“You shall not commit adultery.” Exodus 20:14: How does the 7th Commandment connect to the 1st Commandment? Marital fidelity is used throughout the OT to represent faithfulness to God. The relationship between God & His people is described as a relationship between a husband & his wife. In the NT, the relationship between Christ & the Church is described as that between husband & wife. Therefore, what we find in Scripture w/this analogy, is that spiritual unfaithfulness is equated with marital unfaithfulness.
In the NT, two terms are generally translated as adultery in English, w/one being an umbrella term & the other a specific term. Porniea is the umbrella term for all types of sexual immorality; &, Moicheio is the specific narrow term referring to adultery – & it is used in the same way as the Hebrew term adultery is use. So, porniea is typically fornication or unlawful sexual intercourse, & Moicheio is typically seen as adultery. In the NT both fornication & adultery are condemned. They’re often used side-by-side; it’s not that one is less than the other; they are just 2 different terms for different activities, that have specific uses, particularly Moicheio, related to the marital status of the woman involved in the illicit relationship.
This is the introductory sermon (Pt 1) to the preaching’s about the Seventh Commandment.
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