Focal Passages: Matthew
5:27-30; Proverbs 5:15-21; 6:25-32
Sex sells. I can’t even
go and view one of the national news web sites without some side ad on the web
site trying to get my attention for some questionable television show coming on
tonight, prompting me to try some new online dating service for singles or married
people, or to take a look at some new revealing clothing designs for the
season.
Everywhere we go, it
seems that we are bombarded with temptations.
As our society comes to
accept this, we can see how marital faithfulness is no longer a practice that
is required. Just take a look around at our actors, actresses, political
leaders, community leaders — faithfulness in marriage is the exception and not
the rule, but just because our society has that viewpoint does not mean that it
is God’s viewpoint.
God’s standard still
stands, and He calls for husbands and wives to be faithful to one another in a
loving relationship under the leadership of Christ.
Jesus addresses the
problem of marital unfaithfulness in Matthew 5.
Adultery starts with a
deep desire or longing which is the original meaning of lust.
To lust in our hearts
is the beginning of mental adultery, and Jesus warns us that lusting for
another person can be just as destructive as the physical act of adultery.
In Matthew 5, we see
where Jesus warns us of this and that it is a very serious issue in which to
become involved. In fact, it is so serious that Jesus says that if our eye
should offend us, then we should go ahead and remove it instead of staring down
the path of lust and eventual physical unfaithfulness.
Now, Jesus was not
being literal when He said to remove your eye, but He was trying to stress how
this sin can sneak into our lives and poison our relationships with our spouse,
children, and friends.
The Bible is not silent
about physical intimacy between a husband and wife. In many different passages
the reader is advised that sexual intimacy is only between a husband and wife.
Solomon wrote in
Proverbs 5 that physical and emotional intimacy is only truly fulfilling
between a husband and wife.
Solomon goes on in Proverbs 6 with the consequences
of adultery — what appears fun and exciting like fire will only burn you in the
end. Current statistics show that 34 percent of marriages that involve physical
infidelity eventually end up in divorce — the husband, wife, children, and
extended family are harmed because of the actions of a few.
How are we to apply
these words of wisdom to our daily lives? First, we should take all precautions
to guard against temptation.
This includes questionable
conversations, very close emotional attachments to the opposite sex in place of
the same emotional attachment that we should have with our spouse, and what we
watch or read. Men crave physical intimacy; women crave emotional intimacy.
We are warned by Jesus
to be vigilant; if the opportunity arises that may lead us astray, that we
should address the issue immediately.