Hiya Peeps,

I first just want to thank you all for letting me conduct an online Bible study, so to speak, here on the group list. I feel at times I may be preaching to the choir, but I feel compelled to share some of my thoughts on scripture.

It’s kinda like discovering an awesome Italian café where the absolute best lasagna is served; I’ve just got to tell you about it. You may have already been there, or you may not like lasagna so much, but that lasagna is sooo good it would be a crime to not say anything to anyone about it. And no matter how many times I go and eat there, I leave the table ecstatic over learning new things each time… that the pasta noodles were hand made one week, and then learning that the wheat that the pasta is made from is imported from the Tuscany region of Italy the following week, and then learning that the farm where the wheat is grown is managed by a 6th generation farmer named Giovanni who cultivated a strain of wheat originally grown in Palestine… and so on and so forth. All this is not even mentioning the sauce… oh so divine, rich and delightful that fantasies of the heirloom tomatoes and  foot-pressed olive oil and … such recognition and appreciation of that lasagna is how I feel about God’s word. So each week, I am hoping to share the deeper things… like the fennel mingled meats… let us savor to see…

And by way of reminder, we’ve been looking at God’s word to see what we can learn about ourselves in light of His holiness. These 10 Commandments can teach us about our sins. And it should be coming clear that the law demands obedience, but all of us have disobeyed. In other words, if you really are honest with yourself, you (we all) have violated God’s law. And as this next command illustrates, there are the statements, but then there are also the spiritual standards behind the commands.

Exodus 20:14
You shall not commit adultery.

From Merriam-Webster’s dictionary:
Adultery: voluntary sexual intercourse between a married man and someone other than his wife or between a married woman and someone other than her husband;

So this is not too hard to understand… If you’re married, you are to be faithful to your spouse. The hard part is when we take it inside ourselves. Jesus explains the real standard to us during His Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 5:27-32
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. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell. It was also said, “Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.” But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

So obviously this standard from Christ is elevated way beyond any external act. It goes to our thoughts and intents. Ouch! If I am honest with myself, then I must admit I have broken this command many times in my lifetime. How?

Looking at women with lustful intent. I would go so far to say most guys have violated this lofty standard Jesus set forth. I would also say guys in general have a tougher time with this because we are wired to be visually aware of our surroundings. And here in America, the culture is rife with sex appeal in media, print, Internet, the mall and everywhere in between. Not to induce a pity party, but us guys really have to guard our eyes and hearts lest we succumb to temptations to fantasize. Have you heard the phrase, “She doesn’t leave much for the imagination?” Guys are pretty good at filling in the missing pieces with our minds.

And I would say women are not immune either. Just observe when your imaginations and fantasies run wild. Romance novels, Hospital soap operas, longing for an understanding man who cherishes you while your husband is right next to you.

When we married men and women look to other sources of sexual satisfaction other than our spouse, we enter a minefield full of sin. Something is not right in the marriage when this happens. The best antidote to sexual sins I have found in my own experience is cultivating a Christ-centered life. That speaks to the spiritual side… the practical side is stop, literally put away whatever is not Christ honoring. For example, I avoid “potentially hazardous” circumstances. (My TV watching has really plummeted over the last few years) The other good thing to recognize is that Almighty God sees and knows everything you do and think. Woah!!

Going back to Jesus’ explanation, what about divorce? Jesus talks about divorce in the context of talking about adultery. Why? Well divorce where sexual immorality is not involved is illegitimate. And assuming the illegitimately divorced couple marries other people, they commit adultery in the eyes of God because the first marriage is still binding.

But you know something else? Believers, true believers are admonished to never divorce.

The Apostle Paul writes:
1st Corinthians 7:10-11 To the married I give this charge (Not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife.

And if you continue to read verses 12 thru 16 you’ll see that believers may have their spouses divorce and/ or leave them. Yet, they themselves should not divorce because a believer’s holiness is a means of godly influence to their unsaved spouse and children. And if the unbelieving spouse leaves, then the marriage bond is broken and the believer is free to remarry.

In short God hates divorce. It was never His plan for people to divorce. His plan for marriage  goes way back to Adam and Eve:

Genesis 2:24:
Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

And the marriage covenant remains until the husband or wife dies (Romans 7:2)

I guess that’s why they say “choose wisely”, ha!

And what of the unmarried? The Single? The Widowed?

Look back to 1st Corinthians 7:8-9:
To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single as I am. But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

So use either self-control to manage or marriage to fulfill your passions.

Now in terms of love, what does the 7th Commandment imply? That love is pure. Pure means undefiled, without spot or blemish.

What would be a spot or blemish in our pureness of love toward others? Wrong motives. Selfish motives. Unforgiveness. Bitterness. Sins unbecoming of saints. Hypocrisy is another biggy!

Ah but don’t forget, whatever the muck the Lord finds you in, you can be washed and made clean and pure as the wind driven snow. Thanks be to God! It is absolutely true that when God transforms you, the things of the world (what the world loves) becomes more and more offensive to you, because you recognize they are in opposition to Him. Things that tied and trapped you become loosed, freeing you to love more and more like Christ loved others. You can’t really be pure on your own, but His Spirit in you makes it possible. With God, anything is possible, right??

Comments/ questions encouraged.

Peace,
Jim