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Response
Before addressing this issue, it is crucial to distinguish between the Old Testament and the New Testament. In the Old Covenant law, which was given to ancient Israel under a theocracy, the penalty for adultery was death: “And the man that commits adultery with another man’s wife, even he that commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.”, (Leviticus 20:10). In the New Testament, Jesus introduced a new law. The consequence of sin remains eternal death: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”, (Romans 6:23). However, adultery no longer results in the death penalty under civil law. Present-day Christians do not live under the old theocracy and are not instructed to harm those who sin.
The Old Testament law enumerates various actions that were punishable by death, including adultery. “If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife— with the wife of his neighbor— both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death” “And the man that commits adultery with another man’s wife, even he that commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.”, (Leviticus 20:10). It is essential to highlight that the punishment was equal for both individuals involved. There was no double standard that excused a man’s indiscretions; he was punished equally with the woman. These laws, including those regarding sexual immorality in Leviticus 20, were linked to the necessity of Israel’s complete moral separation from other nations. The Canaanites were notorious for their practices, and God wanted to ensure His people were distinct.Their sexual immorality, among other transgressions, led God to desire Israel to be holy, or “set apart,” from them (verses 22–24). This law was specifically for Israel under the Mosaic Covenant. It’s important to note that the church is distinct from Israel, and we are not bound by the Old Covenant.
In present times, the Bible does not prescribe any specific punishment for adultery. Nevertheless, adultery brings its own consequences. Sexual sin is a violation against one’s own body “Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.” (1 Corinthians 6:18). The book of Proverbs cautions about the outcomes of adultery: loss of honor and vitality (Proverbs 5:9-11), a tarnished reputation “I have come to the brink of utter ruin in the midst of the whole assembly.” (Proverbs 5:14), bondage and death (Proverbs 5:22-23), self-destruction “But a man who commits adultery has no sense; whoever does so destroys himself.” (Proverbs 6:32), and the wrath of a jealous husband “For jealousy arouses a husband’s fury, and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.” (Proverbs 6:34). “Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched? So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished” (Proverbs 6:27-29).
The ProverbsAlso, outline the character of the adulterer: he is called simple and senseless «And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, A young man void of understanding», (Proverbs 7:7) and compared to an animal caught in a snare and then slaughtered (Proverbs 7:22-23). “A man who commits adultery has no sense; whoever does so destroys himself” «But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: He that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.», (Proverbs 6:32). Finally, the proverb writer comes to this terribly grim conclusion about adultery: “Many are the victims she has brought down; her slain are a mighty throng. Her house is a highway to the grave, leading down to the chambers of death” (Proverbs 7:26-27).
A reading of these warnings in Proverbs should be enough to strike fear into anyone’s heart. As drastic as the Old Testament law seems regarding the punishment for adultery, the spiritual consequences are even worse. Thankfully, the sin of adultery is not exempt from Jesus’ promise of forgiveness. We have only to look to the story in John 8 about Jesus’ interaction with an adulteress—caught in the very act and dragged before Him by the Pharisees—to see God’s heart toward the one trapped in the snare of sin. The Pharisees are ready and eager to exact merciless punishment upon the woman (but not the man), and Jesus rebukes them by reminding them that they are just as sinful as she. Then, when they have all walked away from the scene, He gently asks her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” and she says, “No one, sir,” to which He answers, “Then neither do I condemn you. . . . Go now and leave your life of sin”
Jesus embodies grace and truth «And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we saw his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. », (John 1:14). He instructs the woman to cease committing adultery, and He pardons her. This illustrates John 3:17 beautifully: “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” The penalty for adultery, or any other transgression, is absolved when we accept Christ’s atonement for us.
