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Q22. Spiritual Adultery


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Why does James refer to church members as "adulteresses"? What does the adultery consist of? Who is the aggrieved husband? What is wrong with friendship with the world?

Apparently the church members enjoy and seek pleasure from the things of the world instead of from God. Adultery consists of putting things of the world before God. God is the aggrieved husband. Friendship with the world is like a bride or a wife being too friendly with another man other than her husband, looking for her satisfaction in another man other than her husband and loving him more than her husband.

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As Christians we are part of 'the bride of Christ.' We are married to God.

To be married to Christ and to try to cozy up to the world system is to commit spiritual adultary. Friendship with the world is wrong because it grieves God.

Anyone who chooses to become friends with the world becomes an enemy of God. :angry:

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Q2. (4:4) Why does James refer to church members as "adulteresses"?

Because they seek pleasure outside of Christ.

What does the adultery consist of?

Putting God on a back burner and taking pleasure in outside pleasures of the world.

Who is the aggrieved husband?

Christ.

What is wrong with friendship with the world?

Friendship with the world leads us outside of what God wants for our lives and down the path of destruction.

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They are leaning towards a system that doesn't love or follow Jesus. They are pursuing the pleasures of the world. Adultery is being unfaithful to the one to which you are married or betrothed. The aggrieved husband is God. Friendship with the world makes us 'greedy' for worldly pleasures and wants. It removes us from our genuine love toward God. Choosing worldly pleasures makes us become an enmy of God.

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They are leaning towards a system that doesn't love or follow Jesus. They are pursuing the pleasures of the world. Adultery is being unfaithful to the one to which you are married or betrothed. The aggrieved husband is God. Friendship with the world makes us 'greedy' for worldly pleasures and wants. It removes us from our genuine love toward God. Choosing worldly pleasures makes us become an enmy of God.

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Metaphorically, when we alienate ourselves from God and turn our affections towards the world, this love of the world is compared to adultry. It is all too real, though, as I have found out, that when I turn to the world, I will feel guilty. Why would you feel this guilt, if God had not formed a bond with you? These are not mere words, they are very true. The Spirit that abides in us is as real as marriage to another person. I can feel this. The Spirit is grieved, then I am convicted of my guilt and should turn and renounce the world before I become a full blown slave (friend) to desires that are worldly. That

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JAMES REFERS TO CHURCH MEMBERS AS ADULTERESSES BECAUSE WE ARE THE BRIDE OF CHRIST .

SPIRITUAL ADULTERY IS SEEKING THINGS AS OPPOSED TO SEEKING GOD. WE ARE SUPPOSED TO SEEK THE KINGDOM OF GOD FIRST AND THEN ALL THE THINGS WE DESIRE SHALL BE ADDED UNTO US. ANY THING THAT TAKES FIRST PLACE IN MY HEART ASIDE FROM GOD IS AN IDOL AND THE PLEASURES OF THIS WORLD CAN BE TEMPTING TO MANY BUT THE CRUCIFIED LIFE IS WHAT BRINGS TRUE PLEASURE.

THE AGGRIEVED HUSBAND IS JESUS CHRIST.

FRIENDSHIP WITH THE WORLD IS ENEMITY WITH GOD. THERE CAN BE NO MIXING OF CLEAN AND UNCLEAN. I'M REMINDED OF KING SOLOMON WHO HAD SO MUCH WISDOM FROM GOD AND YET IN HIS LATER YEARS TOOK MANY PAGAN WIVES WHO INFLUENCED HIM TO WORSHIP FALSE GODS.WE HAVE TO KEEP OUR MIND FOCUSED AND STAY ON ONE COURSE ONLY..THE LORD SAYS BE YE HOLY AS I AM HOLY.FRIENDSHIP WITH THE WORLD AND HOLINESS DO NOT GO TOGETHER..GOD BLESS.......

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We are called adulteresses when we choose to flirt or play with the world and what it appears to offer us over the things of God. We should be married to Christ. Friendship with the world makes us double-minded and we can be in danger of falling for it's apparent charms, which are deceptive.

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Q2. (4:4) Why does James refer to church members as "adulteresses"? What does the adultery consist of? Who is the aggrieved husband? What is wrong with friendship with the world?

James is using the femenine tense to emphasise that we are brides of Christ. The adultery consists of our turning to the world when we should be turning to God. God is the agrieved husband.

John.

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The Lord looks at the church (us) as His bride. We are purified and sanctified by Him through the Holy Spirit. Sanctified, set apart for His use, has us in a place of spiritual living. To have any workings with the world, that is the foolish pleasures therof, means we are spiritual adulteresses, just like a spouse having a sexual relationship outside of the marriage bed. In having an affair with the world we are going out on our husband, Jesus Christ. And, to make matters worse, when we mess around with worldly pleasures we are slapping the Lord in His face since He is at enmity with the world, opposed to the world and all that it is.

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What James is referring to is the church is acting just like the world attitudes. They fight with each other so they can gain their own desires. The adultery that James is speaking about here is each person in the church is doing their own thing and don't want anyone else to get the credit for what is happening around them and they are asking for worldly desires in order to make themselves look better to others. When we become friendly with the world we don't have a desires on what God's will is and God hates it when we have a worldly attitude. We also take our eyes off God and focus on ourselves which is a sin.

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When James is referring to the church as adulteresses I am reminded of an old song that speaks of being "torn between two lovers, feeling like a fool. Loving both of you is breaking all the rules" You can't have two masters, you will love one and despise the other. As Christians we are the Bride of Christ. Married to God. You can't stay married to God and go out with the devil.

Anything that comes between you and God or causes a gap between you and God is what the adultery consists of. Its different for different people.

God is the aggreived husband because He is the one we are married to and the one we are betraying by our lifestyle.

To be friends of the world is to be an enemy of God because the world will steal us away from Him given Half a chance. It is so much easier not to be drawn away at all. However we are drawn away by our own lusts. Therefore we must pray and ask God to make our desires line up with His desires. Obedience is better that sacrifice!

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James refers to church members as adulteresses as synonymous to God's bride. The adultery consists of putting the world and our own wants before God (the aggrieved husband). God should always come first which is why friendship with the world is wrong - it does not allow God to be first.

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Q2. (4:4) Why does James refer to church members as "adulteresses"? What does the adultery consist of? Who is the aggrieved husband? What is wrong with friendship with the world?
When we became a Christian w e are the bride of Christ. We must remain faithdul and be submissive ti Him.

ae are not free to do whatever seems rifgt to ourselves. We have been bought with a price and we have joined the family of God. We grieve Christ when we go our own way which may see. right at the time. The world will distort your view and make it look so appealing that it is hard to resist all the glamour.

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A) Christian members are the Bride of Christ and are expected to be true and pleasing to God.

B) Adultery is pleasing self and taking pleasure of things of the world.

C) The agrieved husband would be "Jesus".

D) Friendship with the world means we are more focused on worldly things than Godly things.

Worldly things are sinful and we grieve God and the Holy Spirit through association with the things

of the world.

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Q2. (4:4) Why does James refer to church members as "adulteresses"?

He refers to the church as being married to God. Thus, the feminine context.

What does the adultery consist of?

Adultery consist of flirting with the world, of cozying up to the world system that does not love or follow Jesus Christ.

Who is the aggrieved husband?

The aggrieved husband is God himself.

What is wrong with friendship with the world?

Our friendship with the world grieves God and anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God."

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Q2. (4:4) Why does James refer to church members as "adulteresses"? What does the adultery consist of? Who is the aggrieved husband? What is wrong with friendship with the world?

The church is the bride of Christ. Therefore, if Christians are engaging in worldly things which are not pleasing to Jesus Christ and in fact go directly against His teachngs, we are committing adultery. Adultery consists of not being faithful. The way of Jesus Christ and the way of the world are at odds with each other. Jesus wants our faithfulness. The problem with being friends with the world is that the world is not a friend of Jesus Christ. The world's priorities and standards are not the same as the Lord God's. John said you cannot claim to walk in the light and associate with darkness too. There is something wrong. God's way and the world's way don't match.

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Q2. (4:4) Why does James refer to church members as "adulteresses"? What does the adultery consist of? Who is the aggrieved husband? What is wrong with friendship with the world?

As Jesus is quoted :

Matthew 6:24

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

We cannot be focussed on our own financial and social games to please God. He sees into our hearts and whatever we do He knows our motives. When God sees the church and Israel, He sees His bride, if we are not dedicated wholley to His will for our lives then we will be tempted by the world. The adultery consists of covetting and anger which causes strife and disruption in the church. God is the aggrieved husband, He wants His bride pure and blameless and untainted by the world. James says that friendship with the world is the same as hatred towards God. He later links this with resisting the devil. He doesn't mince his words does he?

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Q2. (4:4) Why does James refer to church members as "adulteresses"? What does the adultery consist of? Who is the aggrieved husband? What is wrong with friendship with the world?

Church members are referred to as adulteresses by James because the church is the bride of Christ and Christ is the Goom.

Spiritual adultery is when we sever ourselves from our walk with Christ, then choose to wlak with the devil. "We cannot serve two masters."

The aggrieved husband is Christ.

Having friendship with the world is wrong because we will be enmeshed in the vices of every day living. God wants us to be lights in a dark world where people see us as His childresn. If we live in the world, our lights will fade and we would have many missed opportunities to be a witness for Him

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Q2. (4:4) Why does James refer to church members as "adulteresses"?

Church members according to the scripture is married to God personally and as a community to God and are required to be faithful to him..But being pleasure seeking we act unfaithfully towards God and that maybe the reason James call us adulteresses..

What does the adultery consist of?

Adultery consists of anything we do that is against the will of God in which we put our pleasures before God..It is self indulgence..

Who is the aggrieved husband?

Christ is the aggrieved husband..I guess for a more similar example we should look into Hosea where Hosea was asked to marry a prostitute for the Lord to prove to him the way Isrealites made Him feel...

What is wrong with friendship with the world?

Frienship with the world is enemity to God..we cannot serve both God and the world together..

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