Adultery

"This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly."                           Matthew 1:18-19  NLT

It is so easy to judge about what people have done and declare, 'That would not have happened to me. I would have been gone!' But it's all right saying these things but, would you have fled the scene? Let's look at this'

Mary through no fault of her own had been chosen by God to give birth to the Lord Jesus. She was flabbergasted by it all. Now from her point of view, she was engaged to Joseph; being pregnant before marriage was bad enough, but her and Joseph had not had sex yet, so there was no way it could have been his baby. From Joseph's point of view, she had had sexual relations with another man so, she was an adulteress and this carried a death sentence of being stoned and all the family disgraced. He was in a quandary not knowing what to do but felt that he would just leave her and say nothing about this 'scandal'. This would ease the abuse the family would suffer. But then, the Angel of the Lord spoke to him in a dream confirming that Mary had conceived by the Holy Spirit and it would be ok to marry her and allow her to have this child - Jesus. It was God's work.

What a predicament to be in. When you think of it, Joseph was a righteous man and even though nothing much is said about him after this, no doubt he would receive mega blessing when he eventually went to heaven, which may have been just before Jesus became public.

Ok, today a man and woman would not be stoned for committing adultery but, this act, which appears quite pleasant in the adulterer's mind initially, still devastates a family and rips the guts out of every family member. Still people risk it. The hurt can cause so much anxiety in a family member's life that they can suffer from a mental breakdown. Many professional people who have to work in this area know the affect it has on individuals if the adulterer has left and gone away with the other party. But, if they have stayed and begged forgiveness, there is always that lack of trust that has been sown in the heart and this can lead to endless arguments, which once again, leads to the family suffering.

Where adultery has taken place, many marriages have managed to forgive and become a family again, but it is a hard road to begin on. Without God being involved, peace within this marriage would possible never happen and the marriage may be just another statistic. What is the answer here? DON'T DO IT! As a Christian you know it is wrong; you know the rules and the cost it carries when you're found out - and you will be! There really is no excuse. You are in control and you know the boundaries. We may all suffer temptations such as this but abide by the rules, the God given rules 'Do not commit adultery' Exodus 20:14. It can't be more clearer than that, can it?

If you're married, then keep the marriage sacred and holy as God requires.

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now
Lord Jesus, I have sinned. I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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