Adultery

[NCPASTOR]

I've been asked by a friend to define adultery. I tried my best to give them a good Bible based answer but then they went further and started giving examples of actions that they wanted to know if it would be considered adultery.

First they are married. They wanted to know if having a relationship with someone online would be considered adultery? If flirting would be considered adultery? They got a little more explicit in that they asked if having phone sex would be considered adultery. They tried to justify it by saying that there was no actual physical contact. But to me if there is some kind of emotional interaction and/or connection I would think it would be adultery.....any in put from anyone would be very helpful.

 

[Natman]

As a pastor, you should be familiar with Matt 5:27-28

27"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' 28But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart"
​

God is more concerned with relationships than our actual actions or lack there of. His laws show us how important relationships are. The first four deal with our relationship to Him and the last six deal with our relationships to other people. Jesus broke them down into simply two... Love the Lord and love others.

Based on the above verses, flirting or having "mental-sex" either face to face, over the telephone or over the internet amounts to the same thing as having REAL sex.

What is at risk is your relationship with your spouse, or the person who's spouse you are flirting or "mentally fornicating" with, not to mention your relationship with God Himself.

Son-cerely,
Nathan Powers

 

[tgg]

I've been asked by a friend to define adultery. I tried my best to give them a good Bible based answer but then they went further and started giving examples of actions that they wanted to know if it would be considered adultery.

First they are married. They wanted to know if having a relationship with someone online would be considered adultery? If flirting would be considered adultery? They got a little more explicit in that they asked if having phone sex would be considered adultery. They tried to justify it by saying that there was no actual physical contact. But to me if there is some kind of emotional interaction and/or connection I would think it would be adultery.....any in put from anyone would be very helpful.

Adultery is not confined to sex alone. It is doing something behind people's backs - i.e. cheating.

This page will help you understand it better:

http://www.libchrist.com/bible/adultery.html


tgg

 

[LoreleiNachtfrau]

I've been asked by a friend to define adultery. I tried my best to give them a good Bible based answer but then they went further and started giving examples of actions that they wanted to know if it would be considered adultery.

First they are married. They wanted to know if having a relationship with someone online would be considered adultery? If flirting would be considered adultery? They got a little more explicit in that they asked if having phone sex would be considered adultery. They tried to justify it by saying that there was no actual physical contact. But to me if there is some kind of emotional interaction and/or connection I would think it would be adultery.....any in put from anyone would be very helpful.

adultery

conjugal infidelity. An adulterer was a man who had illicit intercourse with a
married or a betrothed woman, and such a woman was an adulteress.

Intercourse between a married man and an unmarried woman was fornication.

Adultery was regarded as a great social wrong, as well as a great sin. The Mosaic law (Num. 5:11-31) prescribed that the suspected wife should be tried by the ordeal of the "water of jealousy." There is, however, no recorded instance of the application of this law. In subsequent times the Rabbis made various regulations with the view of discovering the guilty party, and of bringing about a divorce.

It has been inferred from John 8:1-11 that this sin became very common during the age preceding the destruction of Jerusalem. Idolatry, covetousness, and apostasy are spoken of as adultery spiritually (Jer. 3:6, 8,
9; Ezek. 16:32; Hos. 1:2:3; Rev. 2:22). An apostate church is an adulteress
(Isa. 1:21; Ezek. 23:4, 7, 37), and the Jews are styled "an adulterous
generation" (Matt. 12:39). (Comp. Rev. 12.)

 

[Tangnefedd]

As far as I am concerned adultery is cheating on your partner, whether you are married, or living together, gay or straight.

 

[Madcoil]

Adultery is the natural state of a woman, for just by walking down the street she causes men to lust after her. For shame, ye females! ^^

 

[AtheistPerson]

Adultery - Voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and a partner other than the lawful spouse.

This is a definition from the english language, not a bible.

 

[headedhome]

As you well know Pastor, God looks at the heart. Jesus brought us to a point of sin not just being an action but a thought. He who looks upon a woman with lust in his heart, if you call your brother a fool, and so on. Bottom line, yes its adultry if our thoughts, wants, or desires are focused any where but our spouse. Even we Christians are guilty of this at times. Thanks be that we have a forgiven, transforming God.

 

[LoreleiNachtfrau]

Adultery - Voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and a partner other than the lawful spouse.

This is a definition from the english language, not a bible.

Upon consideration, there are certainly a lot of situations where a married spouse had sex with somebody other than their other spouse and have it not be considered adultery. Cases like Micheal Schavio or couples who are seperated or divorcing I do not think most would consider adultery.