Adultery

Question:

How does the Bible define adultery?

Comment:

Exodus 20:14 consists of the single, simple statement, “You shall not commit adultery.” In the ensuing chapters and books of the Pentateuch (Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy), an elaborate code of laws is itemized concerning specific violations of the basic Ten Commandments. Most people associate “adultery” with the various sexual taboos that are a significant part of that legal code.   In metaphysical terms, however, adultery is both more profound and less specific. It refers to a violation of a sacred commitment. Sexual behavior is adulterous if one or both parties involved have already made commitments of fidelity to others. Sexual behavior between two people who are not previously committed may or may not be proscribed by the legal code. But it is not adultery. We commit adultery when we deliberately choose to disregard a spiritual commitment for the sake of immediate gratification.

And it’s also true that, metaphysically, adultery need not involve sex at all. There are many ways in which we may violate a sacred commitment. We are spiritual beings, here to accomplish a spiritual purpose through the challenges of human experience. Once we become aware, once we remember spiritual truth, our awareness becomes a sacred commitment of the first order. Any immediate gratification that turns us away from that commitment is a form of adultery, and will have negative consequences in terms of our spiritual path. Jesus is very clear on this point: We cannot serve two masters. We cannot maintain a spiritual commitment and, at the same time, give priority to the distractions of our human experience.

Blessings!

Rev. Ed