testament Law by the extreme penalties for adultery. Those who committed adultery were to be put to death. But Jesus points out that the demands of God’s Holy Law go even deeper than what happens outwardly. Jesus says it goes all the way down into a person’s heart. So, if you even desire sensual intimacy with someone other than your spouse, you have committed adultery in your heart.
A study of the University of California[i] interviewed
676 men and women, whose average age was 25, on the intensity and frequency
with which they experienced sexual desire.
Almost all those interviewed—97.3%—reported having experienced lustful
feelings, with men only slightly more likely to feel sexual desire (98.8%) than
women (95.9%).
These statistics may or may not be
representative of the wider population.
But I know we live in an over-sexualized society. People today in Dalton, GA are certainly more
infatuated with sex than the socially conservative people to whom Jesus
preached the Sermon on the Mount 2,000 years ago. Their
culture required modest clothing whereas our culture prefers to accentuate and advertise the desirability
of a human body. The conversations of 1st
century Jews carefully avoided sexually provocative language while in our time
we crave sexually explicit lyrics in songs and readily portray nudity and
sensuality on TV while exploiting sexuality to sell products in commercials.
There is no doubt we are more obsessed
with sex than the people who first heard Jesus words: “anyone who
even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his
heart.” The
point: We are all guilty.
It’s
important here to point out Jesus was using hyperbole. There’s a fancy word: Hyperbole.
Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement not meant to be taken literally. We might say, “I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse!” even thought we really wouldn't ea a horse. And we may say, “My
feet are killing me!” even though our feet aren't literally killing us; they just hurt.
So,
Jesus wasn’t actually instructing His followers to pluck out their eyes to keep
from lusting. Blind men lust too. Nor did Jesus want His
disciples to actually cut off their hands to keep them from stealing. These were exaggerations Jesus used to make some
serious points.
Second, Jesus points out God’s incredible standard of holiness. It goes way beyond just our physical actions. God even cares about the motives of our hearts. And since our hearts are corrupt, we have a serious problem. We need a new heart.
Third, Jesus shows our utter helplessness in
regard to sin and holiness. Romans 6:23
puts it this way, “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
So the consequences of our sin is death—not just our sinful actions, but
even the inner motives of our sinful heart.
So we are all guilty and deserving of death. That’s why Jesus came; to free us from the
curse of sin. He paid the penalty for
our sin and He also offers us a remedy for our sinful hearts. Through Jesus, we can have a new and perfect heart--one the Holy Spirit can shape and form to be godly, Christ centered, and full of love.
So
now, we can make a fresh start with God. When we repent of our sins, Jesus begins to change our hearts so that we
actually want to live the way God wants us to live. Not just because we are following the rules,
but because we love God and we love our neighbor and want to do the right thing
for the right reasons.
Fourth, Jesus calls His followers to live holy
lives. Jesus exaggerated statements about
plucking out eyes and cutting off hands—though symbolic—also have
practical meanings. If your eye causes
you to sin, then don’t look. Act as
though you had plucked out your eyes and were blind. What I mean is, be extremely careful what you
look at. Guard your eyes so they don't lead your into temptation that causes you to sin.
And
when Jesus says, “Cut off your hand”, take his advice and don’t put your
hands near things that cause you to sin.
With a little thoughtful prayer, we can recognize the kinds of things
that tempt us. We can learn ways to
steer clear of them. The practical ways this plays out may be
different for different people. If you
are an alcoholic, don’t hang out at a bar.
In fact, you would do well to avoid being around alcohol altogether. That doesn’t mean alcohol is bad for all people
(even Jesus drank wine with His disciples).
But use some common sense. Avoid being
around those things that lead you into temptation and cause you to sin.
Conclusion
What is the Holy Spirit saying to you today? Which of these 4 points hits you right where you are?
Maybe today, you need to repent of your sin, turn to Jesus to save you, and
start living the holy life He calls and enables His followers to live. Maybe today, you need to consider practical ways you can avoid looking at or handling things that lead you to sin. What is the Holy Spirit saying to you?
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