Ethics 7th & 8th Commandments

Exodus 20:14 “You shall not commit adultery.”

Genesis 1:27–28 (NASB 2020)

So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Genesis 2:23–24 (NASB 2020)

Then the man said, “At last this is bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called ‘woman,’ Because she was taken out of man.”

For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.

Man did not create marriage. God created marriage! And the intent of marriage from the beginning was that it was to be one man and one women for all eternity.

Then sin entered the world through Adam!

What is Adultery?

Adultery as defined by the Oxford Dictionary is:

Voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and a partner other than the lawful spouse.

The Hebrew word is: na'aph “naw-af” which literally means: “breaking wedlock.”

Why do you think God gave the Commandment of “You shall not commit adultery to the nation of Israel and to the Christian Church?

First God was setting the Nation of Israel apart. The pagans, the gentiles treated sex as an extracurricular activity.

It brought the Nation of Israel back into line with God’s original plan. One man, one women till death due them part. Marriage was the first blessing from God given to man

Genesis 1:28 (NASB 2020)

God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

3. Marriage is to be honored by all Christians.

Hebrews 13:4 (NASB 2020)

Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.

You may be thinking wasn’t the “Book of Hebrews written to the Jews?” Yes, it was, to Jewish Christians.

Quote from Got Questions:

The late Dr. Walter Martin, founder of the Christian Research Institute and writer of the best-selling book Kingdom of the Cults, quipped in his usual tongue-in-cheek manner that the Book of Hebrews was written by a Hebrew to other Hebrews telling the Hebrews to stop acting like Hebrews. In truth, many of the early Jewish believers were slipping back into the rites and rituals of Judaism in order to escape the mounting persecution. This letter, then, is an exhortation for those persecuted believers to continue in the grace of Jesus Christ.

5. Not committing adultery/not divorcing protects the family. No spread of STD’s, when marriages crumble, so does society (just look around) Studies have shown that children who come from two parent families (man and woman that are married) are less likely to commit crimes, they are more successful,

6. So what about non-married people having sex? Or unmarried people co-habitating? This is called fornication from the Greek word porneia (from which we get our English word pornography).

It is a general term for sexual immorality. Fornication includes adultery. But fornication also involves engaging in any kind of sexual relations before marriage or between two people who are not married. In other words sexual immorality.

Again, Hebrews 13:4 “Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.”

If you look around, society is reinforcing that promiscuity, fornication, divorce, and adultery are okay. This is an uphill battle for parents who have children. This is why it is so important for the parents to be involved in teaching their children the ethics of God and back it up with Bible study.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 (NASB 2020)

All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work.

Ephesians 6:4 (NASB 2020)

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Do you remember when I asked the question: Why do you think God gave the Commandment of “You shall not commit adultery to the nation of Israel and to the Christian Church?

Did any of you ever think this would prepare us to “Not Commit Spiritual Adultery against God.”

What is Spiritual Adultery?

Spiritual adultery is unfaithfulness to God. It is having an undue fondness for the things of the world. Spiritual adultery is comparable to the unfaithfulness of one’s spouse.

Jeremiah 3:20 (NASB 2020)

“However, as a woman treacherously leaves her lover, So you have dealt treacherously with Me, House of Israel,” declares the Lord.

Ezekiel 16:30 (NASB 2020)

“How feverish is your heart,” declares the Lord God, “while you do all these things, the action of a bold prostitute!

If we cannot faithful to our spouse how can we learn to be faithful to God? If we want to be friends with the world how can we be faithful to God?

James 4:4–5 (NASB 2020)

You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says to no purpose, “He jealously desires the Spirit whom He has made to dwell in us”?

The world has a mighty powerful tempter!

1 John 5:19 (NASB 2020)

We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

Spiritual Adultery is akin to Idolatry.

The world is full of Jezebels:

Revelation 2:20 (NASB 2020)

‘But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.

When we put more emphasis on the things of this world, things that will lead us from God, things that violate the ethics of God, when God is put secondary in our life. We have committed/we are committing Idolatry.

The world is full of Harlots:

Revelation 17:1–2 (NASB 2020)

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed acts of sexual immorality, and those who live on the earth became drunk with the wine of her sexual immorality.”

When we know more about our favorite sports team than God’s word, when we say we are to busy to spend time with God, but yet have hours to watch TV, when we add so much activity to our lives that we do not have time for God, we are committing “Spiritual Adultery”, we are Idolaters!

There is no middle ground, you are either for God or against God. You cannot serve two Masters (Jesus Matthew 6:24)

Jesus warned the church of Laodicea.

Revelation 3:15–16 (NASB 2020)

‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth.

Those who persistently indulge in fornication will not inherit the kingdom of heaven:

1 Corinthians 6:9 (NASB 2020)

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals,

Here is the thing though. We have a God that loves us and all we have to do is. Have faith/repent/confess our sins to his “SON” “The Lord Jesus Christ”

Acts 3:19 (NASB 2020)

Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;

Matthew 4:17 (NASB 2020)

From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Romans 10:9 (NASB 2020)

that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

2 Chronicles 7:14 (NASB 2020)

and My people who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

2 Chronicles 6:32-33 confirms that the above passage is for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord and repents.

2 Chronicles 6:32–33 NASB 2020

“Also concerning the foreigner who is not from Your people Israel, when he comes from a far country on account of Your great name and Your mighty hand and Your outstretched arm, when they come and pray toward this house, then hear from heaven, from Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, so that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name, and fear You as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by Your name.

Today is the day for repentance, today is the day to reaffirm your commitment to God. Today is the we pray that our faith will hold firm that we will be brave and bold in our faith, even as the world attacks us.

Exodus 20:15 “You shall not steal”

I am going to end with that statement. It is pretty self explanatory. Do not take what is not yours, return what you have borrowed, replace a borrowed something if it should break while in your possession.