“You shall not commit adultery.” (Exodus 20:14)

In his fictional book, The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis describes one of the female characters as one who was so beautiful that she many men loved her. However, he writes, “It was the kind of love that made them not less true, but truer, to their own wives.” With such a description, C.S. Lewis illustrates what true biblical beauty promotes: LOVE not LUST.

Yet as sinners, both men and women live in a fallen world that is tempted to objectify beauty and people for selfish pleasure. Crude, dirty jokes, viewing pornography come from the same fallen place. And having sexual relations outside of the marriage relationship as God designed it breaks and dishonors His gift of sexuality.

Because God wonderfully created and values this gift He directs us in the sixth commandment, “You shall not commit adultery.” (Exodus 20:14). Rather, we are to honor marriage and our sexuality with contentment and trust of God’s design and purpose.

C.S. Lewis illustrated the truth of LOVE over LUST as stated clearly in 1 Corinthians 13. Love is not self-seeking and it doesn’t rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Jesus is the best picture of 1 Corinthians 13 we will ever see. In fact, you might say He is PICTURE PERFECT. Through the Holy Spirit we receive that true love and are free to love as He first has loved us. Being loved and loving others is a radically different way of living and comes from following Jesus, being transformed by His love, and staying committed to His mission.

Prayer
Lord Jesus, we often are filled with selfish desires. And yet love teaches us a better way. Would You help us to love others as You have first loved us? And we thank You for the way that You love us, for the fact that You have loved us so perfectly through Your Son Jesus. And it’s in His name we pray, Amen.