ADULTERY AND ITS CONSEQUENCES

The wedding day between a man and woman is usually filled with joy, celebration, pomp and pageantry. Please note that I wrote between a man and woman because that is the ONLY union the Almighty God of the Universe recognises. Anything else is of the devil.

The day of wedding is a culmination of the love the couple have professed to each other and during the ceremony there is the usually the hope that the union would last till only death separates them.

Indeed, in Christian marriages, the couple takes a vow of fidelity to themselves in the presence of God who instituted marriage and in the presence of humans as witnesses to the union.

Fidelity would be in all things including the fact that the man and woman would only share their bodies with each other and absolutely no one else. God stamps His approval of such union because at the beginning, He commanded man to be fruitful, to multiply and have dominion over the entire earth (Genesis 1:28).

Marriage is therefore the only union God recognises as a means of mankind partaking in His work of procreation. Anything else is simply a violation of God's command and has severe consequences.

With this background in mind, it is therefore a thing of sadness, shock, danger, anger and disgust to see couples who commit adultery without fear of God or fear of the consequences. Adultery is when a married person, whether male or female gives his or her body to another person for sex to whom he or she is not married.

When such people are questioned on why they engage in adultery, they usually come up with flimsy excuses to justify their actions - excuses ranging from lack of attention and proper care from their spouse to finance to wanting variety as a man is reported to have told a priest when asked why he commits adultery.

The man said the wife had not offended him in any way and has been doting, caring and loving but that he wants variety, meaning he wanted to have a feel of other women.

I know someone who once committed adultery with his friend's wife and sometime later when he got married, his wife did same to him with another person and he drove the lady out of his home.

Dear friend reading this, I want to reiterate here that when God gives a command, no human being, not even satan can go against it without consequences. God's command is final and when He says adultery is a sin, then it is and no amount of justification from those who partake in it can change God's command.

Adultery is destructive, hurtful and sinful before God. It is destructive in the sense that those who engage in it are exposing their spouses to all kinds of dangers ranging from sexually transmitted diseases to risk of their spouse being killed by the adulterer and his or her partner especially where such has been discovered by the innocent partner.

Adultery is hurtful because it is a betrayal of the trust the innocent spouse has reposed in the adulterous partner. Why make a vow of fidelity before God and humans to your partner and then break it with ease without regard for your spouse's feelings?

Adultery is sinful because God who owns everything including our lives has said so and has commanded us never to engage in it and He will surely punish anyone who is engaged in it.

A number of Bible passages reveal clearly that God detests adultery and will not fail to punish those who engage in it. Let us look at some of those passages:

Proverbs 6:32-34 But a man who commits adultery hasn't any sense. He is just destroying himself. He will be dishonoured and beaten up; he will be permanently disgraced. A husband is never angrier than when he is jealous; his revenge knows no limits.

He will not accept any payment; no amount of gifts will satisfy his anger.

Proverbs 5:3-6 The lips of another man's wife may be as sweet as honey and her kisses as smooth as olive-oil, but when it is all over, she leaves you nothing but bitterness and pain.

She will take you down to the world of the dead; the road she walks is the road to death. She does not stay on the road to life; but wanders off and does not realize what is happening.

Proverbs 6:26-29 A man can hire a prostitute for the price of a loaf of bread, but adultery will cost him all he has. Can you carry fire against your chest without burning your clothes?

Can you walk on hot coals without burning your feet? It is just as dangerous to sleep with another man's wife. Whoever does it will suffer.

Job 31:9-12 If I have been attracted to my neighbour's wife, and waited, hidden, outside her door, then let my wife cook another man's food and sleep in another man's bed.

Such wickedness should be punished by death. It would be like a destructive, hellish fire, consuming everything I have.

Leviticus 20:10 If there is a man who commits adultery with another man's wife, one who commits adultery with his friend's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

Hebrews 13:4 Marriage is to be honoured by all, and husbands and wives must be faithful to each other. God will judge those who are immoral and those who commit adultery.

Malachi 3:5 The Lord Almighty says, "I will appear among you to judge, and I will testify at once against those who practise magic, against adulterers, against those who give false testimony, those who cheat employees out of their wages, and those who take advantage of widows, orphans, and foreigners - against all who do not respect Me."

1 Corinthians 6:9: Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals,

Sirach 9:8-9 When you see a good-looking woman, look the other way; don't let your mind dwell on the beauty of any woman who is not your wife. Many men have been led astray by a woman's beauty.

It kindles passion as if it were fire. Don't sit down to eat with another man's wife or join her for a drink. You may give in to the temptation of her charms and be destroyed by your passions.

Revelation 2:22 And so I will throw her on a bed where she and those who committed adultery with her will suffer terribly. I will do this now unless they repent of the wicked things they did with her.

Dear friend, from these Sacred Scripture passages, it is clear that God Almighty detests adultery and will surely punish anyone who engages in it. Like the Lord Jesus Christ warns in the last Scripture reference, all who engage in adultery should repent now or they will suffer bitterly.

Anyone who dies in adultery or any sin for that matter without genuine repentance and acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour and obeying God's commands will end up in hell fire forever with satan and his demons.

That is what satan wants but Jesus Christ wants all to repent and turn to Him to earn eternal life forever in heaven. Jesus loves us dearly and is calling us every single second to come out of sin because He came to die for our sins by His severe suffering on the Cross of Calvary and He does not want any soul to perish in hell.

Dear friend, are you engaged in adultery because you want a child your wife cannot give you after many years of marriage or if you are a woman because you want extra money from another man that your spouse is unable to give you? Do you know anyone engaged in it?

That is no excuse or justification because God who created us is able to provide all our needs and nothing is impossible for Him as the Creator (Luke 1:37). So what everyone should do is turn to God sincerely in prayer and ask and God will answer because He loves us (Luke 18:6-8).

It would interest you to note, dear reader, that a miracle has taken place in my life even as I post this article. My internet subscription has expired but I am still able to post this article.

The reason, I believe, is simply that God is able to do all things, and even to make my internet work so this message that has His stamp of approval on it can go out to lost souls to repent and turn to Him through Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour. Glory be to God forever in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

God bless you as you heed His Word today, act on it and share with others in Jesus' Mighty Name, Amen.

Gabriel Ama.