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Spiritual
Adultery: The Unspoken Sin
Ron Schwartz
Posted 5th
September, 2006
Adultery Was The
Principal Sin Of Israel.
Why Is There So
Little Teaching Concerning it?
Exodus 20:14 KJV
Thou shalt not
commit adultery.
According to the
letter of the law, this scripture pertains only to Physical
intimacy between married people. Jesus, however, taught us to
look Beyond the letter of the law and see the heart of the God
who gave it. He Taught that
“whosoever looketh
on a woman to lust after her hath committed Adultery with her
already in his heart (Matthew 5:28).”
By using the word “whosoever,” Jesus expanded it to include both
married and unmarried (thus including fornication as well as
adultery).
By using the words
“with her,” He also expanded the sin to include both parties. He
implied that the woman who is the object of lust could shoulder
the same responsibility and therefore be guilty of adultery
also. In other words, if a woman dresses in a provocatively, she
may find herself guilty of committing adultery several times
during the same day.
By using the word
“heart” and “looketh,” He also taught us that it has to do with
intent of the heart. We find, therefore, that there is much more
to the commandments of God than what the law actually says.
We find, then,
that God does not distinguish between emotional adultery (of the
heart) and the physical act, nor does he differentiate between
adultery and fornication. We find that adultery can be both
physical and emotional. But what about spiritual adultery? Why
is there so little teaching concerning it?
We are taught that
we must respect the authority a man has with his wife. We must
be very careful NOT to usurp his authority. We must not force
our authority over his wife because she belongs to him and he to
her. There is a holy union between the two. To violate this
authority is like Committing adultery on a spiritual level. As a
result, we respect the dignity of every man’s wife and we are
careful not to interfere in the husband/wife relationship.
We know that to
interfere would be a violation of that union and invoke the
anger and possible vengeance of a very jealous man. But what
about the Church? Does not the Church belong to the Lamb? What
about His authority over the Church? Has His authority over the
Church been violated by men?
Ezekiel 16:31-34
KJV
31 In that thou
buildest thine eminent place in the head of every way, And
makest thine high place in every street; and hast not been as an
harlot, in that thou scornest hire; 32 But as a wife that
committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her
husband! 33 They give gifts to all whores: but thou givest thy
gifts to all thy lovers, and hirest them, that they may come
unto thee on every side for thy whoredom. 34 And the contrary is
in thee from other women in thy whoredoms, Whereas none
followeth thee to commit whoredoms: and in that thou givest a
reward, and no reward is given unto thee, therefore thou art
contrary.
God tells Israel
that they have played the harlot but scorned payment. She acted
like a whore but had to hire her lovers. So how did Israel
Commit adultery? Since Israel is a nation, her adultery could
not be physical or emotional (of the heart).
Her adultery could
only be spiritual. Israel committed spiritual adultery by
building shrines for other gods In public places in open
defiance to God. Her sin was that she abandoned the authority of
God and replaced it with one made by man. Spiritual adultery is
when we allow men and the shrines of men to interfere with or
replace
God ’s authority
in our lives.
The Great Whore
Revelation 17:4
KJS
And the woman was
arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and
precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full
of abominations and filthiness of her fornication.
Rather than debate
the exact identity of the great whore, I would like To use her
description as an example. Here, the whore is arrayed in the
Royal colours of the Bible. She has the appearance of being the
wife of God, But she is “full” of the sin of fornication.
Revelation 18:3
KJV
For all nations
have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the
kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the
merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of
her delicacies.
We learn in this
scripture that her fornication is with the “kings of the earth.”
Just who are these kings of the earth?
Revelation 1:5-6
KJV
5 And from Jesus
Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first Begotten of
the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him
that Loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6
And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to
him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Revelation 5:10
KJV
And hast made us
unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on The earth.
We find here that the saints of the Most High are the kings of
the Earth (see also 1 Peter 2:5 and Revelation 21:24).
Revelation 19:7-8
7 Let us be glad
and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage Of the
Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 8 And to her
was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and
white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
Yes, the Church
belongs to God, or at least she is believed to be. Is the Church
submitted to the Lamb, clean and white, or has she submitted to
other men and committed spiritual fornication with them?
When we survey the
spiritual condition of the contemporary church, we do not find a
bride “clean and white” submitted to Christ, but a great whore
committing adultery with men. Men have taken up the role as the
heads of their congregations and are responsible for spiritual
adultery.
Congregations are
not encouraged or even allowed to follow the Lamb (the leading
of the Spirit); instead, the preacher makes all decisions and
orchestrates all meetings.
Everything with
the contemporary church revolves around the preacher and “his”
church rather than around of God. Such control not only replaces
Christ as the head, but it causes God’s people to look to him
for their spiritual development rather than to God. In allowing
God’s people to do so, preachers usurp the authority of God.
Even worse, the
church encourages this behavior just as a seductive woman
encourages lust. Churches encourage men to take over the role of
the head of the body. They finance “their” ministries,
faithfully attend “their” services, and loyally support “them”
as their king. Like a lustful woman, the contemporary church has
tempted and enticed devoted men to stray away from their loyalty
to God and commit adultery with her.
I find it
interesting that in Revelation, the true bride is defined as
follows:
Revelation 14:4
KJV
These are they
which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These
are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth.
The true bride of
the Lamb made up of “virgins” in that they have not committed
adultery. They are followers of “the Lamb,” because they have
not replaced His authority with that of men and the shrines
(ministries) of men.
“Obey
Them that have the Rule Over You…”
Hebrews 13:17 KJV
Obey them that
have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch
for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do
it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for
you.
So what does it
mean to “obey them that have the rule over you”? We find the
phase “rule over you” three times in the New Testament, all in
the same chapter of the book of Hebrews. They are as follows:
Hebrews 13:7, 17,
24 KJV
7 Remember them
which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word
of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their
conversation.
17 Obey them that
have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch
for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do
it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for
you.
24 Salute all them
that have the rule over you, and all the saints. They of Italy
salute you.
Have you ever
wondered about these verses? Set aside for a moment that the
word actually means “to go before, and thus to lead or guide.”
The word can also be used to convey a sense of ruling and
governing. We don’t know what the author had in mind, so let’s
consider these verses as if the author intended the use of the
word to be “to rule.”
Many pastors point
to this verse as a means of acquiring the control and obedience
of their congregation. But if the words, “Obey them that have
the rule over you, and submit yourselves” applies to pastors,
then we are in fact their slaves. There can be no other
interpretation. A few decades back, during the “Charismatic
Renewal,” a movement began that drew support from some who were
involved in Covenant-based teaching and/or “Spiritual Authority”
as taught by Watchmen Nee.
One of the names
of this movement was “The Shepherd Movement.” Churches that
embraced this teaching used these scriptures from Hebrews to
support the idea that congregations must submit to and obey
their pastors without hesitation or question. This led to having
the pastor make or approve such decisions as who people could
marry and what jobs they could accept.
That is, after all, what
this scripture implies. But was the author actually referring to
pastors? Who are “them that have the rule over you”? When
considering this scripture, why do preachers ignore all other
spiritual gifts other then their own?
We find this
reference only here in the final chapter of Hebrews. We find no
other reference in any of the epistles to the Gentiles implying
that men should have such power over others in the Church. Nor
do we find it in the teachings of Jesus. Why?
The True Rulers of
the Church
The Church began
on the day of Pentecost when the Spirit of God poured out upon
the disciples of Jesus. Jesus knew that He would not be present
when His Church began, so He appointed twelve apostles who were
to lay the foundation of His Church and establish New Testament
doctrine. He prayed the entire night before selecting them. He
then took them with Him and taught them by words and example for
three and a half years. Because of this, they were like no other
men who lived before or since.
And to show His
support for them, God went before them demonstrating His
approval by the manifestation of His power (“God also bearing
them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers
miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own
will?” Hebrews 2:4). These men were special. They spoke and
functioned with all the authority of Christ, and they were given
to the Church to set in place its foundation.
1 Corinthians 3:10
KJV
According to the
grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I
[the apostle Paul] have laid the foundation, and another
buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth
thereupon.
Revelation 21:14
KJV
And the wall of
the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the
twelve apostles of the Lamb.
These men
established the doctrine of the New Testament through
revelation. Their writings became known as the New Testament
scripture. It serves as a basis for us to build our spiritual
lives and to define how the Church is to operate. So what about
the scriptures in Hebrews?
Who Were They to
Obey?
First of all, like
those to whom the epistle was written, the apostles were also
Hebrew. They were not scholars but unlearned men. Consequently,
they did not receive the same respect from the educated Jews
(Pharisees and Sadducees, the lawyers and scribes, and other
notable teachers), many of whom were leaders of the Church at
Jerusalem.
Unlike the
Gentiles, who gladly received the apostles’ word as gospel
(i.e., “…ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an
angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.” Galatians 4:14, etc.),
the Jews looked to their dead forefathers as their authority and
sought to turn the New Testament into an extension of the Old
Testament. Unlike the Gentiles, who had only to gain by the New
Testament, the Hebrews seemed to see only loss as the New
Testament was being taught.
And the whole
significance of their lives was tied to their understanding of
Old Testament. Consequently, they were not so willing to accept
that a new covenant had come to supersede or to replace the old
one. The battle to minimize and dismiss much of the New
Testament doctrine continued for decades.
Throughout
the book of Acts, it was the Jews who consistently blocked and
hampered the progress of the early Christians in much the same
way they hammered away at the work of Christ (i.e., “But the
unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds
evil affected against the brethren.” Acts 14:2, etc.). This
brings us back to the epistle of Hebrews.
The epistle of
Hebrews was in many respects a rebuke to the believing Jews who
sought to venerate the Old Testament, its law, and its customs.
It was not warmly received by those who still embraced the law.
Hebrews commands the believing Jews to obey the apostles above,
and even when in conflict with, the law.
How the Message of Obedience
Has Become Twisted
Every scripture in
the Bible that describes men having power or rule over the
Church refers to “apostolic” authority, not the authority of
pastors. Peter clarifies this when he writes that elders were
“among” the brethren, not “over” them.
1 Peter 5:1-3 KJV
witness of the
sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that
shall be revealed: 2 Feed the flock of God which is among you,
taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly;
not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 3 Neither as being
lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
Paul confirms this
when he writes about a bishop (i.e., elder or pastor): “For if a
man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care
of the church of God (1 Timothy 3:5)?” He says that a bishop
must be able to “rule his own house” if he is to “take care of
the church of God.” For his own home he is to “rule,” but when
it comes to the church of God he is to “take care” of it. Paul
could have used the same word “rule” when it came to the church,
but he did not. He clearly meant that the church was not theirs
to rule.
An example of the
authority owned by the apostles is found in the epistle to the
believers at Corinth. Paul wrote to them saying,
“For though ye
have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many
fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the
gospel. Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me. For this
cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and
faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my
ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.
Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you. But I
will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not
the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power. For the
kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. What will ye? shall
I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of
meekness (1 Corinthians 4:15-21)?”
Preachers have
misconstrued apostolic power over the church as being their own.
They quote scriptures like the ones in Hebrews to support the
control they exercise over the church. Because these men are not
consistent in their beliefs and teaching, and because the church
has obeyed them, we find the church currently fragmented into
various denominations and independent works. The division that
exists in the church today is not because of God, but because
men (preachers) lust for the power and prestige of ruling over
others.
Come out of Her my People…
Revelation 18:4
KJV
And I heard
another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people,
that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of
her plagues.
First, the
reference here to “her plagues” is similar to the plagues that
fell upon Egypt. By holding God’s people captive, Egypt was
usurping God’s authority over His people. Israel was taking
orders from Egypt instead of God. Remember what God spoke to
Egypt:
“Let my people go,
that they may serve me (Exodus 8:1).”
The plagues
eventually caused Egypt to surrender its control over God’s
people. There is an interesting parallel here to the
contemporary church. Once again, the people are in bondage, only
this time it is by its own choosing. Before the plagues fell, a
voice called out, just as it is calling out to us now. Only this
time, rather than saying, “Let My people go,” it is saying,
“Come out of her, My people…”
The Washington
Post (Sunday, June 4, 2006) recently published an article
sub-titled: “Clergy-Less Living Room Services Seen as a Growing
Trend.” The following is a portion of that article:
“George Barna, a
religion pollster, estimates that since 2000, more than 20
million Americans have begun exploring alternative forms of
worship, including home churches, workplace ministries and
online faith communities. Barna based that figure on surveys of
the religious practices and attitudes of American adults that he
has conducted over the past 25 years.
"These are people
who are less interested in attending church than in being the
church," said Barna, who became a home-churcher last year. The
alternatives are attractive to those who want to deepen their
relationships with God and one another, and they also suit
Americans' growing taste for flexibility and control of their
schedules, he said.
Although many
Christians still participate in their old churches while trying
out a new one, Barna predicts that over the next two decades,
traditional churches will lose half their "market share" to
these alternative start-ups.
His estimates far
exceed the best guesses of home-church networks. The
Orlando-based Dawn Ministries places the number of home churches
in the United States in the tens of thousands, based partly on
the size of online directories and attendance at home-church
conferences.”
There is a growing
movement among Christians to stop going to church (e.g., a place
where men usurp God’s authority over His people and spiritual
adultery occurs) and start becoming the Church (e.g., a people
who allow Christ to be the head, and a bride who listens to and
follows the Lamb “These are they which were not defiled with
women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the
Lamb whithersoever he goeth.” Revelation 14:4). It started slow,
first by the dozens, and then the hundreds
and the thousands.
Now people are
abandoning traditional churches by the tens of thousands.
Christians everywhere are sensing the spiritual adultery they
are involved in and deserting traditional churches. As a result,
magazines like Time and Newsweek and newspapers like the
Washington Post are seeing the revolution that is taking place
in the contemporary church.
Christians
everywhere are hearing the cry of the Spirit, and they are
“coming out of her.”
Conclusion
There is a
determination by both pastors and their congregations to replace
the authority of Christ with their own. This is spiritual
adultery. Pastors tend to ignore scriptures like 1 Corinthians
12:28 (And God hath set some in the church, first apostles,
secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles,
then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of
tongues.) that places pastors toward the bottom of the list.
This list places other spiritual gifts above their own. Instead
they usurp all other authority to place themselves at the top,
even the authority of Christ.
And the church,
like a lustful harlot, is only too eager to allow it. Pastors
become so enamored by their self-appointed authority that most
inevitably take apostolic authority as their own.
The contemporary
church is a joke to the spiritual powers that rule this world.
They laugh at the sin that fills her, her lack of power, her
ineffectiveness, her hypocrisy, and the division that fragments
her. The plight of the contemporary church is the direct result
of her submission to men rather than to God. She has chosen
spiritual fornication above God’s authority and has become the
product of her sin.
The contemporary
church has largely abdicated her responsibility for evangelism.
This is because she does not know who to serve. Because of her
submission to man, she now is under the control of the flesh,
which has no power to transform her or the world. She has given
herself to men who demand her compliance to their doctrines and
to serving the needs of their ministries.
They have deceived
her into believing that obedience to them is obedience to God.
Just as they are deceived into believing that by taking Christ’s
place as head of the body they are performing a service to God.
As a result, she is fornicating with the “kings of the earth”
who believe themselves to be the servants of God.
Revelation 18:9
KJV
And the kings of
the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously
with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall
see the smoke of her burning.
Consequently,
sweeping reforms are in process in many churches. There are
drastic changes in formats as preachers try to give their
meetings a more “home-style” touch, but these are just poor
imitations of what the Spirit of God is doing in His people.
Preachers just don’t get it. They are the problem, and people
are tired of their spiritual fornication with them.
Pastors everywhere
are scurrying to shore up the breach as they sense the mass
exodus beginning to occur. In some cases, attendance is flat and
contributions have fallen off. Other places are only a token of
what they once were.
Babylon, the great whore, has fallen, and
it is beginning to burn. The plagues are about to come down. The
empires that men have created are about to be lost. Right now
the water is parted, and God’s people are flowing out. They are
leaving the sin of adultery and washing their robes in Christ’s
blood. They are leaving to “follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth.”
If the
contemporary church is to become the bride of the Lamb it must
stop looking to men as their spiritual head. Also, preachers
must do what one pastor recently told me that God told him:
preachers must “give the Church back to God.” Amen.
God bless you,
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