What is adultery?

[£amb]

What set me thinking was that a friend told me last week that even having lunch with someone who is not your wife could be an act of adultery. He went on to say that if you discussed personal things with a woman other than your wife that you could not discuss with your wife then that too was an act of adultery.

I think having lunch with someone of the opposite sex is not adultry. If they are friends, and go out for lunch to discuss everyday things, I feel that's okay. Buuut...the spouse needs to be aware of this also. It should not be a secret thing. He does not need to go into intimate details about his spouse or marriage. Those are things that should be kept between the husband and wife, and could break his wife's trust. Also, if he thinks that other people could gossip about them (he and friend), then he should bring another person along. I know some people will say "it doesn't matter what someone else thinks", but we are talking about what the wife thinks...not everybody else.

 

[ab1385]

I look at the divorce of God from the nation Israel. There was no literal "marriage bed" as Israel was not an individual, but a nation. God divorced her because of her worship of foreign gods and her sexual involvement with pagans who worshipped foreign gods. These were violations of a lawful "marriage" that God had with His Bride to be, Israel.

Is that ever referred to as adultery? I'm fine with being corrected on it, but I wouldn't have thought that was described as such, other than maybe the prostitution...

What is spritual adultery, and where do you get that definition from? I mean, again, it's fair enough if it's clear from the meaning of a text in the bible, but I'm just not aware of one. Happy to be corected though.

 

[ContentInHim]

Is that ever referred to as adultery? I'm fine with being corrected on it, but I wouldn't have thought that was described as such, other than maybe the prostitution...

What is spritual adultery, and where do you get that definition from? I mean, again, it's fair enough if it's clear from the meaning of a text in the bible, but I'm just not aware of one. Happy to be corected though.

JER 3:6 During the reign of King Josiah, the LORD said to me, "Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree and has committed adultery there. [7] I thought that after she had done all this she would return to me but she did not, and her unfaithful sister Judah saw it. [8] I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear; she also went out and committed adultery. [9] Because Israel's immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the land and committed adultery with stone and wood. [10] In spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return to me with all her heart, but only in pretense," declares the LORD.

Jeremiah's prophecies have God using the word adultery in regards to Israel.

I would call what Judah did (highlighted in the final sentence of the quote above) certainly as spiritual adultery.

 

[Techservant]

I just simply define adultery as the point at which someone is no longer faithful to their spouse, regardless of what that point may be, and I think that the ultimate goal is to not have even the slightest twinge of thinking adulterous thoughts, even though that will no doubt slip through I do not think of that as justifiable adultery.

 

[4Christ2]

Jer 3:8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery5003 I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not,but went and played the harlot also.
H5003
נאף
nâ'aph
naw-af'
A primitive root; to commit adultery; figuratively to apostatize: - adulterer (-ess), commit (-ing) adultery, woman that breaketh wedlock.

 

[ab1385]

So adultery is corruption of, specifically, a marriage then?

 

[Piedpiper123]

So adultery is corruption of, specifically, a marriage then?

We talk of adulterated wine, which is wine with unaproved ingredients added to it.

 

[Piedpiper123]

I would define adultery as any act of intimacy that you commit that you know falls outside of the comfort bounds of your partner.

But some partners are very jealous and would rather you had almost no contact with people of the opposite sex. This is outside of their comfort bounds but is it actually adultery?

 

[4Christ2]

Adultery is the act of breaking the "one flesh" bond created by God in holy matrimony through the act of sexual acts with someone other than the "one flesh", covenant spouse.

 

[Piedpiper123]

Adultery is the act of breaking the "one flesh" bond created by God in holy matrimony through the act of sexual acts with someone other than the "one flesh", covenant spouse.

So a kiss would be enough for a divorce?

 

[4Christ2]

So a kiss would be enough for a divorce?

A kiss could be enough for a divorce. Have you seen the way some people kiss these days?

 

[holo]

To Jesus, even thinking about doing it was enough, apparently. But here we go trying to define "emotional adultery" and kissing and whatnot. Jesus wasn't that vague.

So basically, we're all adulterers. The question is, where do we go from there?

 

[Romanseight2005]

I think that many wives of porn addicts see the porn as total adultery.

 

[Romanseight2005]

I think having lunch with someone of the opposite sex is not adultry. If they are friends, and go out for lunch to discuss everyday things, I feel that's okay. Buuut...the spouse needs to be aware of this also. It should not be a secret thing. He does not need to go into intimate details about his spouse or marriage. Those are things that should be kept between the husband and wife, and could break his wife's trust. Also, if he thinks that other people could gossip about them (he and friend), then he should bring another person along. I know some people will say "it doesn't matter what someone else thinks", but we are talking about what the wife thinks...not everybody else.

I think we are mixing foolish behavior with sin. Having lunch with someone of the opposite sex may or may not be a sin depending upon the relationship of the people, and the thoughts that go on in the minds of either of them. Here is another scenario. A person has been delivered of alcoholism. Is it a sin for him to go to a bar and get a beer? It definitely falls under foolish behavior. It could definitely lead to sin, and if going there would cause your spouse some pain, or if it would cause a brother to stumble, then it falls under,"If you know what to do, and don't do it,it's a sin."

 

[Chie]

I think that many wives of porn addicts see the porn as total adultery.

Most assuredly it is a betrayal of the heart. Emotional adultery hurts and is harmful as much as physical adultery. Which Jesus warns in the Word. All fulfillment , emotional and physical is to be with "one flesh".
Thumbs up on your later post.........

 

[LoveAlways]

I think it's sort of like the Supreme Court's ruling on pornography: you'd know if you were doing it.

 

[Piedpiper123]

I think that many wives of porn addicts see the porn as total adultery.

Is this because Jesus said looking at a woman with desire is comitting adultery in the heart?

 

[4Christ2]

I think we are mixing foolish behavior with sin. Having lunch with someone of the opposite sex may or may not be a sin depending upon the relationship of the people, and the thoughts that go on in the minds of either of them. Here is another scenario. A person has been delivered of alcoholism. Is it a sin for him to go to a bar and get a beer? It definitely falls under foolish behavior. It could definitely lead to sin, and if going there would cause your spouse some pain, or if it would cause a brother to stumble, then it falls under,"If you know what to do, and don't do it,it's a sin."

Well said sister! I agree.