The Seventh Commandment

"You shall not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:14)

 

Men and women were designed to need each other and to be together. Marriage, a natural and divine union, was established by God at the Creation. This commandment authorises the commitment of marriage and establish it as the foundation of the family; which in turn is the most important building block of society.

God said, "a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh" (Genesis 2:24). God's instruction clearly established what all future generations were supposed to learn regarding marriage and sex.

As children grow and come to love and honour someone of the opposite sex, it is natural and proper for them to be joined together in marriage and create their own family. Only then should they "become one flesh" by having a sexual relationship. Jesus makes it clear that God, from the beginning, intended that marriage be a monogamous and permanent relationship (Matthew 19:3-6)

God intended that marriage and sex; in that order, exist as great blessings to humanity. Their potential for good is boundless. But the same desires that bring a man and woman together into a loving, natural relationship, a godly blessing, can pose risks.

Unless the natural desires that attract us to members of the opposite sex are channelled exclusively toward a loving marriage, the temptation to engage in sexual immorality can easily overpower our self control. This weakness is the focus of the Seventh Commandment.

Adultery is the breaking of the marriage covenant by willingly participating in sexual activity with someone other than one's spouse. Adultery covers all aspects of sexual immorality including premarital sex and homosexual relations.