The Sixth Commandment: Living in Unity

Adultery (sex between a married person and someone other than their spouse) causes a world of hurt. It breaks hearts, rips apart relationships, and causes division in families. These are all very good reasons why God forbids adultery, but there’s even more to it than that.

When God created sex, He designed it to be the act of marriage—the total union of a man and a woman. This union is meant to be exclusive and lifelong. But why is that? Why do marriage and sex permanently bond these two people, and only these two people, for a lifetime?

Well, marriage isn’t just about the husband and wife. Marriage is also a living metaphor for the love between Jesus and His bride, the church. The love and commitment between husband and wife mirrors the love and commitment between Christ and the church. In the same way, the passion and desire a husband and wife have for sexual union points to the passion and desire Jesus has to live in union with His people.

Jesus is perfectly faithful to His bride, despite the fact that, in the Old Testament, Israel committed adultery against God by worshiping idols. The books of Hosea and Ezekiel graphically depict how Israel broke God’s heart by acting like a prostitute—He says Israel’s union to idols is like a prostitute’s union to other men.

Jesus teaches us that adultery starts in the heart, with lust, which is why lust is so serious. Selfishly desiring a person who is not your spouse is like selfishly desiring an idol that is not God. Because Jesus is so faithful to us, that faithfulness should be reflected in marriage. Our unfaithfulness tells the lie that God is not faithful to His people.

Marriage and sex remind us of the goodness of God and His unwavering commitment to His people. They point forward to the day when Jesus will return to be fully united to His people for all of eternity (Revelation 21–22). In the meantime, we can celebrate His faithful love to us. • Taylor Eising

• Lust dehumanizes a person, viewing them as an object to be used rather than an image-bearer of God. How does this fail to fulfill our calling to love one another?

• Jesus pursues His people with a never-ending, fully committed, passionate love. How does knowing this bring you comfort? How can you share that love with others?

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Hebrews 10:23 (NLT)

Read Verses:

Exodus 20:13; Matthew 5:21-26