The Heart of Adultery | Matthew 5:27-30

The Sermon on the Mount keeps pressing beneath the surface. Last week, Jesus exposed the heart of murder—showing that murder does not begin with the physical act, but with anger, contempt, envy, and hatred in the heart. Cain’s murder of Abel did not appear out of nowhere; it grew from a corrupt heart. God is not only concerned with what the hands do. He sees the intentions, desires, and motives underneath. Now Jesus moves to the heart of adultery. Just as murder begins before blood is shed, adultery begins before the outward act is committed. The sin starts in the thought life, in the look, in the desire, in the imagination, in the hidden places no one else sees. Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart. This means freedom from sexual sin requires more than external restraint. A person may avoid the outward act and still be guilty before God because the heart is feeding what the body has not yet carried out. Jesus is calling His people to wage war where the battle actually begins: in the thoughts, desires, and affections. To be free, sin must be fought at the root, not merely trimmed at the surface. The point is clear: adultery begins in the heart, and to walk rightly before God, Christians must wage war with sin in the thought life. God’s people are not called merely to appear clean, but to pursue purity before the God who sees everything. Do you want to support Church of The Word? https://cotwstl.org/give/ Check out our church here! https://cotwstl.org/ #biblestudy #faith