Wednesday, 4 October 2017

Comprehending Pink’s Commandments Part 42



Foreword:

The following exerpt is taken from The Ten Commandments  by Arthur W. Pink

(BAKER BOOK HOUSE, 1994 GRAND RAPIDS, MI)

In this blog series I will work through this very important article a paragraph at a time – asking my reader comprehension style questions at the end. I have been much convicted by the writings of Pink and I pray your walk will also be strengthened meditating on his teaching of scripture …



THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT PART III

How God regards sins of uncleanness has been made clear by many passages in His Word. This sin, even on the part of an unmarried man, is called "great wickedness against God" (Gen. 39:9). Then how much more inexcusable and intolerable is it on the part of a married person! The temporal punishment meted out to it under the civil law of Israel was no less than death, the same that was meted out to murder. Job calls it "a heinous crime, a fire that consumeth to destruction" (31:11, 12). Much of this wickedness is practiced in secret, but though its perpetrators may escape the judgment of man, they shall not escape the judgment of Heaven, for it is written, "whoremongers and adulterers God shall judge" (Heb. 13:4). "Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers ... shall inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Cor. 6:9, I0).

"The sin of adultery is scarcely less enormous than that of murder. The latter destroys man's temporal existence, the former destroys all that makes existence a boon. Were all to take the licence of the adulterer men would in due time be reduced to the degradation of wild beasts" (R. L. Dabney). To prevent this sin, God has instituted the ordinance of marriage. "To avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband" (1 Cor. 7:2) . The sin of adultery is therefore the violation of the marriage covenant and vow, and so adds perjury to infidelity. Immorality is a sin against the body (1 Cor. 6:18). God's displeasure against this sin is seen in the fact that He has so ordered things that nature itself visits the same with heavy penalties in every part of man's complex being. "Be not deceived: God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption" (Gal. 6:7, 8).



1) Adultery can be considered the murder of a marriage and many abortions are the result of adultery. Adultery can even result in the infection of the non-offending spouse with a deadly disease. How would you explain to someone why God views adultery and murder both with similar revulsion - in what way are they the same?


2) Consider how AIDS and similar diseases are a direct reaping of corruption (Gal. 6:7, 8) – in what other ways does God chastise the adulterer in this life.

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