Vices and Virtues in Marriage: Faithfulness vs. Adultery
Copyright © 2005 - Heaven Ministries - Angie Lewis

We all have particular Character traits that make us who we are. These are the virtues and vices that we carry around in our heart and mind. The question is are we actually using our virtuous character traits to live our life with? Or are we allowing our vices to overwrite the virtues of who we are? Are we awarding our marriage with the importance it deserves or are we behaving lazy by not contributing the positive aspects of ourself into the marriage? Ask yourself. Who am I? What does my marriage mean to me? Am I done growing? Am I happy with me?

I don’t think we ever stop growing spiritually or mentally. I believe we continue to learn and to grow until we pass on into the spiritual world. The amount of spiritual and mental growth we accomplish is all up to what we believe in and what we do with those beliefs. If a person doesn’t place too much importance on their marriage they tend to base their marriage upon certain vices and indulgences to feed their ego. In other words, they haven’t figured out yet, that happiness is up to them and what virtues they bring into their marriage not what vices they support the marriage with. 

Our potential in life is much greater than we allow it to be and we actually stunt the spiritual and mental growth process by way of our mind. Our mind becomes consumed to live on the physical realm of feelings to such an extent that we don’t know we can also feel good on the spiritual level as well. We concern our selves with what FEELS good physically, what tastes good to our taste buds, and what looks appealing to the eyes, and yet, what about the spiritual mind, and learning to live our life under the support of God’s world? 

Let’s explore the difference between virtues and vices. In this article we’ll take a look at faithfulness verses adultery. To remain faithful to your spouse is a virtue of character. Not everyone can be faithful in his or her marriage. There are those who place less value and importance on who they are. Unfortunately the health and welfare of marriage is up to what a person brings into it, how they feel about self, and what they believe in. 

Those people who are spiritually aware are those who use the potential within them and who ultimately have better marriages. The reason for this is they bring upright and moral character traits from self into the marriage. They make their marriage what it is, good or bad, by what foundation they use to base their marriage on.

The world is a tempting place to all couples in marriage, and there are good-looking guys and gals everywhere that will tempt us to be with them sexually, and yet, not all married people commit adultery! The difference between the adulterer and the faithful spouse goes back to the virtues and vices within them. The person who commits the act of adultery has not grown out from self in a spiritual way but has stayed within the selfish aspect of who they are. Selfishness usually doesn’t understand the commitment of marriage, respect, honesty and trust. It is too selfish to comprehend those virtues of character. Selfishness and rebelliousness runs rampant in marriages, which is the root of most divorce in this society. 

This is not to say that they cannot expand their spiritual horizons and grow out from self and learn to be of more virtuous character. All I am saying is some people still need to grow spiritually and mentally. And then again, a number of people never decide to take the virtuous path and so end up living their life not knowing all they can accomplish for them selves and for those around them. This is what I call being spiritually stunted. 

What makes a person succeed does not stem from what one does such as career, status and or power, but by what one is, which is the virtuous character traits of that person. If they have expanded their spiritual paths by learning to live by virtues rather than vices and still be happy and content with themselves and life, they have succeeded. If they have continued to keep on learning and growing in the Lord, then they have, and are succeeding! 

Now on the opposite side of faithfulness we have adultery. So then what is the difference between the faithful spouse and the spouse who commits adultery? The faithful spouse does not live only by physical pleasures, but by the virtues of his or her character; which has been given to them through spiritual learning and growth. In other words, virtue of character overwrites the sinful temptations of the world. They do not allow the temptation or desire to supersede over the virtuous mind within them. 

The repeated adulterer(ess) doesn’t place too much value upon who he/she is. It may seem to others that he/she does regard him or herself highly but really they are hiding behind a cloak of deceit, mostly to themselves.  

Life and what we make of it will always come back to "how we value ourselves". And if you have read any of my articles you know that I place high importance on fixing self FIRST. Only then can we get to the root of the problems and circumstances that surround our life. In other words, until a person grows out from the selfish aspects of who they are, they will live in their weakness, feeling bitter, unhappy, and hopeless. To them their only hope is the pleasure they receive from their vices. But there is hope. Know and believe this, everyone has a spiritual aspect of self that is hidden away within him or her. God provides us with spiritual tools such as faith, self-control, patience, love, kindness, and peace to help us to grow out from the selfish aspects of self. 

The question we might ask ourselves then is are we using our vices or virtues to live our life by?