Applying the Seventh Commandment (Love in Theology Pt 2 Series, 3 of 6)
Seventh Commandment: You shall not commit adultery.
"You shall not commit adultery." (Ex. 20:14)
What is the Command?
The seventh commandment is, "You shall not commit adultery."
The Old Testament Hebrew word for adultery, like its New Testament Greek counterpart, refers to the breaking of God's ordained covenant bond of marriage between a man and a woman through acts of sexual immorality.[1]
The sixth commandment reveals the sacredness of human life, forbidding you to harm or end it and requiring you to protect, support, and honor it. The seventh commandment reveals the sacredness of marriage, forbidding you to harm or end it by sexual immorality, and requiring you to protect, support, and honor it in all possible ways.
Like all the commandments, this command has not only a narrow meaning, but also a broad meaning. Just as Jesus taught that the sixth commandment includes the sin of anger that is at the root of murder (Matt. 5:21–22), so he taught that the seventh commandment includes the sin of sexual lust that is at the root of adultery (Matt. 5:27–28).
And like all the commandments, the purpose of this commandment is not to restrict your personal freedom or rob you of pleasure in life, but just the opposite. The Bible teaches that true freedom is not found in doing whatever you want, but in being and doing what God designed you to be and do.
In the beginning, God created humanity and the world with a creative order for the way things are supposed to be (Gen. 1:26–28, 2:15). In God's design, he created marriage as the first institution that is central to all human flourishing on earth.[2]
After creating Adam, God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper (עֵזֶר ezer) fit for him" (Gen. 2:18). The Hebrew word, usually translated "helper," conveys an indispensable other who alone can deliver Adam from his incomplete state of aloneness. Adam's aloneness reflected his incompleteness in God's design and purpose for his life to "be fruitful, fill the earth, and rule over it"—making God's invisible kingdom visible over all areas of life (Gen. 1:28).[3]
God did not design Adam to flourish in life only through his relationship with God, but also through his relationship with others, especially his wife.[4] Adam needed someone to be in intimate union with him, not just as a companion and lover, though Eve would be that, but someone who would complete him and join with him to carry out God's mission in the world.
So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he slept, He took from the [his] side and closed up the area with flesh. And from the side that the LORD God had taken from the man, He made a woman and brought her to him. And the man said, ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called “woman,” for out of man she was taken.’ (Gen. 2:21–23)
The Hebrew word (צֵלָע tsela), usually translated "rib," is not an anatomical term but an architectural term that conveys an essential structural component, a side, of a building. God's creation of Eve from Adam's side was an act of divine architecture in which God solved Adam's aloneness problem, not by creating an unequal subordinate, but an essential missing counterpart to complete his whole being.
God then pronounced his institution of marriage for accomplishing his mission on earth: "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh" (Gen. 2:24).
God designed this intimate "one flesh" union for husbands and wives, including their sexual union, to be not only an expression of their intimate union with each other but also a reflection of their intimate union with God. Paul teaches that marital union on earth is to be seen as a mirror of the ultimate relationship of Christ and his church, as the groom and bride (Eph. 5:31–32).
Jesus affirmed the sacredness of this marriage bond, saying, "So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate" (Matt. 19:3–6).[5]
The Bible presents adultery as an act that egregiously separates what God has joined together in the sanctity of the marriage covenant.[6] It violates and tears apart the marital union. It defies God’s plan for human flourishing, and undermines the oneness that God designs marriage to reflect to the world. Adultery is not merely a breach of human trust but a direct affront to God. This is why King David, after committing adultery, prayed, "Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight" (Ps. 51:4).[7]
What is forbidden by God in the seventh commandment?
God forbids you to cause harm to or violate his design for marriage by immoral sexual thoughts, desires, and behaviors. The seventh commandment forbids all sexual activity outside of the exclusive marriage relationship between a man and a woman.[8]
Adultery, in its most narrow and worst form, involves someone breaking a relationship with a marriage partner through acts of sexual immorality. However, Jesus taught that the seventh commandment also forbids the underlying sexual lust that leads to adultery.[9] He said, "You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to
you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matt. 5:27–28).
Lustful intent is not mere "desire," but an "over-desire," that surpasses rightful, loving boundaries established by God.[10] The Bible teaches that sexual desire is a gift from God, but when it becomes lustful intent for someone who is not your spouse, it becomes distorted, corrupt, and damaging.[11]
The Bible presents adultery (μοιχεία, moicheia) as a form of sexual immorality (πορνεία, porneia), but all sexual immorality is not adultery. There are many forms of sexual immorality beyond adultery which God forbids, including premarital sex, homosexuality, polygamy, incest, sexual abuse, bestiality, pornography, etc.[12]
Sexual lust and all other forms of sexual immorality break the seventh commandment because they violate God’s design for all sexual activities to be exclusively limited to one man and one woman in a marriage covenant. If you're married, you obey this command by confining all your sexual activity to your marriage partner. If you're single, you obey this command by abstaining from all sexual activity outside of marriage.
Therefore, God forbids not only physical adultery that breaks a marriage bond, but all forms of sexual immorality, in and out of marriage, and everything that can lead to any form of adultery, including all harmful thoughts, desires, and actions, “and whatever may incite someone to them."[13]
What is required by God in the seventh commandment?
God requires you to protect, support, and honor marriage in all possible ways, especially by your sexual thoughts, desires, and behaviors.[14] Like all the commandments, this command has both a negative and positive meaning.
Put Off Sexual Immorality
The negative side of this command requires you to turn away from all illicit sexual thoughts, desires, and behaviors toward anyone who is not your marriage partner. Paul calls the church at Corinth to, "Flee from sexual immorality" (1 Cor. 6:18).[15] Paul teaches that, unlike any other kind of sin, sexual immorality is a grave offense against your body because your body is a temple of the indwelling Holy Spirit designed to glorify God.[16]
When Jesus explains how his followers must turn away from sexual immorality, he uses the graphic imagery of self-mutilation.
If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell. (Matt. 5:29–30)
Jesus does not use this graphic imagery to teach you to actually mutilate your physical body, but to take radical action against all forms of sexual temptation you encounter.[17]
Therefore, you must never pamper with sexual immorality, but instead learn how to hate it and dig it out in its earliest forms, before it destroys you.[18]
Jesus is not referring to the normal sexual attraction which exists between men and women. There is no sin if the temptation is resisted, and the focus is turned elsewhere.[19] Jesus is also not referring to unavoidable exposure to sexual temptation, but to the intentional deep-seated lustful intent of the heart when your imagination fantasizes about sexual activity outside of marriage.
Martin Luther is reported to have said about his struggles with temptation, "It is one thing to allow the birds to fly over your head—but it is totally another to allow them to nest in your hair."[20]
Put On Chastity
The positive side of this command is that God requires your thoughts, desires, and behaviors to support, strengthen and honor the marriage covenant.
Chastity is a biblical virtue that includes more than merely abstaining from sexual immorality; it also involves elevating the sacredness and blessedness of marital love by maintaining sexual purity, whether single or married. It means learning how to control your body in a way that loves people and honors God.[21]
A biblical understanding of chastity includes a positive view of human sexuality. Books of the Bible like Song of Solomon and Proverbs show that God's view of sex is positive and beautiful when it is experienced according to his design in the context of marriage (Prov. 5:15–19).[22]
To help married couples resist sexual immorality and strengthen their marriage covenant, Paul writes, "The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband" (1 Cor. 7:3).[23]
Paul challenges the cultural views of his time, which regarded women as inferior to men, by teaching that both spouses have equal rights and responsibilities over each other's bodies. "For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise, the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does" (1 Cor. 7:4).
This shared authority is not about control or demand over the other’s body, but rather a call to a mutual love and respect that reflects the relationship between Christ and the church. However, throughout history, these verses have been misused to justify sexual demands and even sexual abuse in marriage.
The core of Paul's message is one of mutual consent rooted in love that never coerces or demands, but always seeks the best for the other person. Husbands are especially reminded to love their wives as Christ loved the church—selflessly and sacrificially (Eph. 5:25).[24]
To help single people resist sexual immorality and strengthen their commitment to chastity, Paul presents two clear paths. First, he presents celibacy as a commendable choice, one that he has chosen, allowing for undivided devotion to serving Christ.[25] But he recognizes that everyone cannot live contentedly without a sexual relationship, like him. For them, he offers marriage as a God-honoring alternative for the channeling of their sexual passion.[26]
Finally, Paul warns that the sexually immoral and adulterous will not inherit the kingdom of God. "Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral...nor adulterers, nor homosexuals...will inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Cor. 6:9–10).
However, he also celebrates the transforming power of the gospel that is beautifully displayed in all those who once practiced sexual immorality, "And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God" (1 Cor. 6:11).[27]
Catechism Questions
What is the Seventh Commandment?
The seventh commandment is, "You shall not commit adultery."
What is forbidden by God in the Seventh Commandment?
God forbids me to cause harm to or violate his design for marriage by immoral sexual thoughts, desires, and behaviors.
What is required by God in the Seventh Commandment?
God requires me to protect, support, and honor marriage in all possible ways, especially by my sexual thoughts, desires, and behaviors.
Footnotes:
[1] In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for adultery (נאף, na’aph) is distinguished from the Hebrew word for sexual immorality in general (זנה, zanah) that includes adultery. Similarly, in the New Testament, the Greek word for adultery (μοιχεία, moicheia) is distinguished from the Greek word for sexual immorality in general (πορνεία, porneia) that includes adultery. The English word adultery originates from the Latin term adulterare for "to alter, corrupt," conveying the concept of someone altering or corrupting a marriage bond.
[2] Besides marriage, God's creation order also includes the sanctity of life, the Sabbath rhythm of time, the sanctity of work, and political order (Gen. 1:26–28, 2:1–2, 15, 24; Rom 13:1; 1 Tim 4:3–4; 1 Pet. 2:13) for the ultimate flourishing of humanity on earth.
[3] As Adam and Eve learned how to apply God’s creative order in all their spheres of life, God’s plan was to establish his kingdom on earth through their application of them, developing the whole domain of human relationships and societal organizations—called "culture"—for his glory. This is how God ruled over not just the physical world in creation, but all the developing spheres and domains of human rule, including the early forms of family, government, industry (vocation), education, and the arts. This included developing his purposes for creation through Adam and Eve as his "sub-creators," as they continued God’s creative work of building a world that brings glory to God.
[4] God's creation of humanity in his image as male and female (Gen. 1:27), reflects his unity in diversity, mirroring the triune relationship of God's one essence and three persons. In marriage, God's image is reflected in the unity and diversity of the husband–wife relationship.
[5] Paul taught that the marriage bond is broken if the spouse dies. “For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.” (Rom. 7:2–5)
[6] The Bible often uses adultery as a metaphor to illustrate Israel’s unfaithfulness to God through idolatry. Adultery introduces a corrupting element into marriage, just as idolatry does to our relationship with God. The book of Hosea aligns adultery with idolatry, each breaking the sanctity of God’s covenant (Hos. 1:2, 2:2–5, 3:1, 4:12–13, 9:1). Idolatry, covetousness, and apostasy are referred to as adultery (Jer. 3:6, 8, 9; Ezek. 16:32; Rev. 2:22). An apostate church is called an adulteress (Isa. 1:21; Ezek. 23:4, 7, 37), and unbelieving Jews are called "an adulterous generation" (Revelation 12; Matt. 12:39).
[7] David's prayer is not a denial of his horrible sin against Bathsheba and her husband, Uriah, but a profound recognition that his sin against God, as the judge of all moral failures, was far greater by comparison.
[8] One reason God restricts all sexual activity to marriage is because he knows that intimacy and exclusivity always go together in any meaningful relationship.
[9] Jesus teaches that the root of sexual immorality and adultery is the sinful, corrupt, human heart. "For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality (πορνεία, porneia), theft, murder, adultery (μοιχεία, moicheia), coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person" (Mark 7:21–23).
[10] The New Testament Greek word translated "lustful intent" (from the verb ἐπιθυμέω, epithumeo) does not refer to normal sexual desire, but to inordinate sexual desire. The etymology of the Greek word is made up of two parts: 1) ἐπι (epi) meaning over, and 2) θυμέω (thumeo) meaning desire.
[11] Jesus teaches that lustful intent is "heart adultery," but he's not teaching that lustful intent is equal to physical adultery. All heart adultery does not lead to physical adultery, but all physical adultery begins in the heart. Although both lust and adultery make us guilty before God, physical adultery is far worse in God's eyes. Jesus teaches that only "physical adultery" can break the marriage bond and be the ground for divorce. "I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery" (Matt. 5:32). In this context, the word Jesus uses for sexual immorality (πορνεία, porneia) refers to the immoral physical sexual acts of a married person (adultery).
[12] See 1 Cor. 7:2; Leviticus 18; Rom. 1:26–27; 1 Tim. 3:2; 1 Thess. 4:3–8; Job 31:1; Matt. 5:28.
[13] Heidleberg Catechism answer to Question 109. See also Question 72 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism that inquires, "What is forbidden in the seventh commandment?" to which it answers, "All unchaste thoughts, words, and actions."
[14] "Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous" (Heb. 13:4).
[15] To his disciple, Timothy, Paul pleads, "flee youthful passions" (2 Tim. 2:22), and to the church at Thessalonica, he writes, "For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality (πορνεία, porneia)," (1 Thess. 4:3). To the church at Ephesus he writes, "Sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints" (Eph. 5:3). When Paul explains why followers of Jesus must flee from sexual immorality, he draws a dramatic contrast between "the two become one flesh" marriage union in Genesis 2 and the immoral union when someone has sexual relations with a prostitute. "Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, ‘The two will become one flesh’" (1 Cor. 6: 15–16).
[16] "Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body" (1 Cor. 6: 18–20).
[17] The Proverbs strongly warn against the adulterous woman, portraying her as dangerously seductive (Prov. 7:10–21) and a grave threat to one’s moral and spiritual well-being (Prov. 2:16–19). The consequences of succumbing to her temptations are severe, leading to both personal and social ruin (Prov. 5:3–14, 6:26–35). Therefore, the Proverbs call for radical action to avoid her at all costs: "Keep to a path far from her, do not go near the door of her house, lest you lose your honor to others and your dignity to one who is cruel, lest strangers feast on your wealth and your toil enrich the house of another. At the end of your life you will groan, when your flesh and body are spent" (Prov. 5:8–11; 6:24–25).
[18] Once identified, you must be willing to take radical action against your temptations, sapping the life-dominating power they can have over your heart. In Romans 13:14 Paul writes, "Make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires." All that is idolatrous before your eyes must have its vivid appeal drained out of it. The Puritans called this mortification.
[19] The Bible presents the eyes as the gateway to lustful thoughts. Sexual immorality always begins with the eyes and the heart. This is why Job declared, "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman" (Job 31:1). Job's radical covenant with his eyes helped him prevent his internal sexual temptation from turning into external action.
[20] This is specifically quoted in John Nicholas Lenker, D.D., The Catechetical Writings of Martin Luther: God’s Call to Repentance, Faith, and Prayer, vol. 1 (Minneapolis, Minn.: The Luther Press, 1907) 305. The actual line from Luther reads, “In the book of an old father we read that a young brother expressed a desire to be rid of his thoughts. Thereupon the old father said: ‘Dear brother, you cannot prevent the birds from flying in the air over your head, but you can prevent them from building a nest in your hair.’"
[21] Paul writes, "Each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God" (1 Thess. 4:4–5).
[22] God not only commands us to put off all sexual immorality and adultery, but he also commands all who are married to put on the rich blessings of sexual pleasure within their marriage relationship, e.g., to "drink" (quench their sexual thirst), "rejoice in," "be satisfied," and even "be intoxicated" in their sexual love. Putting on chastity includes prioritizing the intentional nurturing of mutual sexual pleasure in marriage.
[23] The Greek word translated "conjugal rights" (ὀφειλὴν, opheilen), sometimes translated "marital duty," refers to the mutual rights and responsibilities God gives to husbands and wives within the marriage covenant, especially in terms of their sexual relations.
[24] Paul presents marital sex as not only a right but also a mutual obligation for husbands and wives to help each other avoid sexual immorality by fostering sexual intimacy in the context of mutual respect and love. "Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control" (1 Cor. 7:5).
[25] "I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord" (1 Cor. 7:32–35).
[26] "To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single, as I am. But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion" (1 Cor. 7:8–9).
[27] The dramatic stories of Jesus' interaction with an immoral Samaritan woman he met at a well (John 4:7–42) and a woman who was caught in adultery and brought to him by the religious leaders to condemn (John 8:2–11), demonstrate God's radical love and grace toward those who break the seventh commandment. Jesus does not condemn these women for their sexual sin; instead, he forgives them and offers them a new life. The good news is that the sexually immoral can be washed clean, made new, and set forth on a new lifelong journey in which they flourish by honoring the sacredness of marriage.