Text: "The one who commits adultery lacks sense; whoever does so destroys himself." - Proverbs 6:32
Todays, topic is very sensitive. My experience in ministry tells me that adultery is one of the most devastating of circumstances that couples can face. Defined as "voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and someone other than that person's current spouse or partner", one could consider adultery to be a betrayal of trust.
In scripture, the union of a man and his wife is symbolic of the covenant relationship between Christ and His church and the marital relationship is considered to be sacred. In Ezekiel 16:8, we find the calling of God to the nation of Israel to be His own special people, I quote, "When I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love; so I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine," says the Lord God.
In Ephesians 5:20-28, the Apostle Paul also draws these comparisons between a healthy marital relationship and that of Christ and His church. I quote, we are to be "giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Saviour of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself."
Ideally, a man is to love his wife in such a manner that would enable her to be all that the Lord would intend for her to be in His gifting of life to her. You might say that we, as husbands, are to join God in His work to bring the realization of her beauty to herself, that she might reflect that beauty back to us and to others.
As a matter of course, the man is to reflect the beneficence and goodness of God who is the Author of everything that brings light and love into our lives.
In the act of adultery, both parties lay aside fidelity to Gods will in deference to what may be considered as a selfish, self destroying pursuit of pleasure. According to our text it weakens both parties as they have intentionally fallen short of the high ideal that God called us to in the marital relationship.
My heart also is very touched by the pain that this act imposes upon the offended and innocent party. At best they are caught between two admonitions of scripture. In Matthew 6:15 the Lord makes this statement, "...if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." In Romans 12:19, the Apostle Paul says, "Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord.
The tension this causes is not humanly possible to carry. I have helped people wrestle with the pain, loss and sense of rejection inflicted upon them through marital infidelity. Only by the grace of God can they eventually move on to forgive the offenders. Only, the One who promises to make our hearts new, can restore peace to such tormented and tortured souls. My personal view is that the only one who ultimately benefits by the unfortunate act of adultery is the devil himself. But he will pay for this, it is just a matter of time.
Moving forward, I want to encourage people in the thought that the Lord understands our situation and offers reconciliation and pardon to all. We are not the enemy. Satan is. To us, regardless of the nature of sin, He offers the peace and hope of reconciliation as we choose to break free of the deceptions of sin. Ask God to fulfill the promise of Psalm 16:11 in your life. I quote, "You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." The path of healing should leads us all to God alone.