Q588
What is spiritual adultery?
Spiritual adultery is often mentioned in the Holy Scriptures, because we, as God’s people, are as a bride to the Lord (Isa 62:5; Eph 5:22–33; see Q378). Every act of unfaithfulness to the Lord who redeemed us is compared to adultery, bringing great harm upon ourselves and grieving the Holy Spirit (Eph 4:30; see Q237, Q307). As St James writes:
You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?… Or do you think the Scripture speaks in vain: ‘He jealously yearns for the Spirit which he has made to dwell in us’? (Jas 4:4–5)
