Different Life: 6th CommandmentSample

It’s not just about adultery. Each commandment stands for something bigger than itself. The sixth commandment stands as a header for all sexuality.

Martin Luther explains the sixth commandment: “We should fear and love God so that we lead a sexually pure and decent life in what we say and do, and husband and wife love and honor each other” (Small Catechism). That’s more than just adultery. He’s picking up on something Jesus says: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matt 5:27-28 NIV).

You’ll find similar things said throughout the New Testament. In action. In the heart. In the mind. With implications for all sorts of related ways, people flirt with this commandment’s edges. This command might seem antiquated in an age of birth control, STI testing, open relationships, and serial monogamy. Does it really matter like it used to? It does to God. And he asks us to trust him. Yes, it might mean sacrificing pleasure or satisfaction in the moment. But he calls us to holy sexuality and asks us to trust him, even if it's hard. Others might seek pleasure first. God’s people are different. Holy sexuality means sacrifice, but people choose it because they know God is worth it.