Lord’s Day 41
Q109. Does God, in this commandment, forbid only such obvious sins as adultery?
We are temples of the Holy Spirit, body and soul, and God wants both to be kept clean and holy. That is why he forbids everything which incites sexual immorality, whether it be actions, looks, talk, thoughts, or desires.
Scripture Proofs — King James Version
1 Corinthians 15:33
“Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.”
Ephesians 5:18
“And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;”
Matthew 5:27–29
“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not thy whole body should be cast into hell.”
1 Corinthians 6:18–20
“Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.”
Ephesians 5:3–4
“But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.”
Modernized Commentary — Zacharias Ursinus (1616)
The purpose of this commandment is to protect human life and physical wellbeing, both our own and that of others. Everything that contributes to the safety and preservation of life is therefore required here, while everything that threatens it is forbidden. This includes every unlawful act of harm, every desire to wrong another person, and every expression of that desire. The commandment uses the word murder not because God forbids only that one act, but because by naming the most extreme outcome, He simultaneously removes all the causes that lead to it. By gathering under the single term "murder" all the sins connected with it, and by highlighting how serious that sin is, God more effectively steers us away from the entire range of related wrongs.
This follows the general rule that when a particular virtue is commanded or a particular vice is forbidden, all the related virtues and vices are commanded or forbidden along with it.
We must address three points here.