“Thou shalt not commit adultery.”
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The Seventh Commandment is not just about sex. Adultery is not just about the breaking of marriage vows. As with the other Ten Commandments, there is both a moral and a spiritual meaning to the Seventh Commandment. Both meanings are based upon a universal divine Principle that underlies the Law that was revealed to Moses.
Because of that universal divine Principle, which could be called “the Law of Love,” people’s efforts to dismiss this particular Commandment as outdated, useless, unenforceable, forgettable, or not applicable to modern man, will, at some point, prove as harmful as assuming that one can defy gravity by jumping off a cliff. It hurts!
Adultery, seen from a spiritual perspective, may be thought of as looking outside of our relationship with God for our completeness, our happiness, our satisfaction, our salvation. God commands us to be loyal to Him. We practice this solemn loyalty by taking our promises seriously, and disciplining ourselves to be faithful to those who are trusting in us to uphold our oaths. We learn in the Bible that the marriage covenant was considered to be of utmost importance. Purity, chastity, and virtue, both in and out of marriage, were highly valued. We shall see that in today’s world our thinking must also remain pure, by keeping it free from sinful beliefs which would muddy or spoil our spiritual vision. God’s Seventh Commandment, “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” speaks to us on many levels, and offers guidance to keep us safe, and on track, in our spiritual journey.
We will be exploring these concepts in the sections below. A separate article with ideas for teaching the Seventh Commandment to children and Sunday School pupils will follow.
BIBLICAL BACKGROUND
There was already a moral code against adultery in ancient civilization before God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. For example, in the story of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife (see Genesis 39), Joseph knew that it would be a “sin against God” to have sex with another man’s wife. This was hundreds of years before Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt, and received the Ten Commandments. However, not everyone considered adultery a sin against God – it was more of a crime against property rights!
In those ancient times, a woman was considered to be the property of her father, and later of her husband. A loss of affection had little to do with the crime of adultery. Property rights were involved, especially when it came to the legitimacy of children. Husbands had to be very careful to make sure that the children his wife bore were his, since his possessions were to be passed along to them. This was serious business!
“Because women could bear a child with an ‘impure’ bloodline, introducing a ‘foreign interest’ into a family, their sexual behavior tended to be more strictly supervised, and females were subject to severe penalties for adultery or premarital sex. The laws and moral codes of ancient states exhorted men to watch carefully over their wives ‘lest the seed of others be sown on your soil.’” (Coontz, Stephanie: “Marriage, a History,” 2005; pg. 46)
“By the time we have written records of the civilizations that arose in the ancient world, marriage had become the way most wealth and land changed hands. Marriage was also the main vehicle by which leading families expanded their social network and political influence. It even sealed military alliances and peace treaties.” (ibid)
That is why the early Jewish definition of adultery is very specific. Jewish law states that adultery is the intercourse of a married woman with any man other than her husband. It was not considered adultery if a married man had sex with an unmarried woman, such as a concubine. An example is the relationship Abraham had with Hagar, who gave birth to Ishmael, Abraham’s first child. (see Genesis 16).
Chastity before marriage was also important in early Hebrew history. In his book, The Ten Commandments, William Barclay writes:
“The supreme importance that the Jewish mind attached to chastity can be seen from the passage in Deuteronomy which provides for the trial of a bride whom her husband suspects of not being a virgin at the time of her marriage, and for her death by stoning if the charge is proved.” (Barclay, William: “The Ten Commandments,” pg. 88)
The early penalty for adultery was also stoning. We read in Leviticus 20:10:
“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.”
So, why, if the penalty was so severe, would any two people risk death to have sex? It’s a question still being asked today. As Barclay puts it:
“It is the paradox of human nature that there was no sin regarded in Judaism with greater horror than adultery, and there was no sin which, to judge by the rebukes of the sages and prophets, was more common.” (Barclay, William: “The Ten Commandments,” pg. 84)
Barclay explains the influences in the regions surrounding the Hebrews. Ancient people worshipped the power of reproduction, because it was so strong. Men visited cult or temple prostitutes. Sex with them was “regarded as an act of worship of the reproductive force.” Barclay goes on to write:
“To the modern mind the connection of prostitution with religion is shocking; but it was extremely widespread in those days; and it is perfectly understandable when it is understood as the worship of the life and reproductive force. Human nature being such as it is, it is easy to see the attraction of this form of so-called worship; and the basic purity of Jewish worship is in such an environment all the more wonderful, and we shall see later that the Christian ethic was faced with exactly the same problem. The wonder was not that sometimes the Jews drifted into sexual irregularity; the miracle is that in such an environment the ideal of disciplined chastity ever came into being at all, and that in the end the ideal of purity won the day.” (ibid, pg. 89)
Covenant with God
A covenant is a bond or agreement made between individuals. In the Bible, God made special covenants. For instance he made covenants with Noah (Genesis 9:13) and Abraham (Genesis 15:18-21; 17:4-14). In Exodus 24, we read of the first covenant God made with the Hebrews.
Throughout the Old Testament, we see the accusation of “adultery” leveled at the Hebrews when they were guilty of worshipping idols, or breaking trust with their promises to God to obey His laws. Adultery and fornication were useful symbols for getting the Israelites to understand the crime of idolatry. We read, for instance, in Ezekial 16:
“Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the Lord: Thus saith the Lord God; Because thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness discovered through thy whoredoms with thy lovers, and with all the idols of thy abominations, and by the blood of thy children, which thou didst give unto them; Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated; I will even gather them round about against thee, and will discover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness.”
The Old Testament records the tribulations of the Israelites as they wander for forty years in the wilderness, their takeover of the Promised Land, and then the continuing problems they had keeping their part of their covenant with God. When they were obedient to God’s laws, their society flourished; when they were disobedient, they brought punishment upon themselves. But God’s mercy was ever available:
“The New Covenant of the prophets grew up in the centuries after Israel had entered Canaan, and through experiences of personal and national suffering attained a spiritual awareness of the need for salvation. Israel had broken her covenant with God, but He was willing to write in their hearts a new compact (Jer. 31:30) which would be universally available.” (Harper’s Bible Dictionary)
We read in the book of Jeremiah: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
(Jeremiah 31:31-34)
In the first Covenant, God was a “husband” to the Hebrews. They believed that He promised protection in exchange for loyalty and obedience. Although adultery was a strong symbol to the Israelites, the principle behind the idea of a “covenant” does suggest that adultery is more than just illicit sexual relations between men and women.
In the New Covenant, man is expected to look within consciousness for God’s law. Just as Joseph was able to understand intuitively that adultery was wrong, even though he did not have a tablet of stone with such a commandment inscribed upon it, we can be sure that the Ten Commandments are within consciousness, and operate as spiritual law. If we live in harmony with God’s law, we prosper; if we try to set ourselves apart from the law, or above it, we bring discord into our lives. This is true of breaking the Seventh Commandment.
Betrothals and Adultery
Before moving to the teachings of Jesus, there is some interesting commentary on the subject of “betrothals” at that time, which sheds some light on the situation faced by Mary and Joseph. The Hebrew custom was to have three steps: first, an engagement; then a betrothal, lasting about a year; then the wedding ceremony. William Barclay’s book on the Ten Commandments provides details of what these three steps entailed, but here is a brief segment on the betrothal:
“Betrothal was as binding as marriage. A betrothed girl who was unfaithful was treated in the same way as an adulterous wife. Betrothal could only be ended by divorce. During the time the couple were known and regarded as man and wife. Should the man die, the girl was known as a widow, and in the law we find that curious phrase, ‘a virgin who is a widow.’ This explains the relationship of Joseph and Mary as we find in the first chapter of Matthew. In verse 18 they are betrothed; in verse 19 Joseph is called Mary’s husband, and he is said to wish to divorce her.” (Barclay, William: “The Ten Commandments,” 1973, pg. 100)
Thankfully, Joseph listened to the angel message, and took Mary as his wife rather than divorcing her; or worse, having her stoned. Joseph willingly obeyed God’s commands, proving that his allegiance to his covenant with God was more important than Jewish tradition. His purity of thought allowed the angel message to be heard.
JESUS AND THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT
As we have learned in our study of the other Ten Commandments, Jesus usually raised the bar with regard to the meaning or standards required of each Commandment. It is not enough to abide by (or ignore!) the literal interpretation only, we must be willing to see the moral and spiritual principle behind the Commandment.
We find our first message from Jesus on adultery in the Sermon on the Mount:
“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.”
(Matthew 5:27-30)
Jesus has set the new standard: it is not enough just to avoid the legal definition of adultery; we must avoid indulging in lust. He tells us that this is so important we should go so far as to “pluck out an eye” that is being used for lustful gazing. Barclay explains:
“Of course, the words of Jesus are not to be taken with a crude literalism. What they mean is that anything which helps to seduce us to sin is to be ruthlessly rooted out of life.” (Barclay, William: “The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 1,” pg. 148)
Barclay comments on the use of the term “lust” by Jesus:
“It is necessary that we should understand what Jesus is saying here. He is not speaking of the natural, normal desire, which is part of human instinct and human nature. According to the literal meaning of the Greek the man who is condemned is the man who looks at a woman with the deliberate intention of lusting after her. The man who is condemned is the man who deliberately uses his eyes to awaken his lust, the man who looks in such a way that passion is awakened and desire deliberately stimulated. . . . In a tempting world there are many things which are deliberately designed to excite desire: books, pictures, plays, even advertisements. The man whom Jesus here condemns is the man who deliberately uses his eyes to stimulate his desires; the man who finds a strange delight in things which waken the desire for the forbidden thing. To the pure all things are pure. But the man whose heart is defiled can look at any scene and find something in it to titillate and excite the wrong desire.” (ibid, pg. 147)
Clearly we can see how the use of pornography is lust. Jesus tells us this is adultery of the heart. If we are Christian, we will want to avoid pornography, explicit books, movies, and so we must “pluck out that eye,” so that we are not cast into “hell.” We learn in Christian Science that part of the definition of hell is “self-imposed agony.” Mistaking material pleasures as a source of happiness can bring self-imposed pain to the body.
Barclay’s comment above that Jesus was not speaking of the “natural, normal desire which is part of human instinct and human nature,” at first glance seems reasonable. In the time of Jesus, this was a huge step forward in man’s spiritual journey – to see that over-indulgence in lust is a form of adultery. But, there is a further step – a spiritual one – that challenges the notion that desire for sex is a natural or normal part of man’s spiritual identity. This will be explored under the section on Christian Science.
An important part of Jesus’ teachings was his explanation of motives. We learn that adultery and lust stem from sinful motives. Jesus told them:
“But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.” (Matthew 15:18, 19)
Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, would later write:
“Jesus knew that adultery is a crime, and mind is the criminal. I wish the age was up to his understanding of these two facts, so important to progress and Christianity.” (Eddy, Mary Baker: “Christian Healing,” pg. 7:22)
The following episode from Matthew, chapter 19, contains a teaching that most Christians were not able to comprehend at the time, much less were prepared to follow. But it shows Jesus’ teaching on adultery and divorce in its original state, “unfettered by human hypothesis.” It has to be contemplated and prayed about by individuals, without being dictated to by others on how they should act upon it:
“The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery. His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother’s womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.”
There is one well-known story, found only in the Gospel of John that shows Jesus dealing with a woman caught in the act of adultery (notice that the man was not brought before him!). Actually the main point of the episode, it has been said, is to show how Jesus handled the Pharisees’ attempt to catch him being disobedient to the Jewish law, but it also says a lot about how Christians are to show Christly compassion in such situations with possible adulterers. We read:
“And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. (John 8:3-11)
While Jesus showed mercy to the adulterous woman, notice an important point. She was told to “sin no more.” We must learn that we are not to abuse God’s mercy, by continuing to sin and hoping for forgiveness, but we are to set ourselves on a path of redemption as soon as we recognize the sin for what it is.
“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8)
There are three separate Gospel accountings of an episode in Jesus’ life in which he is asked about marriage in the resurrection by a group of Sadducees, who are trying to trick him. His ending message shows a remarkable thought. The statement in Mark simply tells us there will be no marriage in the resurrection; but the statement in Luke appears to be saying that his followers should not marry at all!
“Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.” (Matthew 22:29, 30)
“And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage.” (Luke 20:34, 35)
With that in mind, it is interesting to read that the first noteworthy act of Jesus in his ministry is the turning of water into wine at the wedding in Cana, recorded in John. This would indicate at least some sort of approval for the institution of marriage. Perhaps he is urging those who are ready, to consider deeply what he is saying about the spiritual nature of man even now.
Mary Baker Eddy has a lovely comment germane to this. It is from the chapter “Marriage” in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, and has the marginal sub-heading, “Blessing of Christ.”
“Experience should be the school of virtue, and human happiness should proceed from man’s highest nature. May Christ, Truth, be present at every bridal altar to turn the water into wine and to give to human life an inspiration by which man’s spiritual and eternal existence may be discerned.” (S&H 64)
EARLY CHRISTIANITY AND THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT
The early Christians embraced Jesus’ teachings on purity and adultery. While those who had come to Christianity as Jews understood the importance of chastity and the family bond, not everyone lived up to the ideals. And, remember, Palestine was then under the control of the Roman Empire, with its particular cultural ideas on marriage and fidelity.
“In the time of Jesus marriage in Palestine had nearly broken down and the treatment of women was shameful indeed. It is never to be forgotten that it was against that background that Jesus made his demands for chastity. . . . It is genuinely doubtful if there ever was such a cataract of immorality in any age as in the years when Christianity first came into the world. . . . Christianity confronted that situation with an uncompromising demand for purity. Immorality and all impurity are not even to be named among Christians.” (Barclay, William: “The Ten Commandments,”1973; pg. 105)
The Greeks were notoriously indifferent to the marriage bond with regard to sex, which was considered to be acceptable and normal outside of marriage. The Romans took marriage more seriously, but after they had conquered and assimilated the Greeks, they unfortunately assimilated their moral laxity. It was said: “Rome had conquered Greece, but Greek morals had conquered Rome.” Against this backdrop, the early Christians took their stand.
“Let marriage be held in honour among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled; for God will judge the immoral and the adulterous.” (Hebrews 13:4- RSV)
There are two concepts we will here consider with regard to the early Christian community: 1) their sense of the body; and 2) their ideas about marriage, and whether or not it was appropriate for a Christian to marry at all. William Barclay offers this commentary on the body:
“We must begin with the simple, and yet far-reaching, fact that the Christian respected the body. To the Greek the body was no more than the prison-house of the soul, and from it came all the ills of life. The world at that time was deeply infected with Gnostic thought, which believed that only spirit is good and that all matter is incurably and irremediably evil. . . . The inevitable conclusion of this is that the body is evil. If the body is evil, two courses of action are possible. First a man can adopt a complete asceticism in which he denies every desire and deed of the body. Second, he can say that, because the body is evil, it does not matter what we do with it, and that therefore we can sate and glut it and it does not matter, because it is evil anyway.”
“But the Christian came with a new conception of the body. For the Christian the body is designed to be nothing less than the temple of the Holy Spirit (I Cor. 3:16). ‘Do you know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?’ The Christian must, therefore, glorify God in his body (I Cor. 6:19, 20). It is not only possible, it is an obligation, to present the body as a sacrifice and an offering to God (Rom 12:1). Christianity came with a view of the body which was bound to revolutionize the ethics of sex for the Hellenistic world.” (Barclay, William: “The Ten Commandments,” pg. 125)
Some people, who have not studied Christian Science carefully, have likened it to the Gnostic thought mentioned above. They may assume that because we challenge the reality of matter as the true substance of Spirit’s universe, we must feel there is no reason to care what we do to the body, or with it. This is false. While we appear to be living in our human bodies, we must take care of it. If we abuse it, we are not demonstrating the unreality of sin.
Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science and the author of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, explains:
“Expose and denounce the claims of evil and disease in all their forms, but realize no reality in them. A sinner is not reformed merely by assuring him that he cannot be a sinner because there is no sin. To put down the claim of sin, you must detect it, remove the mask, point out the illusion, and thus get the victory over sin and so prove its unreality. The sick are not healed merely by declaring there is no sickness, but by knowing that there is none.
“A sinner is afraid to cast the first stone. He may say, as a subterfuge, that evil is unreal, but to know it, he must demonstrate his statement. To assume that there are no claims of evil and yet to indulge them, is a moral offence. Blindness and self-righteousness cling fast to iniquity. When the Publican’s wail went out to the great heart of Love, it won his humble desire. Evil which obtains in the bodily senses, but which the heart condemns, has no foundation; but if evil is uncondemned, it is undenied and nurtured. Under such circumstances, to say that there is no evil, is an evil in itself. When needed tell the truth concerning the lie. Evasion of Truth cripples integrity, and casts thee down from the pinnacle.” (S&H 447)
The great Apostle Paul gave marriage advice in his letter to the Corinthians. In it, he appears to suggest that it was good not to marry if you weren’t already married. He urged those that were married to remain faithful to each other.
“Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. . . . For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that. I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I. But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.” (I Cor. 7:1-3;7-9)
In “Marriage, a History,” we read:
“What distinguished early Christianity from Judaism in its approach to marriage and family was the belief that the kingdom of God was close at hand, and people must therefore break with worldly ties to prepare for the imminent arrival of God’s kingdom. In subsequent centuries this aspect was played down, but early Christianity was hostile to marital and kinship obligations to a degree unimaginable to any previous reformers aside from Plato.
“The founders of Christianity agreed with Jewish scholars that it was better to marry than to be preoccupied with lust. But their acceptance of marriage was much less enthusiastic. ‘It is better,’ Paul grudgingly conceded, ‘to marry than to burn’ (I Cor. 7:9).” (Coontz, Stephanie: “Marriage, a History,” pg. 85-86)
William Barclay believes that we find in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, written nine years after his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul’s true view of marriage, in which he appears to validate it. Paul writes:
“For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.” (Ephesians 5:31)
The Apostle Peter also gave marriage advice in one of his letters. He urged the expression of those lovely qualities which could keep married Christians happy and away from the temptation of adultery. This translation is from “The Message,” by Eugene H. Peterson:
“The same goes for you wives: Be good wives to your husbands, responsive to their needs. There are husbands who, indifferent as they are to any words about God, will be captivated by your life of holy beauty. What matters is not your outer appearance – the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes – but your inner disposition.
“Cultivate inner beauty; the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in. The holy women of old were beautiful before God that way, and were good, loyal wives to their husbands. Sarah, for instance, taking care of Abraham, would address him as “my dear husband.” You’ll be true daughters of Sarah if you do the same, unanxious and unintimidated.
“The same goes for you husbands: Be good husbands to your wives. Honor them, delight in them. As women they lack some of your advantages. But in the new life of God’s grace, you’re equals. Treat your wives, then, as equals so your prayers don’t run aground.” (I Peter 3:1-7) (Translation: Peterson, Eugene H.: “The Message”)
To the early Christians, chastity was just as important as marital fidelity:
“Freedom from unchastity was one of four minimum entrance requirements for aspiring candidates to Christian groups, as stated in a letter sent from the elders and apostles at Jerusalem to Antioch Christians via Judas Barsabas and Silas.” (Harper’s Bible Dictionary, pg 206)
We read about those four minimum entrance requirements in Acts:
“For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.” (Acts 15:28, 29)
The choice of these four minimum requirements was reached after fierce debates by the elders regarding what they would require of the new non-Jewish converts to Christianity. Should the Gentiles be required to be circumcised, was one question, for instance. In the end, only a few rules regarding food remained, plus the one moral rule: no fornication. This is sex outside of a marriage relationship. The elders had taken Jesus’ teaching to heart, that to indulge in lust, inside or outside of marriage, was as sinful as the act of adultery.
William Barclay quotes the historian J.D. Unwin, who had studied over 80 different civilizations, and from his study Unwin discerned the following pattern:
“Every civilization is established, and consolidated by observing a strict moral code, is maintained while this strict code is kept, and decays when sexual license is allowed. . . Any human society is free to choose either to display great energy or to enjoy sexual freedom; the evidence is that it cannot do both for more than one generation.” (Barclay, William: “The Ten Commandments,” pg. 141)
You can find numerous articles on the Internet that quote Unwin’s study, and those of other sociologists concerned with the impact of moral laxity on society. Some sources theorize that it would take several generations to see the impact of this sexual freedom.
If you are interested in learning more about the history of marriage, divorce, and sexual relations, from ancient times up to the present day, you can find detailed information in “Marriage, a History: From Obedience to Intimacy, or How Love Conquered Marriage,” by Stephanie Coontz; 2005)
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE AND THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT
Christian Science demands adherence to the moral and spiritual law of “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” The demand is upon both men and women, inside and outside of a marriage relationship. The principle behind God’s Commandment includes Jesus’ teaching on lust, and anything that would stain or invade the purity of one of God’s children, or the purity of man’s relationship with God. We will explore both the moral and spiritual concepts of the Seventh Commandment, and see how the idea of our unity with God — our “at-one-ment” — is the true Covenant which is not to be adulterated.
“‘Thou shalt not commit adultery;’ in other words, thou shalt not adulterate Life, Truth, or Love, — mentally, morally, or physically.” (Eddy, Mary Baker: “Miscellaneous Writings,” pg. 66)
The Moral Demand of the Seventh Commandment:
Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, writes in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures:
“Infidelity to the marriage covenant is the social scourge of all races,‘the pestilence that walketh in darkness, . . . the destruction that wasteth at noonday.’ The commandment, ‘Thou shalt not commit adultery,’ is no less imperative than the one, ‘Thou shalt not kill.’”
“Chastity is the cement of civilization and progress. Without it there is no stability in society, and without it one cannot attain the Science of Life.” (S&H 56-57)
Committing adultery is a moral wrong according to Christian Science. Good morals provide a foundation for our spiritual growth and ability to heal. Maintaining chastity, and turning from the temptations of adultery, will also keep us from much personal sorrow.
“You must control evil thoughts in the first instance, or they will control you in the second. Jesus declared that to look with desire on forbidden objects was to break a moral precept. He laid great stress on the action of the human mind, unseen to the senses.” (S&H 234)
“In order to heal by Science, you must not be ignorant of the moral and spiritual demands of Science nor disobey them. Moral ignorance or sin affects your demonstration, and hinders its approach to the standard in Christian Science.” (S&H 483)
“Emerge gently from matter into Spirit. Think not to thwart the spiritual ultimate of all things, but come naturally into Spirit through better health and morals and as the result of spiritual growth.” (S&H 485)
“Never breathe an immoral atmosphere, unless in the attempt to purify it.” (S&H 452)
“It were better to be exposed to every plague on earth than to endure the cumulative effects of a guilty conscience. The abiding consciousness of wrong-doing tends to destroy the ability to do right. If sin is not regretted and is not lessening, then it is hastening on to physical and moral doom. You are conquered by the moral penalties you incur and the ills they bring. The pains of sinful sense are less harmful than its pleasures. Belief in material suffering causes mortals to retreat from their error, to flee from body to Spirit, and to appeal to divine sources outside of themselves.” (S&H 405)
Meeting the Moral Demands:
As many already know, forced long-term celibacy is a pretty hard task. During much of history, social pressures kept many people from committing adultery, or engaging in premarital sex. By the end of the 20th Century, most of these pressures were gone. Birth control pills and abortion prevented unwanted pregnancies outside of marriage. The rights of illegitimate children were enforced, and the stigma associated with illegitimacy faded. Women’s legal and economic independence fostered a more carefree attitude about sex, and easy, no-fault divorce gave both men and women an escape from unhappy marriages.
With social pressures gone from much of Western society, and sexual freedom seeming more and more acceptable, why would a person care about meeting Old or New Testament standards of morality? Remember from citations quoted in an earlier post, how the Jews often committed adultery even though they risked being stoned to death if caught? Today, in most societies, severe public consequences are gone. So what is there to restrain us from indulging in sex outside of marriage? There may be many individual reasons for abstaining from sex, but a solid, permanent reason is clear: Love — pure love for God and man. Many Christians do want to be obedient to God. They do want to respect and honor others. And, many Christian Scientists do yearn to heal others spiritually, and are willing to stay pure to do so.
Where once the expectations of society and family kept premarital sex and adultery somewhat under control, we are now left alone, with few social stigmas, face-to-face with our conscience and with God. How do we fend off the temptations of lust and adultery in today’s modern society?
Christian Science offers a way to lift thought above the material senses to see our lives “hid with Christ in God.” We do have a spiritual covenant with God, our Father, and as we grow in our understanding of His nature and our relationship to Him, we find a special unity with Him that cannot be broken, divorced, or adulterated.
What keeps us from consistently being the good, moral people we may long to be? The Apostle Paul expressed his frustration in this way:
“For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.” (Romans 7:19-20)
According to Christian Science, lust and sensuality are evidence of a mind mesmerized by the material senses. Paul called it the “carnal mind.” Because human procreation seems necessary to perpetuate this so-called carnal mind, the suggestions of lust seem to be the most powerful sin of all to conquer. But, in reality, sinful qualities are not natural to God’s children, and need to be targeted by spiritually scientific prayer. It does seem to be a struggle, but we are given encouragement in Christian Science that we can be successful, since there is no divine law supporting lust or sensuality. Any indulgence in them can cause a belief in separation from God, good, and may bring us much needless suffering.
Let’s take a look at how lust and sensualism are viewed through the lens of Christian Science, as taught by Mary Baker Eddy:
“A moral question may hinder the recovery of the sick. Lurking error, lust, envy, revenge, malice, or hate will perpetuate or even create the belief in disease.” (S&H 418)
“Self-ignorance, self-will, self-righteousness, lust, covetousness, envy, revenge, are foes to grace, peace, and progress; they must be met manfully and overcome, or they will uproot all happiness. (Miscellaneous Writings 118)
“Until he awakes from his delusion, he suffers least from sin who is a hardened sinner. The hypocrite’s affections must first be made to fret in their chains; and the pangs of hell must lay hold of him ere he can change from flesh to Spirit, become acquainted with that Love which is without dissimulation and endureth all things. Such mental conditions as ingratitude, lust, malice, hate, constitute the miasma of earth. More obnoxious than Chinese stenchpots are these dispositions which offend the spiritual sense.” (Unity of Good 56)
“Sensuality palsies the right hand, and causes the left to let go its grasp on the divine.” (S&H 142)
“Sensual treasures are laid up ‘where moth and rust doth corrupt.’ Mortality is their doom. Sin breaks in upon them, and carries off their fleeting joys. The sensualist’s affections are as imaginary, whimsical, and unreal as his pleasures. Falsehood, envy, hypocrisy, malice, hate, revenge, and so forth, steal away the treasures of Truth. Stripped of its coverings, what a mocking spectacle is sin!” (S&H 241)
“Selfishness and sensualism are educated in mortal mind by the thoughts ever recurring to one’s self, by conversation about the body, and by the expectation of perpetual pleasure or pain from it; and this education is at the expense of spiritual growth. If we array thought in mortal vestures, it must lose its immortal nature.” (S&H 260)
“Sensualism is not bliss, but bondage.” (S&H 337)
We are promised that beliefs of sin and evil can be overcome, and Christian Scientists are encouraged — commanded, even — to take up the fight against lust. The following citations offer insights to how we might overcome this sin step-by-step:
“Christian Science commands man to master the propensities, — to hold hatred in abeyance with kindness, to conquer lust with chastity, revenge with charity, and to overcome deceit with honesty. Choke these errors in their early stages, if you would not cherish an army of conspirators against health, happiness, and success. They will deliver you to the judge, the arbiter of truth against error. The judge will deliver you to justice, and the sentence of the moral law will be executed upon mortal mind and body. Both will be manacled until the last farthing is paid, — until you have balanced your account with God. ‘Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.’ The good man finally can overcome his fear of sin. This is sin’s necessity, — to destroy itself. Immortal man demonstrates the government of God, good, in which is no power to sin.” (S&H 405)
“If a man is an inebriate, a slave to tobacco, or the special servant of any one of the myriad forms of sin, meet and destroy these errors with the truth of being, — by exhibiting to the wrong-doer the suffering which his submission to such habits brings, and by convincing him that there is no real pleasure in false appetites. A corrupt mind is manifested in a corrupt body. Lust, malice, and all sorts of evil are diseased beliefs, and you can destroy them only by destroying the wicked motives which produce them. If the evil is over in the repentant mortal mind, while its effects still remain on the individual, you can remove this disorder as God’s law is fulfilled and reformation cancels the crime. The healthy sinner is the hardened sinner.” (S&H 404)
“We cannot build safely on false foundations. Truth makes a new creature, in whom old things pass away and ‘all things are become new.’ Passions, selfishness, false appetites, hatred, fear, all sensuality, yield to spirituality, and the super-abundance of being is on the side of God, good.”
(S&H 201)
“Evil thoughts and aims reach no farther and do no more harm than one’s belief permits. Evil thoughts, lusts, and malicious purposes cannot go forth, like wandering pollen, from one human mind to another, finding unsuspected lodgment, if virtue and truth build a strong defence.” (S&H 234)
Prayer, as taught in Christian Science, enables us to destroy sinful beliefs, such as lust, by daily denying their reality. They are not real because God did not create them! We pray to not be led into the temptation of believing that evil has power, or is “real” in God’s kingdom, which “has come.” We also affirm the spiritual good that God did make, and ask to be fed with this daily bread of Truth. We affirm our spiritual innocence and purity.
Christian Science and Marriage:
Mary Baker Eddy offers an entire chapter on the subject of “Marriage,” in the textbook, Science and Health. The chapter contains both practical and moral advice to those who are seeking to improve their concept of marriage and family relationships. But tucked in-between these helpful, down-to-earth comments, will be found ideas and statements meant to lift thought that is ready for it, to a higher ideal of true marriage. We can find in the teachings of Christian Science the remedy for that feeling we are somehow not complete, and need a mate to make us so. We learn that adultery is more than disloyalty to a human institution; it is disloyalty to God and to our spiritual integrity.
Most Christian religions see in the Bible’s words God’s blessing of marriage; however, Christian Science picks up on the message of Jesus to his disciples as it was recorded in Luke:
“And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage.” (Luke 20:34-35)
While Christian Science does not teach that its followers abandon marriage at this period, as it certainly provides for stability in homes and families, we are given indications throughout the writings of Mary Baker Eddy, that Jesus meant what he said. The question to ponder then, is why does he say that?
Does God’s divine plan for man include the human institution of marriage? We get the first indication that marriage may not ultimately be a divine requirement, in this early paragraph from the chapter “Marriage,” which has the marginal heading “marriage temporal.”
“Marriage is the legal and moral provision for generation among human kind. Until the spiritual creation is discerned intact, is apprehended and understood, and His kingdom is come as in the vision of the Apocalypse, — where the corporeal sense of creation was cast out, and its spiritual sense was revealed from heaven, — marriage will continue, subject to such moral regulations as will secure increasing virtue.” (S&H 56)
It appears that as long as mankind still believes in the need for human procreation, marriage will be needed to protect families. But the idea is introduced here that would indicate there will come a time when this human marriage may no longer be necessary. The question may then be asked: where will future children come from if marriage is no longer necessary? The answer may be found through an in-depth study of the textbook of Christian Science — Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures — for an explanation of the true nature of man as an infinite reflection and “image and likeness” of God, and how God is the only Creator of man and the universe. There will never be a shortage of God’s children!
The chapter on “Marriage,” introduces the concept that “completeness” — which we usually hope to find in marriage — does not come from such a ceremony or oath, but is rather a compound idea of mental elements:
“Union of the masculine and feminine qualities constitutes completeness. The masculine mind reaches a higher tone through certain elements of the feminine, while the feminine mind gains courage and strength through masculine qualities. These different elements conjoin naturally with each other, and their true harmony is in spiritual oneness. Both sexes should be loving, pure, tender, and strong. The attraction between native qualities will be perpetual only as it is pure and true, bringing sweet seasons of renewal like the returning spring.” (S&H 57)
Seeking for such spiritual qualities in a partner, rather than superficial traits such as money, looks, status, etc., is a more promising way to start a marriage. But, we are also shown an even higher spiritual outlook:
“Marriage should signify a union of hearts. Furthermore, the time cometh of which Jesus spake, when he declared that in the resurrection there should be no more marrying nor giving in marriage, but man would be as the angels. Then shall Soul rejoice in its own, in which passion has no part. Then white-robed purity will unite in one person masculine wisdom and feminine love, spiritual understanding and perpetual peace.” (S&H 64)
Is there any Biblical authority for this idea? Mary Baker Eddy points us to the story of creation in Genesis. It is there we read:
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” (Genesis 1:27)
We see in Genesis that God has created man in His image. We learn in Christian Science that God must be both Father and Mother; otherwise, God could not create man both male and female. The divine Mind, or Spirit, must include the substance of that which He creates! But, was His “male and female” divided into two separate “genders”? Mrs. Eddy writes of the concept of “gender”:
“Gender means a kind. Hence mankind — in other words, a kind of man who is identified by sex — is the material, so-called man born of the flesh, and is not the spiritual man, created by God, Spirit, who made all that was made.” (Miscellany 239)
“God determines the gender of His own ideas. Gender is mental, not material. . . Gender means simply kind or sort, and does not necessarily refer either to masculinity or femininity. The word is not confined to sexuality, and grammars always recognize a neuter gender, neither male nor female. The Mind or intelligence of production names the female gender last in the ascending order of creation. The intelligent individual idea, be it male or female, rising from the lesser to the greater, unfolds the infinitude of Love.” (S&H 508)
The following words of Jesus are part of the traditional Christian marriage ceremony:
“What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” (Matt.19:6)
Was Jesus referring only to the act of mortal men and women being joined together, or was he suggesting something more spiritual?
We learn in Christian Science that male and female qualities are found in each
individual. Just as God is Father-Mother, so His children reflect this Fatherhood-
Motherhood. So, perhaps these are the elements that “God hath joined together,”
and these masculine/feminine qualities make up the complete spiritual identity of man
that he is not to “put asunder.” Or, we could also consider what Mrs. Eddy once wrote:
“We are joined by God, divine Science, to Himself, His power and love. And what God hath joined no man can put asunder.” (quoted in Divinity Course and General Collectanea, pg 43)
The above quotation is from a collection of writings, letters, and statements of Mary Baker Eddy titled Divinity Course and General Collectanea, compiled by Richard Oakes. Elsewhere in the book is an example of how Mrs. Eddy suggested that these new concepts about gender and completeness be applied in our thinking and prayers:
“This is my support, that the male and female natures are equally expressed, coexistent in me. This is the way that I exist and is the reason I never lack. It is because I am of the nature of infinite completeness; there is never anything in my experience in which the male and female qualities are not infinitely at one, supporting each other. It is because my spiritual inspiration is perfectly balanced with scientific understanding; because my joy is perfectly balanced with courage, and because my love is perfectly balanced with strength. My tender emotional nature is perfectly balanced with thought, reason and understanding; therefore I am a state of perfect protection, perfect substance, and I am supported by my own infinity. I am the presence of substance, because there is no unsupported idea in me.
“My manhood takes care of my womanhood, defends, protects, and supports her. My joy is defended and protected by my courage. My love is protected and defended by my understanding, by the strength of my scientific understanding which is omnipotence. I am never undefended and my womanhood cherishes my manhood. My tender affection cherishes my scientific understanding and unfolds love to it, takes care of it, watches over it with love, and gives it every opportunity to unfold and demonstrate itself in perfect harmony, unity, equality, and unfoldment. So my nature is complete.” (DCGC 73)
Mrs. Eddy comments on male/female natures again in the chapter “The Apocalypse,” in the Christian Science textbook, when discussing the symbolism of the “Lamb” and the “Lamb’s wife” in the book of Revelation:
“The Lamb’s wife presents the unity of male and female as no longer two wedded individuals, but as two individual natures in one; and this compounded spiritual individuality reflects God as Father-Mother, not as a corporeal being. In this divinely united spiritual consciousness, there is no impediment to eternal bliss, — to the perfectibility of God’s creation.” (S&H 577)
What does all of this have to do with adultery and the Seventh Commandment?
What this spiritual truth does, is to question the old Biblical concept that adultery is only the breaking of the marriage covenant between two humans, and shows that there is a spiritual covenant with God that man breaks whenever he accepts, or acts upon, the belief that 1) man is both spiritual and material; 2) that man is separated from his Father-Mother God, the source of all spiritual qualities; or that 3) man’s complete spiritual nature reflecting male/female qualities, can be inverted and separated into mortal men and women needing to find each other. Gender is really a human concept, as we read earlier. When this is all understood and accepted into consciousness, the animal instinct that drives people to lust after one another — searching for happiness and physical satisfaction in sexual relationships — will diminish, or be mastered.
It is recorded that Mrs. Eddy once explained the Seventh Commandment against adultery this way:
“Unity. Knowing that we reflect the male and female, we must not adulterate this idea by supposing that each of God’s children is not complete, infinite. Seeing this purity, we are partakers of the marriage supper of the Lamb, the unity of man with the spiritual idea.” (DCGC 233)
Unity. Completeness. Purity. These ideals are themes throughout the writings of Mary Baker Eddy. We find our authority for these truths in the teachings of Jesus.
“Atonement is the exemplification of man’s unity with God, whereby man reflects divine Truth, Life, and Love. Jesus of Nazareth taught and demonstrated man’s oneness with the Father, and for this we owe him endless homage. (S&H 18)
This unity, or oneness, with our Creator, is the true marriage that must not be adulterated by the false beliefs that we are “animals,” that we are made of matter, that we are self-created through a sexual act, or that evil, sin, disease, or death can adulterate the pure, innocent spiritual children of God that we are.
Just as the early Hebrews and other ancient people were concerned with the “seeds” of foreign men falsely impregnating their women, and perhaps resulting in illegitimate children claiming the inheritance that rightfully belonged to others, so we need to be just as alert to the seeds of evil invading consciousness through mental adultery. These seeds of evil could result in the false fruits of sin, disease, and death, which would pretend to be legitimate, but are the carnal mind’s attempt to rob God’s natural children of their rightful heritage.
Do all of these spiritual ideals outlined above mean that we must give up the human institution of marriage at this point in history? No, as was earlier explained; but, for those who are ready to ponder the issues, Christian Science offers suggestions for how mankind might work up to it. Mrs. Eddy writes:
“Until time matures human growth, marriage and progeny will continue unprohibited in Christian Science. We look to future generations for ability to comply with absolute Science, when marriage shall be found to be man’s oneness with God, — the unity of eternal Love. At present, more spiritual conception and education of children will serve to illustrate the superiority of spiritual power over sensuous, and usher in the dawn of God’s creation, wherein they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels. To abolish marriage at this period, and maintain morality and generation, would put ingenuity to ludicrous shifts; yet this is possible in Science, although it is to-day problematic.” (Miscellaneous Writings 285)
DEALING WITH THE TEMPTATION OF ADULTERY
Hormones on a rampage are pretty difficult to deal with, it seems. Sometimes, even the best-intentioned Christians get knocked off-balance when they find themselves uncontrollably attracted to another. It is even more troubling when that object of desire is someone either married to another, or is not your own spouse. Perhaps you have already found yourself in this situation. Whether or not you succumbed to temptation, God’s mercy is always available to those who are willing to repent, and “sin no more.” We need to take a mental stand against adultery and lust before the next test comes. If your conviction is solid that purity and obedience to God is the only wise and loving course of action, you can protect yourself and others from the inevitable suffering and sorrow that adultery brings.
In your struggle to withstand the onslaught of aggressive mental suggestions that would mesmerize you into justifying a sexual affair, it helps to listen to God’s angel messages that come to uplift, inspire, and protect. That’s what divine Love is there for! You can also stick with one simple basic Christian rule: the Golden Rule.
“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 7:12)
You can apply the Golden Rule in some of the following ways: Think how this act of adultery or fornication that you are contemplating will affect your innocent spiritual selfhood, and the pure innocence of the person whose body you plan to use to satisfy your sexual desire. Think of those you may hurt by this act. Think of how you would feel if you were a husband or wife being cheated against. Think how disappointed your parents might be. How would you feel if one of your children were being seduced into an adulterous affair? Consider what you would do if you came face to face with Jesus during your tryst. How would you feel if the affair were videotaped and broadcast over the internet.
Developing empathy and compassion for how others feel — or how you would feel, if caught —can help us put the brakes to behavior that might hurt others. You may try to justify a situation by saying that you and your sex partner are single adults, and no one is getting hurt. This is short-sighted. Few women can avoid emotional entanglements with those they have sex with; men can eventually begin to lose a sense of integrity when they wake up to the fact that they may have selfishly abused a friendship by taking something that does not morally or legally belong to them.
Along a similar line, many people may find themselves caught up in affairs, not for the sex, but simply because they have a need for romance, intimacy, or personal validation, and have developed the mistaken notion that they can only find such affection or attention by agreeing to a sexual relationship with someone before the couple has had a chance to form a mutual bond of love. Women, especially, can be easily seduced by the right words whispered at the right moments, without using their logic to realize that there is no foundation to safely stand upon. Men may feel they have to prove their manhood in a sexual way to win the love of a woman they desire, or to gain bragging rights to impress their guy friends. People want to be loved so much, they can justify actions for themselves, or others, they might not otherwise choose in the cold light of day. But using sex in this way is just plain dangerous – physically, emotionally, spiritually.
We’re not talking here of only the obvious things that can go wrong and bring hurt to all: unwanted pregnancy, sexually-transmitted disease, lowered self-esteem; guilt. We’re talking of how sex outside marriage affects yourself and others in ways you may not be thinking about at the time of your affair. A loss of trust and trustworthiness is a sad thing.
If you and your friend are single, consider that you may be committing adultery against a future partner, even if you do not yet see how you are committing adultery against God and yourself. Future husbands and wives can feel the same type of jealousy over previous sex partners their spouses may have had, that they might feel about recent ones. If they are being honest, few people want to compete with the memories of previous lovers!
Virginity is a special gift to bring to a marriage, even in this day and age, and is one that should be more highly valued by both partners, and by society at large. At the very least, sexual discipline, as opposed to promiscuity, needs to be an active goal for both men and women. It is never too late to begin. It will save a lot of emotional torment and regrets for everyone involved. Through the teachings of Christian Science, we learn that innocence and purity are mental states found in our reflection of Soul, and are not just physical conditions that can be lost in a one-time event. We always have the opportunity to be re-born, regenerated, washed clean from the impurities of past sins, when we are ready to let go of the false sense of ourselves (remember the Prodigal son!), and return home to our true heritage as the pure sons and daughters of God.
When those who are married and have children commit adultery, they are not just being disloyal to their spouse (and God!); they are being disloyal to their whole family! The children are being robbed of a stable, secure home environment. They are being affected, no mistake about it. They can feel the tension when their parents’ relationship is floundering. They may blame themselves for any marriage break-up. No amount of physical pleasure found outside the home is worth the loss of a child’s respect and trust.
In his book on The Ten Commandments, William Barclay, the Scottish New Testament scholar, steps outside of his Bible commentary for a moment, to answer in his own way the question of why adultery or sex before marriage is wrong. He suggested that if it is accepted as normal, the whole institution of the family is radically altered; that to demand premarital sex is to demand privilege without responsibility; and that it is wrong to demand sexual rights without commitment. Unfortunately, even today, many do not see how true Barclay’s opinions are, and that we must regain a higher standard.
Learning to put the Golden Rule to use, and to love others more than ourselves, is what is needed. By studying the teachings of Jesus or Christian Science, we learn the rules to obey; plus we learn why adultery is wrong on both a moral and spiritual level. We learn that while our purity and innocence are never really adulterated — because of the fact that God, Spirit, is infinite — mortals will suffer the punishment of adultery as long as they hold onto it and believe it is pleasurable and a part of man’s real nature. As Christian Scientists, we must resist the temptation to believe we are material creatures, with appetites and passions that are uncontrollable. We must affirm our spiritual identity that is created and preserved by God. We must see that we are naturally attracted to Spirit, not to the world’s sensual pleasures. We must understand that our sense of completeness, worth, and satisfaction are in good, God.
Mary Baker Eddy, the discoverer and founder of Christian Science, writes:
“Happiness consists in being and in doing good; only what God gives, and what we give ourselves and others through His tenure, confers happiness: conscious worth satisfies the hungry heart, and nothing else can.” (Eddy, Mary Baker: “Message for 1902,” pg. 17)
It can seem like a mighty battle, or a long struggle, to fend off the temptations of sexual relations outside of marriage, or even lust within marriage. But God, our divine Father-Mother, would not have created us incapable of obeying any of His laws or commandments; and Jesus, our brother, would never have taught us to think and live with an attitude that is unnatural to our innate being. We are spiritual, not material. We are the “image and likeness” of the Father-Mother God, and therefore have the male and female qualities that make us complete and satisfied with a life of purity and goodness. We are embraced by divine Love that loves us unconditionally; we do not need to seek love through physical bonds, although these bonds can benefit from the pure, sweet affections of love that can be brought to marriage.
We can trust God to control all of our relationships throughout time and eternity; we do not have to force or manipulate or use others to make us feel loved or attractive. There is no pleasure in sin. We can turn from sin, and look to the light of Truth for all our needs. God will supply the opportunities we need in order to share our love with mankind, and therefore feel that oneness and unity that we are truly searching for. These ideals have often been proven in the lives of Christians and Christian Scientists.
“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”
“Judge not, that ye be not judged.”
What about the constant pressure of the human sexual drive? Should we blame ourselves or others if we cannot overcome sexual urges that are “natural” to man, whether those urges are heterosexual or homosexual?
First off, we are taught by Jesus not to judge others; that is not a responsibility God has given us. Instead, we should always show mercy to those struggling with the temptations of the flesh, in whatever form that seems to be. We all have the problem of being to work out in “earth’s preparatory school.” If we are merciful with others, we can humbly expect mercy to be shown us whenever we manage to mess things up.
Is it possible, in our human experience, to gain complete dominion over the sexual drive, or to prove its “unreality” as a God-given function? That task may be too great for many at this point in time, but we can make a worthy start by disciplining the cravings for the so-called pleasures of the senses. Just as we must often deny our brains and stomachs the pleasures of certain foods, alcohol, or drugs, when offered to us socially, we should be able to resist temptations to indulge in sex presented to us as easy opportunities. It is okay to just say no!
We can also re-think just what it is that motivates us, and others, to do what we do. Self-knowledge or self-awareness is always useful. With that in mind, an interesting spiritual interpretation of the human sex drive is seen in the following recorded statement of Mary Baker Eddy’s:
“What is the scientific realization of which sexual intercourse is the counterfeit? It is the recognition and realization through communion with God of man as a perfect, complete idea, masculine and feminine. That which is true of yourself as a complete reflection of Father-Mother God, is true of every individual in the universe and reveals God and His creation, perfect and eternal. Mortals are struggling for completeness and hope to find it through sexual intercourse; when in fact this desire is simply the divine idea, struggling to express itself in completeness. A recognition of this brings compassion, tenderness, and love for the poor struggling heart and conviction that there is no sin.” (DCGC 224)
This insight can help us show mercy towards those caught up in the belief of lust or adultery. The underlying drive, though unrecognized, is a divine one. The natural desire for completeness has been inverted by material sense (a.k.a. the “devil,” “Satan,” “the serpent”) into a search for physical satisfaction. The sin is a belief in separation from our true identity, and from God. When Jesus told the adulterous woman to “Go, and sin no more,” he saw that there was no evil heart that needed to be stoned; she was merely mesmerized by her belief in lack of completeness, whether that was lack of money, companionship, or her spiritual unity with God. But her false belief was no excuse for her to keep sinning; she needed to go back and ponder her healing, and see that the Christ had just lifted her into a higher sense of her true identity, which would not need to, or want to, commit adultery.
“Overcome selfishness and you bring out unity. Overcome sensuality and you bring out purity. Overcome sexuality and you bring out the God idea.” (DCGC 211)
CONCLUSION:
One day there will be no temptation of adultery, because man will have risen to see that the only true marriage covenant is between God and man: His child, His reflection, His image. There is nothing that can separate, or come between, “Principle and its idea.” All is One. There is nothing to spoil or adulterate this divine relationship. We can begin to prove this in our lives now, by being loyal to those we have committed our hearts to, and those to whom we have promised our love. Is a “piece of paper” the only proof that a bond, or covenant, exists? No. Adultery, as we now see it from a more spiritual altitude, can happen anytime we have broken a mutual promise, or covenant, that we have made with another – whether that is a promise to follow Christ, or to honor a personal commitment built upon trust. Our motives, our heart, can make a covenant; they can break one, as well.
Mary Baker Eddy once wrote:
“This time-world flutters in my thought as an unreal shadow, and I can only solace the sore ills of mankind by a lively battle with ‘the world, the flesh and the devil,’ in which Love is the liberator and gives man the victory over himself. Truth, canonized by life and love, lays the axe at the root of all evil, lifts the curtain on the Science of being, the Science of wedlock, of living and of loving, and harmoniously ascends the scale of life. Look high enough, and you see the heart of humanity warming and winning. Look long enough, and you see male and female one — sex or gender eliminated; you see the designation man meaning woman as well, and you see the whole universe included in one infinite Mind and reflected in the intelligent compound idea, image or likeness, called man, showing forth the infinite divine Principle, Love, called God, — man wedded to the Lamb, pledged to innocence, purity, perfection. Then shall humanity have learned that ‘they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God.’ (Luke 20 : 35, 36.) This, therefore, is Christ’s plan of salvation from divorce.
All are but parts of one stupendous whole,
Whose body nature is, and God the Soul.
— POPE
(First Church of Christ, Scientist and Miscellany, 268)
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Teaching Children the Seventh Commandment
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