Types Of Adultery Part 1: What Types Of Adultery Give Biblical Reasons For Ending A Christian Marriage

Marriage.

It can be a beautiful thing. Unfortunately, it can also be quite a nightmare. Our souls long to be intimately connected to another, yet no one needs to suffer through a life of abuse.

If you're in a Christian marriage that appears to be dissolving in every direction you may be wondering if divorce means you will never be able to be intimately united with another again.

After all, you are not aware of any sexual promiscuity happening. Well-meaning people, even clergy, have told you that physical adultery issues are the only biblical reasons for divorce. Are they right?

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Why is it that marital disharmony appears to be the only area where people are either expected to "tough it out" or be isolated from intimate connections with a spouse? To that end, I would like to discuss several types of adultery and how they affect our being able to marry again should we choose to venture down that trail with another.

Before I start, I would encourage troubled marriages to seek out counsel and help before throwing their love to the wind. Divorce is not an easy road. The grass is not greener on the other side. And where children are involved, taking this path can lead to a lifetime of brokenness within their own precious lives.

Never the less, sometimes it is the only option left and should be used as an absolute last resort rather than the first option chosen.

With that said, let's turn to a study of the two most common words for adultery within God's Word which are Porneia & Moicheia.

*** MOICHEIA ADULTERY DEFINED ***
During my research I found most everyone rallying to this definition of adultery even when attempting to define porneia.

Why?

Simple. Because moicheia more clearly defines what they want adultery to be than the word porneia does. When one decides what a thing will be and then uses scripture to support their position they are walking on extremely dangerous ground.

Thus, if I were to conclude that porneia is a greater adultery than moicheia for whatever reason I would be incorrect.

Moicheia “adultery”- sexual intercourse between a married person and another who is not the spouses mate.

Biblically we see references to this in…

Leviticus 20:10
If a man commits adultery with another man's wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death.

There is no question but that this is talking about a physical intimacy. However, it is quite short sighted to leave this argument at this point.

In part 2 we will continue looking at different types of adultery as well as their affects on a Christian marriage in an attempt to uncover the truth on biblical reasons for divorce and remarriage.