I cannot fathom how relevant these ten commandments are, even as we
finish off 2017. I trust I have conveyed how significantly appropriate
obedience to them makes for better individuals, homes, and, society.
And this seventh one, namely, "do not commit adultery," may be the most
important.
I have a pretty good idea why it is seventh on the list, but I don't
want to digress too much. Just think in terms in being right with God
(Commandment #1), then the rest fall into place. I know that's an
oversimplification, but that's the truth.
Unrestrained passion with someone who is not your (married) partner, in
or out of a marriage, is a dangerous habit. In Scripture, it is a
forbidden practice, but owing to the secular, godless culture we are
immersed in, my Bible argument doesn't have a lot of credibility.
You would find it an interesting study to see what stats there are on
the economic, emotional, social, sexual, physical, and mental impact
that affairs, pornography, peep shows, strip shows, and flings have on
society as a whole, which is made up of the workplace, homes, and yes,
even churches.
I don't have the stats at my fingertips, but the Internet is a wonderful
tool (usually) for that. You would be shocked to read of the massive
damage that serial infidelity and rampant unfaithfulness has on our
society today.
And I am not even using God, the church or the Bible to support my
argument.
What would happen if we all kept our hands to ourselves, our eyes for
our wife (or husband), and our money where it should be spent responsibly?
Saying that, it's almost as if I can hear a collective "whoopee" on the
part of every victim, every humiliated wife, every abandoned child, and
every legitimate social agency. Maybe even the courts and law would
shout out, too, while we're at it. They have to deal with the rampant
violence, senseless fraud, and utter depths of humanity, on a daily
basis, when it comes to the results of adultery. We mustn't forget the
danger that officers put themselves in when dealing with a domestic dispute.
No stable society remains stable for long with this chaos in the
bedroom. No society can endure for long when there are incessant
attacks on its moral foundation.
A generation ago girlie magazines came through the mail, shrouded in
paper bags. At least there was token discretion back then. Today,
however, all shame is off and there is access to everything through the
click of a button in the privacy of one's home. And no, by God's grace,
I do not speak from experience.
You're possibly wondering if I have wandered off from my "no
hanky-panky" commandment. No, not at all. You see there are many
"roads" leading to an unfaithful lifestyle. And when we sound the
alarm at what's available on supermarket shelves, on cable television
offers, or what can be downloaded on the Internet, we have solid grounds
for concern.
In other words, often times the actual act of adultery is the end result
of careless morals.
A more positive, uplifting angle is simple: Keep yourself pure for the
one you will be committed to for the rest of your life (or if you are
married, stay committed to her or him only). Keep yours eyes, hands,
and mind under control. Don't allow yourself to come under the bondage
of unbridled pornography. (And I did say "bondage"; it's certainly not
freedom.)
As I said last time, the Scriptures make it very clear that sex is good
(as well as healthy and necessary), but sex must be within the context
of a monogamous marriage between a man and woman. No ifs, ands, or
buts. This point can be affirmed without using the Bible.
Physicians, economists, psychologists, and others will attest to the
fact that serial infidelity is a counter-productive, destructive habit.
I don't think they would weigh in on the moral or spiritual element.
They don't need to.
There may be the momentary rush of illicit sex, but that's as far as it
goes. Even the Scriptures speak of the "pleasures of sin for a season."
Think long term and big time. Do the right thing and back off and away.
It's not merely a one-night fling that is at stake: it's a
generational, self-destructive one.
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