“You shall not commit adultery.” Exodus 20:14
Scripture Reading: John 8:1-11
Memory Verse: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8
Introduction:
The Bible teaches a high view of marriage, including the physical enjoyment from the union. It comes to us as a creation ordinance. Marriage is the LORD’s design for the continuance of the human race. Marriage is not to be entered into lightly. A man leaves his mother and father and is joined to his wife and the two become one flesh in a covenant relationship under God.
After the sin of Adam, man began to turn what God gave as a beautiful gift into lust and fornication. The focus turned to the sexual relationship. To warn against this, we see the commandment telling man, “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14). In today’s world, instead of joining in a marital relationship under God, a couple will go out and become one flesh and later seek to legitimize the sexual relationship with marriage. All ages have easy access to pornography through smart devices. Colossians 3:5 challenges us to put to death those things. Ask yourself the question of whether there is anything that I am doing in private that would be embarrassing if it were flashed up on social media for the world to see.
The impact of adultery is a chain reaction. It is a sin against God, against the partner, against a spouse, and against the partner’s spouse. If you are not married, it is a sin against a future spouse and partner’s spouse. Abstaining from sexual relationships before entering the marriage covenant and living in fidelity after marriage will mark us as being distinct from our culture.
In Ephesians 5, we find marriage represented as a type of our union with Christ. Christ is represented as the groom and the church as the bride. Our marriage to the Lamb calls for a love relationship in this present life with Him. We can’t have that relationship with Jesus and be promiscuous in our sexual relations with the opposite sex or in marriage. Therefore, it is written, “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14).
Lesson Questions:
- In Matthew 5:27-28 Jesus describes how the command to not commit adultery can be broken in our hearts. What is the difference between adultery of the heart and actual adultery?
- What is Jesus’ point in proposing such drastic solutions to avoid adultery of the heart in Matthew 5:29-30?
- What was God’s plan for marriage and the establishment of a home? Genesis 2:18, 24
- How did Jesus confirm God’s plan for marriage? Matthew 19:4-6
- For how long was the marriage to be binding? Romans 7:2; 1 Corinthians 7:39
- What lessons do you see from the account of the scribes and Pharisees bringing the adulteress to Jesus? John
8:1-11. Did Jesus condone the woman’s adultery? - Describe the marriage relationship as Paul outlines it in Ephesians 5:22-33. How can husbands love their wives as Christ loves the church? Ephesians 5:25. How can wives submit to and respect their husbands “as to the Lord”? Ephesians 5:22, 33
- Colossians 3:5 challenges us to put to death our earthly members, saying that it leads to idolatry. How do we do that while living in the world? Colossians 3:8-11
- Describe some of the admonitions Proverbs 5 gives for the young man. How do these apply to the challenges in our world today?