As a priest, my mission is to guide people spiritually, today I’d like to open a dialogue about understanding spiritual adultery. At its core, spiritual adultery is being unfaithful to God. It is succumbing to an undue fondness for worldly things that might divert us from our divine path. It is akin to the unfaithfulness of a spouse, as mentioned in the scripture: “’But like a woman unfaithful to her lover, even so have you been faithless to me, O house of Israel,’ says the LORD” (Jeremiah 3:20; also Isaiah 1:21; 57:8; Ezekiel 16:30).
The Holy Bible paints a vivid picture of those who choose friendship with worldly matters over faith in God as an “adulterous people” harboring “enmity against God” (James 4:4–5). This ‘worldliness’ denotes the system of evil that Satan controls (John 12:31; Ephesians 2:2; 1 John 5:19). The world system, hinged on empty values, pointless pursuits, and unnatural affections, is designed to pull us away from a pure relationship with God. Thus, spiritual adultery is the abandonment of God’s love and the welcoming of worldly values and desires (Romans 8:7–8; 2 Timothy 4:10; 1 John 2:15–17).
Spiritual adultery includes any form of idolatry. The children of Israel in the Old Testament tried to combine the worship of gods such as Baal with that of God (Judges 3:7; 1 Kings 16:31–33; Jeremiah 19:5). This action was like an adulterous wife who desired to have both a husband and a lover (Jeremiah 9:2; Ezekiel 6:9; 16:32). In the New Testament, James defines spiritual adultery as claiming to love God while forming friendships with worldly matters (James 4:4–5). Thus, one who commits spiritual adultery is a believer who secretly loves the pleasures and so-called freedoms offered by Satan.
The theme of spiritual adultery is prevalent in the Old Testament (Isaiah 54:5; Jeremiah 3:20; Ezekiel 16:15–19) and is especially illustrated in the book of Hosea. His wife, Gomer, symbolizes the infidelity of the children of Israel, while Hosea’s commitment to Gomer mirrors God’s steadfast, patient love for His erring people (Hosea 2:2–5; 3:1–5; 9:1).
The struggle between serving two masters refers to this conflict between worldly desires and true faith. Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other” (Matthew 6:24). The enticements of the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—come not from the Father but from the world” (1 John 2:15–16).
Fence-straddling, therefore, is spiritual adultery. We cannot have one foot in the world and the other in heaven. Jesus warned the church in Laodicea, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:15–16).
The love of the world begins in the heart, and the key to avoiding spiritual adultery is to cultivate affection for heavenly matters. The scripture advices us: “set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:2, KJV).
As believers, let’s be vigilant about where we place our affections, ensuring we remain faithful to our divine Father.
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