Topical Encyclopedia Adultery, as understood within the biblical context, is the act of engaging in sexual relations with someone other than one's spouse. This sin is explicitly condemned throughout Scripture, and its presence among heathen nations is often highlighted as a point of moral and spiritual decline.In the Old Testament, the Israelites were frequently warned against adopting the practices of the surrounding heathen nations, which included various forms of sexual immorality, such as adultery. Leviticus 18:20 (BSB) states, "You must not lie carnally with your neighbor’s wife and thus defile yourself with her." This command was part of a broader set of laws intended to set the Israelites apart from the nations around them, who were often characterized by their licentiousness and idolatry. The heathen nations' engagement in adultery is often linked with their worship of false gods. In Jeremiah 3:9 (BSB), the prophet laments, "Because Israel had committed adultery with stone and wood, she had defiled the land." Here, adultery is used metaphorically to describe Israel's unfaithfulness to God through idolatry, a practice learned from the surrounding nations. In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul addresses the issue of sexual immorality among the Gentiles, who were often seen as living outside the moral laws given to Israel. In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (BSB), Paul warns, "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God." This passage underscores the continuity of God's moral standards across both the Old and New Testaments and highlights the expectation that Gentile converts to Christianity abandon their former ways, including adultery. The prevalence of adultery among heathen nations is also seen as a reflection of their spiritual blindness and separation from the truth of God's law. In Romans 1:24-25 (BSB), Paul describes how God "gave them over to the desires of their hearts to impurity for the dishonoring of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is forever worthy of praise! Amen." This passage illustrates the connection between idolatry and sexual immorality, including adultery, as a consequence of rejecting God's truth. Throughout Scripture, the call to avoid the practices of the heathen, including adultery, serves as a reminder of the holiness and faithfulness that God desires from His people. The biblical narrative consistently portrays adultery as a serious sin with both spiritual and social ramifications, urging believers to uphold the sanctity of marriage as a reflection of their covenant relationship with God. Nave's Topical Index Ephesians 4:17-19This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you from now on walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Nave's Topical Index 1 Peter 4:3 Library Other Shameful Actions Ascribed to Heathen Deities. All Prove that ... Commandment Fourth. On Putting One's Wife Away for Adultery. Fortified by this Knowledge against Heathen views, Let us Rather ... Heathen Arguments in Palliation of the Above: and -1 the Poets are ... Answer to the Objection of the Heathen, that it was not Right to ... The Absurdity and Impiety of the Heathen Mysteries and Fables ... Of the Parables of the Lost Ewe and the Lost Drachma. The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, Commonly Called the Didache General Commandments. Objections from the Revelation and the First Epistle of St. John ... Resources What is spiritual adultery? | GotQuestions.orgIs remarriage after divorce always adultery? | GotQuestions.org What is the difference between fornication and adultery? | GotQuestions.org Adultery: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus |
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