The Seventh Commadment

'You shall not commit adultery,' Exodus 20:14

Who can quibble that man and woman were made for one another ( unless one is of the alternative lifestyle, and you can find this alternate lifestyle discussed hereState of America ). And marriage is the natural union given to man and woman by God in the garden of Eden. God's law - in particula this Seventh Commandment sets apart this holy union, placing it firmly in stone as something that is not to be taken lightly. It is authorized for the protection of the family, which in turn is the foundation of society.

Our first parents were told, ' a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh,' Genesis 2:24. This instruction is crystal clear, and leaves no room for some of the vastly gross, horrific misinterpretations abounding in the world today.

We see the devil and his cohorts roaming from state to state in America these days ( year 2000) trying to have passed into law same sex marriages, which in turn will usher in homosexuals adopting children. Raising up a new breed of twisted and unfortunately, falsely led future adults. So far has the sanctity of marriage fallen, that live in couples enjoy the same benifits as married couples and the Church of Christ has accepted this!

God forgive us.

God placed these. His holy and blessed commandments before as absolutes. God intended that marriage and sex, in that specific order, exist as blessings to us. Their potential for good is endless. But sadly these same desires that bring a man and a woman together into a loving relationship, a godly blessing, can pose risks.

Paul wrote in Romans 4: 15 ,' Because the law worketh wrath: for where there is no law, there is no transgression,' and in 5:13 ,' For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law .' As Paul ahs written here, that the Law of God points out to us what sin is, and when the Law of God is broken, then one should expect God's wrath; he continues in Romans 7:2 ,' For the woman which hath a husband is bound to that husband as long as he liveth,' clearly Paul is pointing out this Seventh Commandment, and the importance of it in the sight of God.

The Bible is full of God condemning all forms of sexual behavior, and goes so far as to say that the sexually immoral will not be included in the Kingdom of Heaven , speaking of the New Jerusalem and who will occupy it in Revelation 21:27, ' and there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they that which are written in the Lamb's book of life.'

God has called homosexuality an abomination. And who in truth could argue that if you live in sexual immorality and see nothing wrong with it, then you attempt to make God out to be a liar; and God is not a liar, for He is truth and has revealed that purity in marriage is what He desires, and our desires should be placed under His will.

Of an adulterous or immoral relationship we are warned by God, ' can a man take fore to his bosum, and his clothes not be burned? Can one walk on hot colas, and hias feet not be seared? So is he who goes in to his neighbor's wife,' whoever touches her shall not be innocent, ' Proverbs 6:27-29 .

God gave us this relatioship and of sex to be a joy, but it must be in the context of a stable marriage. He tells us in His word,' enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun; for this is your reward in life, and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun,' Ecclesiasties 9:9

Enjoy marriage ! Our lives are short! God has given us our partner as a blessing ! They are to be a comfort in our time of work!

Consider on the other hand the disastrous effects of what we call the sexual revelution. There has been an explosion of sexually transmitted diseases on a global scale. Sex is being glorified and taught in our schools begining at the Kindergarten level ( see State of America ). Aids alone is taking a frightening toll on lives, and its suffering is rivaling the most deadly epidemics throughour human history. Its toll on countries economy, through loss of productivity, through financial aid for drugs to prolong life and for research, has caused great concern. Ironically, all this suffering is avoidable because all STD's are spread nealy eclusively through sexual promiscuity, or perverted sexual practices.

We have developed into a throwaway society, if something is percieved to be broken many people, instead of working to fix it, simply toss it away. They go on to look for soemthing better, something new, So much of this has come about through the desire to all acquire new things, to have the latest version of a new gadget or gizmo. And through this alck of permenancy in our lives, marriage itself has become replaceable. The outcome of such faulty thinking can be seen in how many practice a casual live-in relationship. And in most parts of the country the so-called religious leaders no longer teach against it, and in truth, some even promote it!

Children are the big losers in this new day society. They lose the presence and guidance of a father, or the loving tenderness of a mother. In the United States a father will spend less than five minutes of meaningful interaction per-day with his child. And mothers feeling the crunch of economics are forced to abandon their children in day care in order to make ends meet. All the while the child is recieving less and less parental guidance, and is recieving more and more of the secular worlds ideals. Can it be any wonder that our children feel alienated and distant from their parents. Society is quickly losing sight of the imporatnce of good family relationships.

Broken homes, or no homes. Latchkey kids; daycare centers the new boom! Goverment wanting to step in and take care of the children and impress their values on them. Legal fees, decreased productivity, loss of personal property, violence, all these factors reduce the importance of life, and all are a direct result of men and women not holding tightly to what God has clearly commanded.

Society is rapidly getting to the point where the family as described in the Bible is non-existent, and when this point is reached, God in His judgement will move to restore all things back to its proper place. Without respect for a spouse, there can be no respect for God. And without reverance for the Almighty there can be no reverance for marriage. These two walk together, they should and must be in agreement.

Adultery, is no less than self-gratification, or as the Bible also calls it : lust. Lust is the begining of adultery and immorality , ' For all that is in the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God lives forever,' 1 John 2:16-17.

Jesus said,' You have heard it said to those of old," You shall not commit adultery, but I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has alrerady committed adultery with her in his heart,' Matthew 5:27-28. One purpose of Christ's coming in the flesh, was to show to us that it is possible with the aid of God, to uphold the Spirit of God's moral laws. Today as then, we have laws that are touted and spouted and stringently enforced ( for those under law, for there are those who have placed themselves above every law) and the law has it's place as the guideline for properly observing God and conducting oursleves with others.

So what Christ is saying here that even to fantasize about adultery, or to lust for another is anything but harmless, by the Spirit of the law, it is considered sin. For God knows our actions originate with our thoughts, through the desires that are within our minds ( James 1:14-15). Daydreaming, or fantasizing makes us vunerable to Satan and his wiles ( see Overcoming the Enemy ).

But let us not take what Christ said any further than how He said it. Within a proper married relationship, sexual desire has its place. Throughout the Bible, God approves the legimate sexual attraction that is promoted in marriage. Jesus denounced only sinful thoughts and behaviour.

We can control sensual desires by replacing them with an unselfish concern for tohers. Of course, this type love is a gift from God, possible only through the aid of the Holy Spirit's work in us, Romans 5:5, Galatians 5:22.

Our companionship with the opposite sex, in the realm of marriage, has been given to us as the shadow of our relationship with the Father. And if we step away from a fearful relationship from Him, then we stand in spiritual adultery. Only by turning and repenting of the world can we overcome the fleshly lusts that assault us.

'Two are better than one, for their partnership yeilds this advantage: if one falls, the other can help his companion up again; but woe betide the solitary person who when down has no partner to help him up,' Ecclesiasties 4:9-10

Most of us need constant support, and companionship with true loyalty is irreplaceable. We need someone to share our ups and downs, our truimphs and failures.

Society suffers because we have lost the vision of this Seventh Commandment. Marriage is not a requirement for success in pleasing God. But it is a tremendous blessing from Him, since He realizes our shortcomings, and the need for someone to fill a void in our lives, a someone He gives to speacial, just as He gave His Son.

We must return to what God intended, to respect the holiness of marriage, to faithfully obey the Father.

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