The purpose of this lesson is to
challenge the modern concept of adultery from a Biblical perspective.
Notice that I said from a Biblical perspective. Don't confuse
that
with what the churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, or television
evangelists teach us today. They aren't necessarily the same
thing.
We'll start off by stating what adultery is commonly thought to be
today, and that is:
A married person having
sexual intercourse with someone other than their spouse.
For some western religions, cultures, and societies, there is an
adjunct to this definition:
Any divorced person who
has remarried is living in a continuous adulterous union.
Are these definitions Biblically correct? We are going to find
out by
going to the scriptures and examining the issue. Let's look at
marriage and divorce first.
What was it like in Jesus day?
In general, it seems that the rules concerning marriage and divorce
among the Jews 2,000 years ago were not applied to men like they were
to women. For instance, under their Jewish customs and traditions
the
husbands could put away their wives, but not vice versa. Notice
that I
said under Jewish customs and traditions.
2,000 years ago Judea and the surrounding areas were occupied by the
Romans and had been for about 50 years. Needless to say the Jews
that
lived there didn't like the situation and there were constant
rebellions and uprisings against the Roman occupation, and even Jew
against Jew. The Romans had to maintain strict control over the
area
on a continual basis which allowed only some autonomy for the Jews.
By that time the Romans, and most of the western world including the
Jews, had adopted Greek cultural ideals. Hellenization was
widespread
and the western world was then, as it is now, underpinned by
Hellenistic
thinking. Therefore, Hellenistic cultural ideals influenced both
the
Roman and Jewish legal systems, and the application of their laws.
For instance, Jewish women were allowed to put away their
husbands.
Jesus confirmed that fact.
Mark 10:11 And he
saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another,
committeth adultery against her.
Mark
10:12 And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to
another, she committeth adultery.
Evidently Roman law allowed a woman to divorce her husband, and it is
likely that some few Jewish women did that very thing. It is also
very
likely that they became social outcasts from Jewish society after doing
it.
What did Jesus say concerning marriage
and divorce?
Matt. 19:3 The
Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying
unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
Matt. 19:4 And he
answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that
he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
Matt.
19:5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and
mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
Matt.
19:6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What
therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
Matt.
19:7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a
writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
Matt.
19:8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of
your
hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it
was not so.
Matt.
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.
Based upon these scriptures who can deny that Jesus Christ did not
favor divorce even though it was sanctioned under the Mosaic law?
What did Jesus say was an acceptable
reason for divorce?
Now, let's zero in on verse 9 above and read it again. The word
fornication
here is referring to an acceptable reason for divorce. He
also mentions adultery,
but He clearly is using fornication and
adultery in
different ways here. Why? Because they are different
things. Do you see it?
What is fornication?
The American
Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition,
gives the following definition.
for·ni·ca·tion
(fôr′nĭ-kāshən)
n. Sexual
intercourse between partners who are not married to each other.
That's one definition of fornication all right, but it is somewhat
limited in scope. Sexual immorality in
general would define
fornication better. Some teach that fornication here in Matt.
19:9 is
speaking only of premarital sex on the part of the female, but it is
more likely talking about marital infidelity.
Regardless of what you think that fornication means here in verse 9, it
is clear that fornication and adultery were considered to be separate
issues by Jesus. Another important thing to notice here is that
He
said that adultery can result from putting away,
which means divorce
in modern parlance.
Matthew 19:7 suggests that Jewish men were allowed to put away their
wives under the Mosaic law, but the law also required that a writing of
divorcement be given to her. Roman law also probably required it.
Jesus states in Matthew 19:8 that putting away their wives was allowed
by Moses only because their hearts were not right, but notice that in
the beginning it was not so. That same statement can apply to so
many
things today which we have altered to conform to the customs and mores
of our society. So nothing has really changed from that day to
this,
has it? We still get divorced because of the hardness of our
hearts.
Jesus was not altering or doing away with the Mosaic law in any way
here, rather He is supporting it.
Please understand also that Jesus was not condemning remarriage in
Matthew 19:9. He was condemning the practice of Jewish men
putting
away their wives without
just cause, because being put away was
the
primary reason that the women were forced to commit adultery.
God hates putting away! Look at
what He said through Malachi in the Old Testament.
Mal. 2:14 Yet ye
say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness
between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt
treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.
Mal.
2:15 And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the
spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore
take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the
wife of his youth.
Mal.
2:16 For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth
putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the
LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not
treacherously.
This verses from the second chapter of Malachi appear to be a strong
condemnation of
putting away and committing adultery, and they are indeed that.
The Jews
even
then were doing things contrary to God's law and His wishes concerning
marriage, divorce, and adultery. There is much more to these
verses in
Malachi than just putting
away. We will return to Malachi a
little
later in the lesson.
What about the men? Could they
commit adultery as well?
Matt. 19:9
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.
We have just discussed the first part of this verse and I hope that now
you understand that there is a difference between fornication and
adultery, and that the main cause for adultery among the Jewish women
was divorce. But what about the part which applies to men
committing
adultery?
Under the law a man could put away his wife, and if he did he would
give her a writing of divorcement. A woman in this situation
would be
free to remarry and not be guilty of anything contrary to the law,
unless she remarried in violation of the law against adultery.
That
was true also for the Jewish men. They too could commit adultery
if
they married in violation of the rules against adultery.
Is adultery only related to marriage? No. Adultery can also
be
committed outside of marriage, and very often is. You will
understand
why shortly.
Now, what about the last clause of Matthew 19:9? On the surface
it
seems to condemn all men as adulterers who marry divorced women, but I
can tell you confidently that is not the case. The only way
anyone can
commit adultery by marriage is to marry in violation of the law against
adultery. True, the subject in the last clause of this verse is
divorced Jewish women who remarry, and the men who marry them, but it
is not a condemnation of divorced people remarrying except when they
violate the rule against adultery.
As you may already know, Christ was vehemently opposed to the traditions of men
that had been established by the religious and legal establishments of
the Jews, and He dared to speak out against them. It was
primarily for that reason, but also for other things as well, that
certain of
the Jews were always seeking to find something with which to accuse Him
to the authorities. They were also trying to turn the people
against
Him on a continual basis, so here they brought up the touchy subject of
divorce. It is likely that in those days some Jewish men were
putting
away their wives for selfish reasons, and Jesus was warning them that
the practice created an environment wherein adultery was the
result. That undoubtedly stepped on a few toes among the
Jewish men in the crowd.
What was it like then for divorced
women compared to today?
Not so much now in 2005, but I remember in
my childhood 50 years ago how that a
divorced person, especially a divorced woman, was really looked down
upon. A divorced woman was like a fallen woman and some
communities
and societies would even shun them. It was not always easy for
them to
find someone and remarry, but things have changed now. They
had to because over 50% of all marriages in the United States today end
up in divorce proceedings eventually.
Today, single females with children, divorced or not, are provided some
support and welfare in America. I assume that is true in other
places as well. That may, or may not, have been true in Judea
2,000 years ago. Remember now,
Judea and the surrounding areas were conquered and occupied by a
foreign power and
the majority of it's inhabitants were poor and needy.
What would be the divorcee's alternatives then? She could
possibly work for someone as a servant, be a burden to her family and
friends, beg, become a harlot, or she could remarry.
These are not good choices overall. The most desirable thing
would be
to remarry but the sad truth is that in Christ's time in Judea a
divorced woman may have had little chance of being remarried,
especially to her own kind.
Of course, her age, her beauty, her
education, her position in society, her demeanor, her reputation, and
other things as well all played into her chances of remarrying.
Some
were in a better position than others, just like today.
We are finally getting close to
the truth about adultery.
Let's go to Luke 16 and look at a very important clue.
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.
So, what is Jesus saying here? The answer is hidden the the word
another.
In Matthew 19:9 and Mark 10:11-12 the Greek word
translated
another is allos (Strong's
No. 243) which
simply means other
or another.
But in
Luke 16:18 the translation of the word another is
another matter (pun
intended). The Greek word is not allos but heteros (Strong's No. 2087).
Luke was a physician who was very knowledgeable and skilled in the
Greek language, including medical terms, and meant exactly what he
wrote. He meant to write heteros.
As an educated man he certainly
would have known what heteros meant.
What does heteros
mean?
Strong's
Exhaustive Concordance says that heteros (No.
2087 in the Greek lexicon) means other, different, or strange.
Logos 2.0 Enhanced
Strong's Lexicon gives one of its definitions as:
1b1) another: i.e.
one not of the same nature, form, class, kind,
different.
Remember these definitions. Another here can
refer to a different
kind,
not just other
or another.
In the English language, the noun adultery is
derived from the verb to
adulterate? The American Heritage
Dictionary of the English Language,
Third Edition, gives the following definition of the verb to
adulterate:
" To make impure by
adding extraneous, improper, or
inferior ingredients, to pollute."
So, when you think about these things the modern definition of adultery
becomes suspect, and I am very doubtful that it is in accordance with
the
original intent of the seventh commandment.
God gave the law to Israel at Sinai, and Jesus upbraided the Jews for
breaking it over 1,500 years later. They were divorcing their
Jewish wives who of necessity,
in all too many cases, remarried someone not of their same kind.
That
means that some of the divorced Jewish women were remarrying outside of
Jewry in order to survive. That is what Jesus meant when he told
the
Jews that putting away their wives caused them to commit adultery.
Ancient Israel had been strictly forbidden to mix with the nations
around them for two very good reasons. They were different
genetically
and they worshipped other gods. This is what God was angry about
in
the second chapter of Malachi. Study it with this thought in mind.
Mal. 2:15 And did
not he make one? Yet
had he the residue of the
spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore
take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the
wife of his youth.
In this case in Malachi, God was angry at the Jews (actually Judah,
Levi, and Benjamin) because they were intermarrying with the nations
around them. They were committing adultery contrary to His law,
and
it threatened to adulterate the one
seedline dedicated to produce the
Messiah, a
godly seed. God had given strict orders to Israel not to
commit adultery with the nations around them.
Ex. 34:11 Observe
thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I
drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite,
and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
Ex.
34:12 Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the
inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in
the midst of thee:
Ex.
34:13 But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and
cut down their groves:
Ex.
34:14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose
name is Jealous, is a jealous God:
Ex.
34:15 Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land,
and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their
gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice;
Ex.
34:16 And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their
daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring
after their gods.
The
original intent of the prohibition against adultery given to Moses
at Sinai was that Israel should avoid mixing, or crossbreeding with the
nations around them.
Intermarriage by Israel with the nations around them was strictly
forbidden and was the subject of the so-called seventh
commandment. It
primarily was intended to protect the seedline of Israel, and hence
that of the promised Messiah who was to come through Israel, and if
kept, it would keep Israel from the likelihood of worshipping false
gods.
Laws against adulterating were in
force and effect from the beginning. God created us all the way
He wanted us.
God created the people of Earth different one from another
because it
satisfied Him to do it that way. He loves all His children
everywhere,
especially if they honor and obey Him.
Gen. 1:27 So God
created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male
and female created he them.
Gen.
1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful,
and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion
over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every
living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Gen.
1:29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing
seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the
which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
Gen.
1:30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the
air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is
life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
Gen.
1:31 And God saw every
thing that he had made, and, behold, it
was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Every thing also means everybody, every kind of people were very
good. God liked everything just the way He had created it.
Adultery was the prime cause of two
great catastrophes.
I strongly suggest that you read the first six chapters of Genesis now
to familiarize yourself with what we are about to discuss.
The flood during the days of Noah.
God created all of the different kinds of people on the sixth day,
except the Adamic people. He created Adam after He had rested on
the
seventh day. God loved all of the people He created and fully
intended
for all to thrive and populate the Earth. Exactly as He had made
them! But the Adamic people, who were created for a very special
reason, disobeyed God's natural law and mixed with the fallen
angels.
Yes! I mean exactly what I said!
The descendants of Adam crossbred
with another kind.
Friends, that is the worst case scenario of
adultery.
Gen. 6:1 And it
came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and
daughters were born unto them,
Men here
should be translated Adam (Heb. ha adham - the
man Adam) and
in this case means the descendants of Adam. Same in verse 2
below.
See notes in The
Companion Bible at these verses and also Appendix 14
of that same book.
Gen. 6:2 That the
sons of God saw the daughters of men (Adam) that
they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
The sons of God
here are angels, fallen angels. Notice that they
were
crossbreeding with the female progeny of Adam. These were rogue
angels
and they were in open rebellion against the Creator by doing what they
were doing. They were undoubtedly part of those that preferred
Lucifer's way over God's way.
This first influx of rebellious angels may have happened as early as
500 years after Adam was created. That would put it during the early
years of Jared, who was Enoch's father. Enoch was special, and he
went
on to fight against this evil adulterous practice of
crossbreeding
with the fallen angels, and their offspring, until he was removed from
living among the children of Adam.
Genesis 5:23 And
all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:
Genesis
5:24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
Nobody really knows what it means when the Bible says that God
took Enoch, but it seems logical to me that God simply removed him, and
his family, from living amongst the other
descendants of Adam because of the possibility of corrupting their
DNA. He was selected to be part of the early
lineage of Messiah and that seedline could be protected from
crossbreeding by their
removal from the rest of Adam's offspring.
But who knows to a certainty what really happened to Enoch? One
legend says that he was removed from the Earth and taken to someplace
in
Heaven. Another myth has him living in Eden, or at least
somewhere
higher up on a mountain in the environs of Eden.
Actually, that last idea isn't too far-fetched because it is entirely
possible, and I think probable, that it was in the Tarim Basin in
central Asia where the early Adamites lived. The Tarim Basin is
like a
bowl sitting amongst the Himalayas with tall mountains all around
it.
Ancient oriental traditions hold that the mythical *paradise is
located somewhere in that area. Could the ancient legends
concerning *paradise
equate
to the Biblical place called the Garden of Eden? Think about it.
( *Late
note: I originally used the term Shangri-La
here because it was familiar to almost everyone, but that name
is not from ancient times so I changed it to paradise. Shangri-La
is a modern term for paradise
first used in James Hilton's novel entitled Lost Horizon which was published in 1933.)
Anyway, what was the result of all this crossbreeding between the
descendants of Adam and the so-called fallen angels?
Gen. 6:4 There
were giants (Heb. nephil, plural nephilim) in the earth
in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto
the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became
mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
Nephilim
were the result of angels crossbreeding with Adamic females.
They were monsters physically, mentally,
and morally. The word
giants is
translated from the Hebrew word nephil, or the
plural form
nephilim
(Strong's No. 5303), which has its roots in the verb naphal
(Strong's No. 5307). Naphal primarily
means to fall,
it also means to
fail. These so-called giants were the fallen ones
because they were
the children of the fallen angels.
Gen. 6:5
And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the
earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only
evil continually.
Gen.
6:6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth,
and it grieved him at his heart.
Gen.
6:7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created
from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping
thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made
them.
As a result of their adultery, the ill-bred descendants of Adam were
all destroyed by a monstrous flood with the exception of Noah and his
family. Why was Noah spared? Because he was perfect in his
generations
(genealogy), that is, his seedline was still pure Adamic.
Gen. 6:8 But Noah
found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
Gen.
6:9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and
perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
Noah was evidently a fine individual with whom God was well pleased,
but he and his family were spared primarily because their Adamic genes
were not mixed with those of the fallen angels. Seeing that only
he
and his family were saved probably indicates that all of the other
Adamic people, and there may have been millions of them by then, had
corrupted genes. They or their ancestors had sexual contact with
the
fallen angels or their progeny.
Adultery destroyed them!
What happened to the fallen
angels? Weren't they also punished?
Jude 6 And the
angels which kept not their first estate, but left
their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under
darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
They are imprisoned and awaiting their fate, miserably no doubt, at the
lowest part
of Hell. In Greek mythology it was a place called Tartarus, and
it was the place where the Titans were
imprisoned. It
also is likely to be the place where Lucifer is required to remain at
this time*.
[*Late note posted on 10/08/06:
If we are truly living in the end time just before the second
appearance of Messiah, then Lucifer, or Satan, may be living in
human form on the Earth today. If that is the case, it is also
likely that the rebellious fallen angels that side with him are also
here in human form. Assuming that they are all here in human
form, look for them to be powerful and respected figures among men.]
Why were Sodom and Gomorrha destroyed?
God gives a complete list of the sins of Sodom (including Gomorrha and
the surrounding area) in Ezekiel 16.
Ezek. 16:49
Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride,
fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her
daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.
Ezek.
16:50 And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me:
therefore I took them away as I saw good.
Sound like anything that you see around you today? I think
so. Now look what Jude had to say about Sodom and Gomorrha.
Jude 6 And the
angels which kept not their first estate, but left
their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under
darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
Jude
7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like
manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange
flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal
fire.
Notice the word strange
in Jude 7 above. That word strange is also
translated from the Greek word heteros just
like the word another
in
Luke 16:18. One of the main reasons Sodom and Gommorha and the
surrounding area was obliterated was for going after strange flesh,
meaning other
kinds.
Notice that Jude 6 and 7 are talking about angels. Angels are not
men, they
are another kind.
Now, go back up to Genesis 6:4 and read it again.
Notice in the second clause how it implies that there was a second
influx of the fallen angels. When did that second irruption
happen?
Sometime after the flood, but not very long after. I
believe that the giant bully Nimrod was
the offspring of one of these fallen, rebellious angels, and many of
those living in the environs of Sodom were also.
The people living in and around Sodom were just like the Adamites
before the flood in Noah's day. They were corrupted with the DNA
of
some fallen angels and their offspring. There were giants in the
land
again. The last of them, Goliath and his brothers, were destroyed
by David nearly a thousand years after Sodom and Gomorrha were
incinerated. See my article, Sodom,
Lot, And The End Of This Age.
Other adulterous acts with
disastrous results.
Eve
committed a very serious adulterous act when she allowed a
magnificent cherub named Lucifer to seduce her in the Garden of
Eden.
Result? Expulsion from the Garden and the birth of a son who was
the
very personification of evil. Cain, son of the Devil himself, a
liar
and a murderer whose offspring are still with us today. They are
the
tares
mentioned in Matthew 13. See my article, Who
Are The Tares?.
Samson made
a fatal adulterous mistake by lusting after and marrying
the Philistine woman. Result? Capture and cruel bondage by
the
Philistines which ended in his death, and the death of thousands of
others.
Judah got
into a very sad adulterous mess by getting drunk and marrying
a Canaanitish woman. Result? Marital discord and ultimately
the death
of the members of his mixed family. Christ was to come through
Judah,
and Judah so thoroughly messed it up to the point that his seedline had
to continue through Tamar, his former daughter-in-law. See my
article,
Judah
and Tamar.
The Jews (actually
a group of people comprised mostly of the tribes of Judah, Levi, and Benjamin) sinned
greatly by
committing adultery during the time of the Babylonian captivity with
tragic results. Please read Malachi 2, Ezra 9-10, and Nehemiah
13.
There are too many verses to include them in this lesson, but you
should read them on your own. It is well worth the time and
effort.
See how serious these great men considered the sin of the Jews mixing
with the nations around them, and the sad results of their adultery.
The law against adultery existed
before Sinai.
The law actually existed before Moses. It was not codified until
Moses, but it was passed on from generation to generation by word of
mouth. I am absolutely confident that all human beings created on
the
sixth day of creation, and also Adam and Eve later on the eighth day
(theoretical), were instructed personally by the Creator concerning His
law.
Abraham and Isaac lived hundreds of years before Moses and the giving
of the law at Sinai, and they strictly shunned adultery. So the
rule
was in effect long before the law was given and codified.
Consider the
following verses carefully.
Gen. 24:1 And
Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed
Abraham in all things.
Gen.
24:2 And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that
ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh:
Gen.
24:3 And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven,
and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son
of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:
Gen.
24:4 But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and
take a wife unto my son Isaac.
Gen.
28:1 And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him,
and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of
Canaan.
Gen.
28:2 Arise, go to Padanaram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother’s
father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy
mother’s brother.
Jacob did as his father Isaac requested but his fraternal twin brother
Esau committed adultery. Result? Family grief then and
now. Esau was
the father of the Russian peoples.
Gen. 26:34 And
Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith
the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon
the Hittite:
Gen.
26:35 Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.
Rom.
9:13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
God did not like Esau because of the things he did. He totally
disregarded the wishes of his parents and he certainly did not obey
God. It seems to me that Esau did not really believe in the God
of his
parents.
Laws against adulterating were in
force throughout God's creation.
Lev. 19:19 Ye
shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle
gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled
seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon
thee.
Agriculturists and farmers regularly practice hybridization on a
widespread basis in the interest of higher profits.
God was aware that man would be tempted
to do things that would be harmful to him.
Prov. 16:25 There
is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the
ways of death.
He created us as highly intelligent beings and He gave us free moral
agency, but He knew that our intelligence would be blunted by our
carnal nature. The power of hormones over good sense is almost
absolute, so He gave us laws to alert us to the dangers and to make us
aware.
Psa. 119:105 Thy
word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Rom.
3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be
justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Ex.
20:14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.
That is the end of the teaching on
adultery. You get the idea. Now, let's summarize.
God forbids adultery of any kind.
The original and primary intent of the rule against adultery was
concerning hybridization.
God hates putting away, or divorce, without just cause.
God gave us His laws for our own good, and He gave them to all from the
very beginning.
Regardless of what your concept of adultery may be after studying this
lesson, if you think you are guilty of it, don't be become spiritually
paralyzed and discouraged. Do something about it.
REPENT!
Now hold on a minute! Don't let that old word spook you.
Its not that hard. Like
any other sin, you can only be guilty of adultery if you don't
repent.
People don't live in sin after they repent, they are forgiven.
How does one repent?
1) Realize your mistake
and admit it to yourself.
2) Change your mind and set your heart not to do it
again.
3) Mention it to our Father in Heaven, tell Him you
regret it, ask Him
to forgive it, and after that don't ever bring
it up to Him again. He
has
forgiven and erased the sin from remembrance so don't weary Him by
bringing it up again. God is just to forgive our sins as He has
promised.
Adultery is not an unpardonable sin. It is very forgivable.
Misguided, hardhearted men may not forgive, but our Father always will
when we are sincerely repentant.