This coming Lord’s Day we will continue our series of messages on the Ten Commandments. These sermons are part of the larger series on the ‘Great Events In the History of Redemption’ that we started some time ago. The Seventh Commandment will be our subject this week, and it is recorded in Exodus 20:14–“You shall not commit adultery.”

It is universally recognized that adultery is a very bad thing indeed, even among those with no commitment to the God of Scripture. This point is illustrated for us in Genesis 20 where the patriarch Abraham told Abimelech, the king of ancient Gerar, that Sarah (Abraham’s wife) was his sister (20:2). While the king did not become intimate with Sarah, just the thought of committing such an act deeply unnerved him. When the king discovered the truth by means of a dream (20:3), he confronted Abraham with his deception: Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me things that ought not to be done” (20:9).

That’s a powerful commentary on the violation (even potential violation!) of the marriage union, and it represents the general view of adultery held by most people even today, some four thousand years later.

But why did God expressly forbid sexual relations outside of the marriage bond? And why did the Law specify the death penalty for this sin in the same way that a murderer was to be punished? What is it about adultery that is so devastatingly bad that the participants in such a forbidden union must die according to the Mosaic Law? And then, we want to know how the New Covenant views this sin, what Jesus thought of it and how He defined it, and how all of this relates to our lives as His followers. On Sunday we will begin answering these and other questions.

But before we begin our exploration of this Commandment and its many implications, I want to say just a word to you about this subject. As you know, the Word of the Lord exposes our hearts, and it speaks with ultimate clarity and authority on all matters addressed within it. This is especially true with regard to the subject of human sexuality. As we probe the Bible’s message on this vital topic we will all be convicted, for each of us has been touched in one way or another by sexual sin. The weight of God’s Law will fall upon everyone, without exception. God’s Word will speak most powerfully. It will show us our sin and drive us to our knees in repentance. But, it will also heal us and lift our burdens. The very Word that convicts, and even condemns, also promises mercy and forgiveness to all who seek it through Christ our Lord. The beauty of the Gospel is that Christ Jesus died for all sins, including all sexual sins. The Savior who meets us on the pages of Scripture, the same One who first met us here in time and space in Bethlehem’s manger, will never break a “bruised reed,” and “a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish” (Isaiah 42:3). To all who are broken by their sins, the gentle Savior bids them to come and drink from His eternal well of mercy and grace. So let us pray and trust that the Lord’s Word, in all of its fury and healing power, will bear its blessed fruit in our lives for His glory alone.