When is it Adultery?

Now that I'm married, one of the first things I learned was that I would have to deal with the x-factor, and I don't mean the comic book. As a married Christian, I take my marital vows extremely seriously. There is no gray area. I likened it to when I would play basketball with friends as a kid in Cambridge and whomever had possession of the ball to check it (bring it into play), would say "respect the line," if the opposing player attempted to cross the baseline before the ball was brought into play. We all know there is a line, and we all know we ought to respect it. The problem is that for some, the line is gray, or worse, badly faded.

Back to the x-factor. One of the first things I was keenly aware of was to manage my past as a single man, with my present as a married man. This included discussions with my wife about ex-girlfriends or/and female friends from my past. Some married men feel that one should just avoid such disclosures because they only invite more scrutiny. Well, to paraphrase Jesus, I've learned it's best to let my 'yes' be 'yes' and my 'no' be 'no.' Now, there are some married men that feel certain things or behaviors don't really qualify as adultery (i.e. a married person in sexual relations with someone other than his or her spouse).

While those men may be correct in their own logic, the truth is that men or women (yeah, you too) who commit adultery don't just wake up one sunny day in June and hop into another bed. It is the slippery slope of temptation that does the adulterer in. It takes more than a slice at a cord to break it. However, how quickly the cord breaks depends on how strong it is.

As we are all human, we all face temptation in many beguiling forms. However, take comfort in this: no temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it (I Cor. 10-13 NIV).