Works of the Flesh: Adultery Flashcards
Proverbs 5:1-23
Warning Against Adultery
5 My son, pay attention to my wisdom,
turn your ear to my words of insight,
2 that you may maintain discretion
and your lips may preserve knowledge.
3 For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey,
and her speech is smoother than oil;
4 but in the end she is bitter as gall,
sharp as a double-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death;
her steps lead straight to the grave.
6 She gives no thought to the way of life;
her paths wander aimlessly, but she does not know it.
7 Now then, my sons, listen to me;
do not turn aside from what I say.
8 Keep to a path far from her,
do not go near the door of her house,
9 lest you lose your honor to others
and your dignity[a] to one who is cruel,
10 lest strangers feast on your wealth
and your toil enrich the house of another.
11 At the end of your life you will groan,
when your flesh and body are spent.
12 You will say, “How I hated discipline!
How my heart spurned correction!
13 I would not obey my teachers
or turn my ear to my instructors.
14 And I was soon in serious trouble
in the assembly of God’s people.”
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
running water from your own well.
16 Should your springs overflow in the streets,
your streams of water in the public squares?
17 Let them be yours alone,
never to be shared with strangers.
18 May your fountain be blessed,
and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
19 A loving doe, a graceful deer—
may her breasts satisfy you always,
may you ever be intoxicated with her love.
20 Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife?
Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?
21 For your ways are in full view of the Lord,
and he examines all your paths.
22 The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them;
the cords of their sins hold them fast.
23 For lack of discipline they will die,
led astray by their own great folly.
According to Proverbs 5, what are the bitter consequences of Adultery
- Emotional Consequences: Guilt, Regret, Shame
- Social Consequences: Reputational Damage, Dishonor, Disgrace
- Financial Consequences: Having to work hard to support other households (having to pay alimony, child support)
- Physical Consequences: Disease and/or death
- Spiritual Consequences: Judgement from God
God will not fail to punish fornicators and adulterers
“Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge“ (Hebrews 13:4).
Adultery does not start with the act, but in the mind
“For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies” (Matthew 15:19).
“You shall not commit adultery.” 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Matthew 5:27-28).
“…and take every thought captive to obey Christ,” (2Corinthians 10:5).
Why do we have to actively gaurd against temptation
People who think that they are not succeptable to fall prey to this sin are especially vulnerable to it
Paul tells us “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (I Corinthians 10:12).
The Old testament is Full of examples of people greater than us who have succumbed to Adultery and sexual temptation, like David, Samson, Solomon, which had horrific spiritual, personal, social and political consequences
Therefore
“Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26: 41).
- Both men and woman should dress modestly as not to tempt one another.
- Husbands and wifes should not withold themselves sexually from one another.
- Flee from sexual immorallity.
What should the adulterer do?
Repent and start anew
remember Jesus Christ’s words to the woman caught in adultery: “Go and sin no more” (John 8:11 KJV).
What should the adulterer do?
Repent and start anew
God’s Invitation to repent:
“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18 KJV).
God’s instructions to those who repent
remember Jesus Christ’s words to the woman caught in adultery: “Go and sin no more” (John 8:11 KJV).
Is adultery a sin?
“Thou Shalt not Commit adultery” (Ex. 20:14 KJV).
““And the man that committeth adultery with another man’s wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.” (Leviticus 20:10 KJV).
What is the problem with mental adultery?
Your heart remains alienated from your spouse, and is thus “unloving”. It violates The Apostles command to “Love your wife, like Christ loves the Church”
And it will eventually lead to physical adultery
The effects of adultery on society
Healthy families are the foundation for Healthy and Strong Societies. Adultery destroys families.
