BCL Devotional: Committing Adultery with the Heart — Matthew 5:27–28

September 26, 2026/BCL/
Photo Credit: Ales Nesetril on Unsplash

Photo Credit: Ales Nesetril on Unsplash

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Each BCL Devotional includes a Bible passage, an encouraging quotation, and three practical steps to help believers reflect on, remember, and rejoice in God’s love in Christ.

Bible Passage

“You shall not commit adultery.” (Exodus 20:14)

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27-28)

Quote

Q. What is God’s will for us in the seventh commandment?

A. That God condemns all unchastity, and that we should therefore detest it wholeheartedly and live decent and chaste lives, within or outside of the holy state of marriage. (Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 108)

Steps to Take

Reflect: Keeping God’s commandment not to commit adultery includes keeping our hearts pure in the area of our sexuality. Jesus teaches us that faithfulness involves not only our actions but also how we look at and think about others.

Remember: God’s command not to commit adultery also includes not committing fornication (sex outside of marriage) and sinful sexual thoughts. The sinful act of lust toward someone is entirely self-focused. It is about self-gratification, viewing the other person as an object to be used for one’s own pleasure. Sexual lusts can just pop up in our minds with little provocation. We need to remain vigilant against lustful desires and not be complacent. Exercising this self-control isn’t just about our will toughing it out; rather, it is built into our life structure, into our community. We avoid tawdry places, we block perverse websites, and we help each other by keeping one another accountable.

Rejoice: The Christian life is one of sacrificial love for our neighbor, and believers are commanded to fight against lustful desires. By the Spirit, we do not fulfill such desires; rather, we confess them and replace them with a pure desire. The apostle Paul writes about this battle in his letter to the Galatian church:

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. (Gal. 5:16–17)

When it comes to fighting and controlling sexual desires, thank God we are led by the Spirit and that we are not under law, but under the mercy of Christ. Sexual desire is a gift from God that is to be fulfilled in love within the boundaries of God-ordained marriage.

For more on not gratifying the desires of the flesh, see “The 15 Vices of Galatians 5:19-21 and How to Resist Them.”

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