The Seventh Commandment
The Seventh Commandment
“You shall not commit adultery.” Exo 20:14
God made Adam and Eve, 2 separate individuals, a male and a female, to be one flesh.
While this commandment is obviously a clear command to marital fidelity, the main point is loyalty.
First, we will deal with marital fidelity, or marital loyalty, or keeping the marriage covenant.
We Christians usually say “One man and one woman for one lifetime”, and I believe that is what the bible teaches. I will not deal with what the innocent party can do or should do
when one’s spouse is un-faithful. “What if “xyz” happens? If those questions are coming from a real life, difficult situation, they are legitimate; but most of the time they
are coming from people who just want to argue.
The bible is clear: “You shall not commit adultery”! The devil wants you to commit adultery, and for your marriage to end in divorce. The devil is having a field-day today!
Marriage is a covenant, a legally binding verbal contract, which is also written when both parties sign the marriage license. There are many witnesses, which is why the minister
says “before God and these witnesses. Even a civil ceremony requires witnesses!
“I take thee to be my wedded wife (husband), to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to
cherish, forsaking all others, till death us do part.”
That is a legally binding contract, which is why people need to “sue” for divorce, or at least had to sue for divorce. “No-Fault Divorce” is another win for the devil.
Those marriage vows (vow = promise = contract language), are great words, and anyone who is unwilling to use them as their marriage vows, as the words of their marriage
contract, should be suspect as a spouse from the get-go!
It is a promise to be loyal, regardless of what happens. It is telling the other person “You can count on me from today until one of us dies, to do what I am supposed to do, and to
not do what I am not supposed to do. Period”.
In industry, buyers and suppliers enter into exclusive contracts. The buyer agrees to buy a specific product exclusively from one specific seller; the seller agrees to sell it
exclusively to that one buyer; to not do that which is agreed upon is “breach of contract”.
In marriage, we enter into a contract, and agree with our spouse to give and receive sex exclusively to / from them. To engage in sex with another person is “breach of contract”.
It is being disloyal.
“You adulterers and adulteresses, do you not know that the friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” Jam 4:4
James is talking about God and people, but the concept can be brought down to us in our marriage: Adultery is disloyalty; it is hating my spouse, it is being his / her enemy.
Marriage was designed by God, for one man and one woman, for life.