Walking with the Wise #39: Punishment for Passion

“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.”

—Proverbs 6:27-29

The sin of adultery scars the soul of all of those involved. Our world today tries to make adultery look commonplace and acceptable. With the myriad of “alternative lifestyles,” “hookups,” “friends with benefits,” “casual encounters,” and “wife-swapping” being trumpeted by the media, along with various celebrities, politicians, and sports figures’ affairs splashed across the headlines, every day men and women start to believe the lie, “if they can get away with it, why can’t I?” But what they fail to realize is that there is punishment for moments of unbridled passion. The media doesn’t show you the tears and trials affairs have wreaked upon marriages. As it has been said,  

“Where are the most beautiful people in the world? Answer: Hollywood. Where are the worst marriages in the world? Answer: Hollywood.”

Don’t look at Hollywood to see what marriage is to be like. Look to God’s Word. And God’s Word warns us of the penalty for adultery. Just as there are fixed laws in the natural world, like gravity, there are fixed laws in the spiritual realm. It doesn’t matter how one may dislike it, or attempt to redefine marriage, or how many one may get to agree with him; God’s laws are eternal and fixed in the heavens and one of those spiritual laws is that punishment comes from adultery—pain, suffering, and shame.

Don’t believe the lies of the enemy that there is something better in the arms of another. It’s not true. Satan wants nothing more than for you to forsake the spouse of your youth. He wants to make another’s arms look more delightful and inviting. He is a liar and the father of lies (Romans 8:44), and we must make sure that we are using the sword of truth (Ephesians 6:17; cf. Hebrews 4:12) to cut through his web of lies in order that we might see sin as it really is—rebellion that results in death—and then forsake it and embrace the truth of God’s Word.

May the Lord of glory, who made us man and woman, enable us to stay true to our marriage vows by forsaking all others and living in the light of His Word, for the glory of His name, and our joy in Him. Amen.