Are you guilty of adultery?

"Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: but I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell." Matthew 5:27-30

God's Word forbids us to adulterate or pervert God's intent and design in creation when He made woman to be a helper and companion to man and instituted marriage (Genesis 1-2). Thus, we become guilty of adultery not only when we engage in any kind of sexual activity outside of marriage between one man and one woman; we become guilty even when sinful thoughts and desires arise in our hearts. It is adultery -- a perversion of God's intent and design in creation -- when a man looks at a woman to lust after her. Of course, the same is also true if a woman lusts after a man not her husband.

Jesus teaches us that the commandments demand more than outward purity; they demand purity of heart -- pure and holy thoughts and desires.

How far short we have all fallen! Even if we have outwardly obeyed the commandment against adultery, inwardly, in our thoughts and minds, we have all come short! That is why we so need a Savior -- one to fulfill the righteous demands of God's law in our stead and to bear our punishment that we might receive God's mercy and forgiveness! And that is why God sent His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into the world. He fulfilled all righteousness for us and He suffered and died for all our sins. Messiah Jesus died for us and rose again that we might have God's pardon and peace!

This, or course, does not make it a light thing to disregard God's commandments. The wages of sin is still death -- spiritual and eternal -- and to turn away from our Savior and back into the sin from which we have been redeemed is a grave danger to our soul (cf. Romans 6:1ff.; 2 Peter 2:20-22; Hebrews 10:26-31).

Jesus says, "And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell."

Jesus is not advocating that we literally pluck out our eyes or cut off our hands, but He is telling us to remove from us those things which lead us into temptation and sin. Thus, in our struggle against the temptations of the devil, the world around us and the sinful desires of our own flesh, it would be better for us to cut off and do away with those things in life which are a temptation to us than to allow such things to lead us back into sin and to spiritual and eternal death. We may need to avoid certain places, turn off television programs and limit Internet use to avoid temptation and sin. And we will certainly need to pray constantly for the help and strength of God to "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

O merciful God, for the sake of Christ Jesus, Your Son, forgive us for our sins in thought, word and deed. Cleanse our hearts and minds and lead us to follow You whole-heartedly. Amen.

[Devotion by Randy Moll. Scripture quotations from the King James Version of the Bible.]