Q1: What constitutes adultery? Is pornography considered adultery? Is looking at another person with desire and lust considered adultery?
Adultery is any sexual activity that takes place outside of marriage. So the real question is “what is a sexual activity?” Jesus says that lusting in your heart is the same as doing it.
Matthew 5:27
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.”
The heart is easy to corrupt, in fact our hearts are all born leading us to darkness and corruption.
Jesus said in Mark 7:21:
“For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
So the bottom line is there is no loophole, there is no justifying sexual activity outside of marriage. This is all encompassing, it includes everything from mental fantasy, pornography, naked photos, long thoughtful looks at magazine covers, billboards, bikinis, masturbation, oral sex, passionate kissing, fondling, peeking down blouses, sizing up how someone fills out their jeans, and any other lustful meditation.
But, do not despair. No one has any hope based on their ability to please God or man, no one is good enough, or even close. Our hope is in Christ’s mercy alone. None of us will live a perfectly pure life. A common 12 inch ruler shows us that none of us can draw a straight line. God draws straight with crooked lines. This is our true hope.