After worship on Sunday my wife said to me, “Well, I suppose we’ll have to do some debriefing with our oldest daughter after today!” That’s because my oldest daughter is only eleven years old, and Sunday’s topic was adultery. While I tried to be as sensitive and delicate as I could there is no way to address the issue without being frank. This is how Scripture works. It confronts us head-on with issues that we might prefer to ignore.
If the shows that crowd TV’s primetime lineup are to be believed, then everybody is doing it. And they might be on to something. According to a friend who is a professional marriage therapist, roughly 60% of all men and 40% of all women have committed adultery at some point. But the “everybody’s doing it” argument certainly does nothing to diminish its effect. Infidelity still wrecks lives as much as it ever has.
The good news is that God is a God of grace and mercy. While we will bear the effects of sin, we do not have to be defined by it. There is always the chance for renewal. Scripture could not be clearer to the point of the gospel: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.’
Thanks again to everyone for hanging in there on Sunday. I hope we didn’t create any unnecessarily awkward moments for the younger ears in attendance. But I doubt that God will apologize for making us feel awkward about our sinful ways!