Adultery
There are several meanings to this word.
1.
The first is the
most common. It means sexual intercourse between two people, one or both
of whom are already married to another person. It is the willful violation of
the marriage contract. It was the only grounds for which a husband could
"put away" or divorce his wife.
“The Pharisees also
came to him, testing him, and saying to him, Is it lawful for a man to divorce
his wife for just any reason? And he answered and said to them, "Have you
not read that he who made them at the beginning made them male and female? . .
. .whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual
immorality, and marries another, commits adultery, and whoever marries her
who is divorced, commits adultery." Mat. 19:1-10 Paul agrees with the
"one flesh" teaching of husband and wife, in Eph. 5:22-33 but there
is a heavy spiritual meaning woven into this passage too, which will be dealt
with next.
2.
The second is not
so common. It refers to spiritual adultery, not physical. When
A church too
can commit adultery, as in Rev. 2:18-26. Thyatira is condemned for
allowing a "Jezebel" sprit into her midst. It was Jezebel who killed
the prophets of the Lord in the OT. 1 Kings 18:13. It seems peculiar that such
a hateful leaching could spring up inside the church, but it did, in the form
of the Papacy, wherein the popes proclaimed themselves vicars of Christ, yet slew
true Christians in the name of Christ! (This is the Historicist view, which is
not accepted by all Christians. The Jezebel spirit may also be interpreted in
other ways.)
A generation can be
called adulterous. For example, when the scribes and Pharisees came to Jesus
asking for a "sign" (and at the same time ignored the many hundreds
of astonishing miracles) Jesus said: "An evil and adulterous generation
seeks after a sign," Mat. 12: 38, 39. The Pharisees were such a mixture of
Scripture and traditions that they could not discern one from the other. Their
traditions blinded them to the truth.
3.
The third is more general. Any immoral
thought can be called adulterous. "For out of the heart proceed evil
thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies." Mat. 15:19,20.
Obviously one does not need to commit any
physical act to be an adulterer. Jesus pointed out that if a man lusts after a
woman he has “committed adultery with her already in his heart”. It was also
the “thoughts of the imagination of the hearts” of the people before the Flood
which condemned them to judgment. Externally they may have looked quite
‘respectable’. Likewise the people of
4.
A fourth meaning is "to mix two or
more different things together.”
"You shall not
let your livestock breed with another kind. You shall not sow your field
with mixed seed. Nor shall a garment of mixed woolen and linen
come upon you." Lev.19:19.
"Do not love
the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of
the Father is not in him.” 1John 2:15-17. The “world”
is defined as the desire of the flesh = a craving for sensual
gratification, the desire of the eyes = greedy longings, and the pride of life
= an assurance of one’s own resources, and a contentment with the stability of
earthly things. Christians are told to separate themselves from worldliness –
not from the world as God created it. In this case, if a Christian falls away,
and begins to allow the world and sin and carnality and disobedience into his
or her life, they can be said to be adulterating their Christian life. They are
spiritual adulterers.
Adulterate.
The Thesaurus says
“To make impure or inferior by deceptively adding foreign substances. To load,
doctor, dope, debase or sophisticate. (It is interesting to note in passing
that the word ‘sophisticated’ was not a compliment when it was first used, but
has since become on. In the same way the word ‘pragmatist’ has also changed to
mean someone keen-minded and positive generally, rather than cold and rather
ruthless).
A good life may be
spoiled by adultery of a different sort. As Paul said: “A
little leaven leavens the whole lump.” 1 Cor.5:6-8. In this context, Paul is speaking about the
sinful nature (glorying, pride, boasting, malice, wickedness, insincerity,
lies) and its effect on holy Christian living.
Having said all this the subject is
still wide open to discussion because every Christian has their own interpretation
of what constitutes worldliness. As Paul said, one may eat vegetables and one
may eat meat. We are not to judge one another, or try to impose our own
standards of morality on other Christians. What may be acceptable to one
Christian may be offensive to another. The main rule is for each of us to walk
before God with clean hands and a good attitude, and then to be careful that
our own freedom does not cause another Christian to stumble.