What Does It Mean to Commit Adultery in Your Heart? — Matthew 5:27-28
BY BCL | Why does the Seventh Commandment, “‘You shall not commit adultery'” (Ex. 20:14), encompass more than the physical act of adultery?
The Seventh Commandment, “‘You shall not commit adultery'” (Ex. 20:14), includes keeping our hearts pure in the area of our sexuality. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches,
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matt. 5:27-28)
The Heidelberg Catechism, a highly regarded summary of the Christian faith first published in 1563, has the following to say about the Seventh Commandment:
Q. What is God’s will for us in the seventh commandment?
A. That God condemns all unchastity, and that we should therefore detest it wholeheartedly and live decent and chaste lives, within or outside of the holy state of marriage. (Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 108)
The Seventh Commandment encompasses more than the physical act of adultery.
God’s command not to commit adultery also includes not…