Fighting the Flesh #9: Adultery

“He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself.”—Proverbs 6:32

We all struggle with sin. And all sin is destructive, but not every sin has the same consequences. The sin of adultery has disastrous consequences to all who are involved. The people who commit adultery destroy their life, as well as the person they commit adultery with, and both families involved. Adultery is a sin that can affect individuals way beyond the act of adultery itself. The book of Proverbs spends several chapters dealing with the topic of adultery, warning the “young man” of the disastrous consequences that accompany it. Proverbs commands the young man to follow the truth of the book's words because they act as a “lamp and the teaching a light,” (v. 23) to protect him from the “evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress” (v. 24). He then is warned to guard against lustful desire: “Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes” (v. 25). He then is told what happens to the person who engages in adultery--they take their life in their hands (v. 26). The person who commits adultery will get hurt.

“Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned? Or can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched? So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; none who touches her will go unpunished” (v. 27-29).

Anyone who commits adultery “lacks sense” and “destroys himself” (v. 32). Their reputation and integrity are destroyed and they will have “wounds,” “dishonor,” and “disgrace” which will not be “wiped away” (v. 33). It is best then to guard against adultery. And where does adultery begin? Jesus said that adultery begins in the heart, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander”—Matthew 15:19. We must then guard our heart, for from it “flow(s) the springs of life”—Proverbs 4:23. The “heart” is the center of one’s thoughts and will, and deeply connected to the mind. Adultery never just starts up anymore than a car goes from 0-60 instantaneously. There is a lead up to it. And the lead for adultery begins in the thought life. We must guard against such thoughts by continually wrestling them in conformity to Scripture. We refuse to grant entry of adulterous thoughts into the mind. As soon as such a thought flies into our mind, it must fly immediately out. And only a continual washing of the mind with the Word of God can do this. The more that a person is in the Word of God and submitting to it, as well as living life in close fellowship with the people of God, the more difficult it is for adulterous thoughts to find the fertile soil of the mind in which to take root.

If you have given into adultery, the first thing to realize is that Christ can forgive that sin. Go to Him and ask for forgiveness. Secondly, confess to your spouse and your pastor. There is going to have to be confession and reconciliation, and reconciliation will take time. But God can restore even the worst of relationships and forgive even the most heinous of sins.

May God guard us against adultery and may we live our lives in the fear and admonition of the Lord in holiness of life in such a way that God receives great glory. Amen.