True Christianity: The Portable New Century Edition, Volume 1

The Sixth Commandment

You Are Not to Commit Adultery

313 In its earthly meaning,this commandment covers not only committing

adultery but also wanting to do and doing things that are obscene, and

also having wanton thoughts and expressing them. As the Lord’s words

make clear, craving to commit adultery is committing adultery:

You have heard that it was said by the ancients, “You are not to commit

adultery.” But I say to you that if a man looks at someone else’s wife in

such a way that he craves her, he has already committed adultery with

her in his heart. (Matthew 5 : 27 , 28 )

The reason is that craving becomes a virtual deed when it is in the will. An

attraction enters only our intellect, but an intention enters our will; and

an intention based on a craving is a deed.

On these topics, see many things in the work Marriage Love and

Promiscuous Love,published in Amsterdam, 1768. There are treatments

there on the opposite of marriage love, §§ 423 – 443 ; on promiscuity,

§§444[b]– 460 ; on different kinds and degrees of adultery, §§ 478 – 499 ;

on obsession with defloration, §§ 501 – 505 ; on the craving for variety,

§§ 506 – 510 ; on the craving for rape, §§ 511 , 512 ; on obsession with seduc-

ing the innocent, §§ 513 , 514 ; and on accountability for the love of infi-

delity and the love of marriage, §§ 523 – 531. All the above are covered by

this commandment in its earthly meaning.

314 In the spiritual meaning,“committing adultery” refers to contaminat-
ing the good things taught by the Word and falsifying its truths. The fact
that committing adultery refers to these things has not yet been known,
because the Word’s spiritual meaning has been hidden until now. In the
following passages it is obvious, however, that “committing adultery,”
“being adulterous,” and “being promiscuous” have no other meaning in
the Word:
Run here and there through the streets of Jerusalem and see if you can
find a man who makes judgment and seeks truth.When I fed them to
the full, they became promiscuous.(Jeremiah 5 : 1 , 7 )
Among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen horrendous stubborn-
ness, committing adultery and walking in a lie.(Jeremiah 23 : 14 )

376 TRUE CHRISTIANIT Y §313