The Ten Commandments Series: The Seventh Commandment

by Tristi Pinkston | More from this Blogger

24 May 2008 02:00 PM

In Exodus, chapter twenty, verse fourteen we read:

Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Marriage between a man and woman is sacred. We are taught that it is ordained of God. Families are patterned after the way things are organized in Heaven, and how they will be organized in the eternities. We have been told that we have been placed in family units here on this earth to help prepare us to live in family units throughout the eternities, and the foundation of every family unit is the marriage between the husband and wife. When we seek to mock or belittle the importance of this most holy union by having a relationship outside of that marriage, we are mocking God's plan for us, the plan He so carefully and painstakingly laid down for our welfare and blessing.

Adultery not only hurts our spouses, but our children as well. While they may not know what has happened, they can feel the tension in the home. Perhaps it's because children are so fresh from Heaven, I don't know, but they are especially sensitive in spiritual things. They pick up on the vibes in the home, and they are affected by our actions.

Adultery is not just having physical relations with someone outside of marriage-we can commit emotional adultery as well. We are told that if a man looketh upon a woman to lust after her, he has committed adultery in his heart. If we are having feelings of attraction toward someone who is not our spouse, we need to do all in our power to remove ourselves from that situation. We need to be careful not to be alone with that person or to spend too much time with them. It may be natural to be attracted to someone who is handsome or beautiful or charming, but we need to take control of the situation and make sure that we are never put in a compromising position. Seeking out the company of a person we find attractive is absolutely dangerous.

Often, people have affairs because they are looking for something they feel is missing in their own marriage. We should expend our energy in revitalizing our own marriages, not trying to create something that will only bring us absolute heartbreak in the end.

Learn more about Tristi Pinkston

I've been a blogger for Families.com since August of 2006.

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