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Hofer-Draper
Lance Hofer-Draper
Professor Cosmin Ritiviou
English II
9 February 2015
Committing Adultery in Courtship
Adultery is a sin that is highly condemned by God. Many people question what
defines adultery when they hear about Jesus saying, But I say to you that everyone who
looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart
(English Standard Version Matt. 5.28). In order to fully understand this quote, adultery
itself has to be studied. To begin the study, Exodus chapter 20 is a great place to start.
Found in 14th verse are these words, You shall not commit adultery. This verse
described a mans duty to his fellowman. Because it is relating a mans duty to his
fellowman, people suggest that it should be able to relate to other areas of life that deal
duties to fellowmen as well. Courtship is challenged to see if it can be applied to adultery
as well since it involves a mans duty to his fellow man.
In an effort to more clearly support the unity that exists between courtship in
adultery, Matthew chapter five, vs. 28 helps. This verse states, But I say to you that
everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with
her in his heart. Because this verse is not understood, couples in courtship often commit
adultery. To explain what Jesus meant in this verse, and to see this verses role in
connecting courtship and adultery, the principle that Jesus is teaching has to be singled
out. By saying, everyone who looks at a woman lustfully commits adultery, Jesus is
communicating a principle spoken of in the book of Proverbs. This verse in Proverbs that

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relates the principle that Jesus is saying is, As he thinketh in his heart, so is he (King
James Version Prov. 23.7). Thus the principle is, whatever people think, they become.
The conclusion that Jesus is talking about this principle, is formed on account that their
are common characteristics in each verse. Both Bible verses common characteristics
include, men thinking and men acting. Conclusively it may be assumed that what Jesus
says is directly related to what Proverbs says. If they are truly teaching the same
principles then, in an attempt to show the meaning of the verse in Matthew and its ability
to have the characteristic that unites adultery and courtship, Jesus is saying that the lustful
premeditations of men lead to their actions of committing of adultery. Those who are in
courtships are not aware that looking lustfully is the root cause that leads to adultery, and
they are therefore more likely to have sexual relationships before marriage.
The act of committing adultery is not at the moment when the courting couple
engages in the act of premarital sex however. Adultery is not at the moment when the
couple that is courting has sex because the Biblical definition of marriage and adultery
does not teach this. The Biblical definition of marriage teaches that a woman becomes a
mans wife when the act of sexual intercourse happens. Genesis chapter 24 vs. 67 teaches
that: Then Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother and took Rebekah, and she
became his wife, and he loved her. This Biblical definition of marriage may then be
applied to the definition of adultery to see that adultery is not committed when the
courting couple has premarital sex. Adultery is the act of, voluntary sexual intercourse
between a married person and a person who is not his or her spouse (New Oxford
American Dictionary, Adultery). To find the definition of adultery, both definitions have
to be put together. Doing this, the Bible teaches that adultery is having sex with anyone

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Hofer-Draper
besides whom you have already had sex with. This shows that the adultery was not
committed when the couple had premarital sex. However when they have ended that
relationship and go onto another and have sexual relations, they are committing adultery.
They commit adultery when they have sex with another partner because that is what Jesus
taught in Luke 16:18 when he said, Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another
commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits
adultery. This quote explains that adultery is only committed when someone has sex
with more than one person and further can show that the couples premarital sex is not
adultery.
Even though premarital sex is not adultery, it makes it easier for couples to
commit adultery when separating. The Ten Commandments and the context in which
adultery was used showed how it revolves around relationships between humans and their
fellow beings. Because adultery relates to the relationship between man and his fellow
man, courtship is suggested that it relates to adultery because it deals with man and his
responsibility to his fellow man as well. In order to see the unity between these the two
subjects, a quote by Jesus in Matthew 5 is a great place to start. Using another Biblical
reference in Proverbs better defines what Jesus meant. Utilizing these verses, a clear
understanding comes to be that tells what adultery is, and whomsoever is in courtship
may change in accordance with the impression of the understanding that these truths give.
King James Version. Bible Gateway. Wed. 4 Feb. 2015.
"Courtship." New Oxford American Dictionary. Version2.2.1 (169). Electronic.

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