Bible Study Can An Unmarried Person Commit Adultery?

[HeIsRisen2018]

I'm pretty sure that this question was answered already but I can't remember the answer. I was just a little curious if an engaged person could commit it, or if somebody is lusting after another married person (or in a sexual relationship with them already) does that mean they are just as guilty as them? Well yes they are but I mean are they considered an adulterer then?

 

[for_his_glory]

Anyone, married or not falls into the category of adultery if they are lusting after the desires of the flesh.

Colossians 3:
5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: 6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: 7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. 8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

All those things listed are adultery as walking in disobedience to God's commands.

 

[HeIsRisen2018]

Anyone, married or not falls into the category of adultery if they are lusting after the desires of the flesh.

Colossians 3:
5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: 6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: 7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. 8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

All those things listed are adultery as walking in disobedience to God's commands.

I'm really glad that you clarified that for me because I thought it only revolved around sexual intercourse. However I think saying that somebody looks really pretty (or cute for us ) is a LOT different than saying; "can we hook up because I really want to sleep with you." In other words thinking that somebody looks attractive is different than lusting after them imho. Hence my attraction to Luke Bryan, Brendon Urie, etc. It's not like I actually want to have sex with any of them I just think that the Lord made them extremely good looking. I would NEVER actually cheat on Joey not EVER!!!

 

[for_his_glory]

Ya, there is nothing wrong with looking at a good looking guy or girl for their outward beauty and even telling them how beautiful they are, but it only becomes adultery when the thoughts of lust comes into your mind.

 

[OzSpen]

I'm pretty sure that this question was answered already but I can't remember the answer. I was just a little curious if an engaged person could commit it, or if somebody is lusting after another married person (or in a sexual relationship with them already) does that mean they are just as guilty as them? Well yes they are but I mean are they considered an adulterer then?

HIR,

Please define adultery for me.

Oz

 

[WIP]

I have not been able to find any reference to define the use of the word adultery from a Biblical perspective except that it was and is a sin of lust between a married person and another person.

Does this mean that lustful thoughts for a single person are not sin? I would beg to differ. Lustful thoughts are covetous thoughts and coveting is sin. Scripture speaks much about the sins of adultery, lust, impurity, sexual immorality, sensuality, homosexuality, incest, bestiality, and other unnatural desires. Just to name a few....

Matthew 5:28 (lust, adultery)
Ephesians 5:3 (sexual immorality, impurity, covetousness)
1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 (sexual immorality, passions of lust)
Galatians 5:19 (works of the flesh: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality)
Colossians 3:5 (sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness)
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (sexual immorality, adultery, homosexual activity)
1 Peter 2:11 (passions of the flesh)
Leviticus 18:6-30 (incest, homosexual activity, bestiality)
Jude 1:7 (sexual immorality and unnatural desires like Sodom & Gomorrah)

 

[Michael74]

Adultery is sleeping with a married woman. 2 singles sleeping together would be fornication. The OT penalties for the 2 were very different. The penalty for adultery was stoning. The penalty for fornication was marriage:

“If a man seduces a virgin who is not pledged to be married and sleeps with her, he must pay the bride-price, and she shall be his wife. Exodus 22:16

 

[OzSpen]

I have not been able to find any reference to define the use of the word adultery from a Biblical perspective except that it was and is a sin of lust between a married person and another person.

WIP,

Are you saying that Leviticus 20:10-21 (NIV) and Deuteronomy 27:20-23 (NIV) do not define adultery?

Oz

 

[HeIsRisen2018]

Ya, there is nothing wrong with looking at a good looking guy or girl for their outward beauty and even telling them how beautiful they are, but it only becomes adultery when the thoughts of lust comes into your mind.

You say that like you've been there before lol! Then again, what woman hasn't?

HIR,

Please define adultery for me.

Oz

In my own words I would say cheating on your spouse.

I have not been able to find any reference to define the use of the word adultery from a Biblical perspective except that it was and is a sin of lust between a married person and another person.

Does this mean that lustful thoughts for a single person are not sin? I would beg to differ. Lustful thoughts are covetous thoughts and coveting is sin. Scripture speaks much about the sins of adultery, lust, impurity, sexual immorality, sensuality, homosexuality, incest, bestiality, and other unnatural desires. Just to name a few....

Matthew 5:28 (lust, adultery)
Ephesians 5:3 (sexual immorality, impurity, covetousness)
1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 (sexual immorality, passions of lust)
Galatians 5:19 (works of the flesh: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality)
Colossians 3:5 (sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness)
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (sexual immorality, adultery, homosexual activity)
1 Peter 2:11 (passions of the flesh)
Leviticus 18:6-30 (incest, homosexual activity, bestiality)
Jude 1:7 (sexual immorality and unnatural desires like Sodom & Gomorrah)

I don't think I ever said that lustful thoughts weren't a sin.

 

[OzSpen]

You say that like you've been there before lol! Then again, what woman hasn't?

In my own words I would say cheating on your spouse.

I don't think I ever said that lustful thoughts weren't a sin.

HIR,

Is cheating taking his/her money, deceiving him/her, tricking him/her, etc.

Why not call adultery for what it is? It is a married person having sex with another person who is not his/her spouse.

Oz

 

[HeIsRisen2018]

HIR,

Is cheating taking his/her money, deceiving him/her, tricking him/her, etc.

Why not call adultery for what it is? It is a married person having sex with another person who is not his/her spouse.

Oz

Same thing just different words that I used. Anyways I think that was the whole point of my question. If a married person has sex with an unmarried person then is that unmarried person also guilty of adultery, or fornication, or both?

 

[OzSpen]

Same thing just different words that I used. Anyways I think that was the whole point of my question. If a married person has sex with an unmarried person then is that unmarried person also guilty of adultery, or fornication, or both?

HIR,

The married person is the one who has committed adultery by having sex outside of marriage.

The unmarried person has committed fornication or illicit, pre-marital sex.

Oz

 

[HeIsRisen2018]

HIR,

The married person is the one who has committed adultery by having sex outside of marriage.

The unmarried person has committed fornication or illicit, pre-marital sex.

Oz

Okay second question then, even though an engaged person would be guilty of fornication, since they are basically committed to a person that they are eventually going to marry (or they're supposed to be anyways) wouldn't that count as adultery as well even though they didn't officially tie the knot yet?

 

[HeIsRisen2018]

Oh yeah and OzSpen, if committing adultery only revolves around a married person having sex with somebody else then explain the meaning of Matthew 5:28

 

[JLB]

I have not been able to find any reference to define the use of the word adultery from a Biblical perspective except that it was and is a sin of lust between a married person and another person.

Does this mean that lustful thoughts for a single person are not sin? I would beg to differ. Lustful thoughts are covetous thoughts and coveting is sin. Scripture speaks much about the sins of adultery, lust, impurity, sexual immorality, sensuality, homosexuality, incest, bestiality, and other unnatural desires. Just to name a few....

Matthew 5:28 (lust, adultery)
Ephesians 5:3 (sexual immorality, impurity, covetousness)
1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 (sexual immorality, passions of lust)
Galatians 5:19 (works of the flesh: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality)
Colossians 3:5 (sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness)
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (sexual immorality, adultery, homosexual activity)
1 Peter 2:11 (passions of the flesh)
Leviticus 18:6-30 (incest, homosexual activity, bestiality)
Jude 1:7 (sexual immorality and unnatural desires like Sodom & Gomorrah)

Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”? James 4:4-5



JLB

 

[WalterandDebbie]

Amen

 

[OzSpen]

Okay second question then, even though an engaged person would be guilty of fornication, since they are basically committed to a person that they are eventually going to marry (or they're supposed to be anyways) wouldn't that count as adultery as well even though they didn't officially tie the knot yet?

HIR,

You are correct. This passage from Deut 22 demonstrates the Old Covenant view of adultery vs fornication:

Deuteronomy 22:22-29 New Living Translation (NLT)

22 “If a man is discovered committing adultery, both he and the woman must die. In this way, you will purge Israel of such evil.

23 “Suppose a man meets a young woman, a virgin who is engaged to be married, and he has sexual intercourse with her. If this happens within a town, 24 you must take both of them to the gates of that town and stone them to death. The woman is guilty because she did not scream for help. The man must die because he violated another man’s wife. In this way, you will purge this evil from among you.

25 “But if the man meets the engaged woman out in the country, and he rapes her, then only the man must die. 26 Do nothing to the young woman; she has committed no crime worthy of death. She is as innocent as a murder victim. 27 Since the man raped her out in the country, it must be assumed that she screamed, but there was no one to rescue her.

28 “Suppose a man has intercourse with a young woman who is a virgin but is not engaged to be married. If they are discovered, 29 he must pay her father fifty pieces of silver.[a] Then he must marry the young woman because he violated her, and he may never divorce her as long as he lives.

Oz

 

[JohnDB]

We are designed by God to be attracted to the opposite sex.
If you find yourself attracted to a person even though you or the other person are married... you are still normal and doing as God has created. But that doesn't mean that you can do anything with that attraction. You can't even flirt. You have a spouse. You love them.

And as OzSpen has specifically pointed out above... being engaged is the same as being married (although not consummated) in the eyes of God's laws.

And as far as "looking at a woman with lust" there's a lot that could be said about this. But the short answer is that we ALL need a Savior. And I would highly recommend using him.

 

[JohnDB]

We are designed by God to be attracted to the opposite sex.
If you find yourself attracted to a person even though you or the other person are married... you are still normal and doing as God has created. But that doesn't mean that you can do anything with that attraction. You can't even flirt. You have a spouse. You love them.

And as OzSpen has specifically pointed out above... being engaged is the same as being married (although not consummated) in the eyes of God's laws.

And as far as "looking at a woman with lust" there's a lot that could be said about this. But the short answer is that we ALL need a Savior. And I would highly recommend using him.

Ooops...I said Ozpen and I should have said Michael74

My bad

 

[WIP]

WIP,

Are you saying that Leviticus 20:10-21 (NIV) and Deuteronomy 27:20-23 (NIV) do not define adultery?

Oz

I have a concern that we look too much at the letter and not the intent. When it comes to the Bible, does adultery specifically refer to a relationship between a man and a married woman or does it include a relationship between a woman and a married man? How about a single man and a woman or a single woman and a man?

The Bible was penned by men that did not value women aside from property and as one reads through it, a chauvinistic tone is certainly present.

When Jesus addressed the question of adultery in Matthew 5:28 He said (NKJV) "whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." He doesn't separate married from single but if we take it just at the letter, is it appropriate to say that He did not intend it the other way around so if a woman looks at a man to lust for him has she committed adultery in her heart?