We have received many questions on whether will God forgive adultery. Many were searching to find out whether God would pardon their past mistakes. Dear friend, if you are one of them please keep reading till the end. Do not stop reading in between. It will lead to the wrong conclusion.
Jesus forgave the sins of an adulterous woman when the Pharisees were about to stone her. He made a famous quote, “let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!“. Jesus also shared the gospel with a Samaritan woman who had lived with five men. The man who was living with her at that point was not her husband. Jesus indeed offered her the living water of salvation. He never tried to hurt her by reminding her past. Jesus considered both of them as precious children. He cared about their soul more than the past mistakes they have committed.
Judah’s daughter-in-law (Tamar) induced an unnatural relationship with her father-in-law when he did not follow the local customs. Rahab was living in Jericho as a professional prostitute caused many men to commit adultery with her. Jesus, who was sinless from His birth to death, chose to be born in the genealogy of Judah, Tamar, and Rahab. By allowing Jesus to be born in the genealogy of many sinful people, God sent a very clear communication that he forgives and forgets our past. He is not in the business of keeping on reminding people about their past failures.
Let’s go back to our original question based on the above facts in the Bible. Does God forgive adultery? The answer is yes. He forgives all our sins, including adultery. But when we discuss all the above examples, there is not much written in the Bible about the consequences they have faced after committing adultery. The Bible explains one man’s life who committed adultery and the consequences he reaped. His name is King David.
David and Bathsheba
Both David and Bathsheba committed adultery, well aware that what they were doing was wrong. David killed the husband of Bathsheba and married her. He even could hide the facts for a year till the prophet Nathan made him realize the mistake. David asked God for forgiveness and wrote Psalm 51, which became a forgiveness prayer in the Christian community. But the mistake of adultery cost the life of His first child with Bathsheba, though David fasted and prayed for his child. But the consequences did not stop there. Later on, Amnon the first son of David had an unnatural relationship with his step-sister. Absalom another son of David went even further and had a relationship with his father’s wives in broad daylight. The sins of his sons would have broken David’s heart into pieces. But David knew all along he was reaping what he already sowed. The consequences of David’s sins kept crouching into his life again and again.
The Cost of Grace
David could not receive the grace we receive today. We have grace through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus paid for the precious grace by sacrificing His life and by shedding His blood on the cross. Jesus took all our punishment on Himself and He was crushed for our sake. The Bible says, “Jesus was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.“
Aaron’s sons could not enjoy the grace Jesus offered. They were struck down at the very moment they disobeyed the law. Uzzah enjoyed no grace as he died at once when he touched the ark of the covenant. Similarly, David’s child died for David’s mistakes with Bathsheba with no grace. Above are the consequences during the period when there was no grace.
The Samaritan woman and the adulterous woman who was caught red-handed walked free. Their sins were forgiven immediately due to the grace offered by Jesus Christ. We are living in a period of grace. But the Grace needs to be handled cautiously, fearfully, and carefully. Because we receive grace through the crucifixion and suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ.Does Grace give boldness to commit more Sins?
Just because the sacrifice of Jesus forgave our sins, does grace give us the freedom of choice to do whatever we want to do and then ask for forgiveness? As we consume grace without full repentance, we end up hardening our hearts. The hardening of our hearts will lead to a consequence in which we might never have the heart to seek forgiveness in the future. When we do not seek forgiveness, we don’t receive forgiveness. Someone might think since I have consumed grace in the past let me wait and make more mistakes than go back once more to Jesus for more forgiveness and grace. Dear friend, what if tomorrow never comes? What if today is the last day of our life? What if you end up hardening your heart and never have the conviction to ask for forgiveness?
Friend, when we approach Jesus and ask forgiveness for our mistakes, let’s approach him with tremendous fear and humbleness. Jesus paid a heavy price to offer forgiveness for our past. Let’s consume the grace with utmost fear, trembling, and full repentance. Jesus is waiting to forgive you independent of the past. Do not lose hope. Let’s pray to Jesus.
Dear Jesus, I come to you with all the humbleness and trembling. I am sorry for what I have done in my life. Please forgive my past. Restore my soul. I do not want to commit the same mistake again. I want to repent and turn away from all the sins. You have paid for all my mistakes on the cross. I approach your throne of mercy and grace with trembling. Please lift me up. Wash me clean with your precious blood. I want to be your child and follow you all my life. Fill me with your Holy Spirit. Help me listen to your spirit every day in my life. I pray in Jesus’s mighty name, Amen.
Dear friend, We are praying for you. May Jesus bless you and make you a blessing for many.
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Dear friend, Jesus has listened to your prayer. He will surely answer it. Please seek Him and follow Him with all your heart. We are praying for you. May God bless you and make you a blessing for many.