By Wendell Tenison
Introduction:
In my fifty three years as a Christian, I have never heard one sermon on spiritual adultery or fornication. Why? The primary reason is, because of the denominational teachings in the church regarding literal adultery and fornication. Whereas, the meanings of both are skewed to the point that it is impossible to make a spiritual application of either. If preachers and teachers did fully understand the true meaning of each of these and taught so, they would probably be fired.
Spiritual adultery is written all over the old testament and the prophets. After all, the holy scriptures written aforetime were for our learning.
Romans 15:4 "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope."
However, if those are not enough to establish the proper meaning, the new testament also alludes to spiritual adultery and fornication. But, thanks be to God, there is always at least one scripture that opens the eyes of our understanding.
James 4:4 "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."
Here, the apostle James is writing to members of the church of our Lord and not to the world. The world is already dead in sin, but Christians are supposed to be alive in Christ and not partakers of the world any more. Spiritual adultery in nothing short of being as the apostle says, a "friend of the world." To put it more bluntly is to whore around with the devil. This is why this subject is off limits.
In our discussion of this subject, we will notice the difference in the mind of God verses the rationale of Moses regarding the return of a wife literally to her husband and the return of the wife of God, Israel and Judah. Moreover, taking it two steps further under the law of Christ to both literal and spiritual.