Plain Truth: Adultery is not only a physical act ... it is also spiritual

Date: 08 November 2013   Read: 1342

"I have never committed adultery in my life!" the married young man exclaimed. "I have never cheated on my wife before and I do not plan to in the near future."

"If I were then to get a divorce from my wife, it would be for anything other than for cheating and adultery." Unfortunately, it is not as simple as the young man would like to put it. Many marriages are not broken because of the physical side of adultery but more because of the spiritual side of it.

Spiritual adultery can be defined as a relationship where a person deserts God for idols or any other thing that replaces God in one’s life. It is also used within the ‘fire-syndrome’ churches to refer to an act where somebody is said to have slept with a spiritual husband or wife other than one's real spouse.

In this article, I define spiritual adultery within the context where Jesus addresses his audience in Matthew 5:27-30 about the ‘intent to sexually engage’ with any person other than your spouse as adultery. The Pharisees thought that they had never committed adultery in their lives because they were never caught in the act of adultery proper. They then developed a kind of spiritual pride to look down upon those caught in adultery as the worst sinners. But in his interpretation of the law, Christ brought the element of ‘conceptualizing about sex in your mind’ or the ‘sexual intent’ on your part as reason enough to place you in the same basket as those who have literally acted on their thoughts.

Spiritual adultery is more than appreciating beauty as you see it, but going further to start plotting or even spiritually engaging in the act of sex with a person that you would have seen. The male species is more prone to this act than women. Men are easy prey of spiritual adultery because they get attracted more often by merely looking. This has unfortunately resulted not only in spiritual adultery, but also physical adultery, where somebody ends up divorcing.

It is a pity that some even take it to the level of masturbating while having a picture of a woman he has seen earlier in order to satisfy his lust. The worst case that I have ever dealt with was when someone ended up being hooked to pornography. Viewing pornography can be defined as an act of spiritual adultery and is one area threatening to destroy many marriages.

We need to deal with spiritual adultery by not looking at other people lustfully; not aspiring to have them as ours and engaging in sexual encounters with them, and doing away with pornography. We need to engage in the campaign of improving our sex life by being innovative in our approach when it comes to sexual matters. Learn and apply new tricks in order to spice up your relationship and, in the process, save it.

Read sober-minded but innovative books about the matter and it will breathe a new lease on life in your marriage.