In the Bible, there is the Decalogue, or the Ten Commandments. These are ten rules sent by God and written down by Moses on stone tablets. You can read them in the Bible in Exodus 20.
God's seventh commandment is "You shall not commit adultery". This means that one of the Lord's rules for healthy Christian behavior is not to cheat on your spouse.
Adultery occurs when a married person gets involved with a third person who is not their spouse. There are many reasons for a person to commit adultery today.
Infidelity in marriage
Many of these betrayals involve only sexual relations, while others cultivate a kind of passion or even forbidden love. This is because even in Adam and Eve's relationship, God established that they were united to be "one flesh".
This makes it clear that sexual intercourse in marriage is not only important for reproduction. Sexual relations serve to increase the intimacy between the spouses, making them "one flesh".
However, sexual intercourse outside of marriage is highly reprehensible, as it is a sin and an affront to the Lord's Seventh Commandment.
The entire Bible is filled with passages against adultery. In Proverbs 6:32, for example, it is taught that a person who commits adultery destroys his own soul.
In Malachi 2:14, the lesson is that marriage is a covenant between a man and a woman and adultery is a way of acting treacherously.
To conclude the examples, it is also possible to understand in the light of the Bible the greatness of the sin of adultery, with the mention of 1 Corinthians 6:9,10, which proclaims that adulterers will not inherit the kingdom of God.
The mention of these passages is just to exemplify how betrayal in marriage is impugned by God, his teachings and the whole basis of Christianity.
However, we are human beings who are bound to make mistakes. Therefore, it is plausible that betrayals will occur.
I cheated, what can I do?
People who commit betrayal in their marriages will have negative consequences in their lives. However, as stated in 1 John 1:9, God forgives our sins and gives us a second chance.
When you regret a betrayal, the right thing to do is to tell your spouse (if he or she doesn't already know) and ask for forgiveness. It is always possible to reconcile with your spouse, but with a sudden internal change so that you never commit this sin again.
This is the right thing to do. Seek forgiveness from your spouse and also seek internal transformation, so that you never commit adultery again.
I've been betrayed, what can I do?
When you are faced with a situation in which you have been the victim of adultery, the important thing is to forgive. There are marriages that continue happily and healthily in this way and there are marriages that simply end.
The advice is to give your spouse a second chance. If the sin is committed again, you have the freedom to ask for a divorce without committing any sin, since Isaiah 61:1-3 tells us that God doesn't want anyone trapped in a humiliating and painful relationship, but wants to comfort and restore their life.
So there are ways to have a healthy reconciliation after a betrayal. The ideal is always to give it a second chance and forgive, just as He forgives any failure on your part. However, living a life full of betrayals is not healthy.
Even if the marriage ends after a second chance, forgive and move on.
Ways to get spiritual help for reconciliation after a betrayal
You can find ways to be forgiven or to forgive after a betrayal in the Bible itself, a rich source of teachings and lessons.
In Ephesians 5:33, for example, husbands and wives are told to respect each other. Being faithful in marriage is a way of showing respect. If this trust has been broken, the cheating spouse needs to take actions that demonstrate their change and ask for forgiveness.
In this sense, the betrayed spouse should give their partner a second chance and analyze their changes to make sure the sin won't be committed again.
Another healthy practice for good reconciliation in marriage after betrayal is guided by Colossians 3:14-15: husbands and wives should be grateful for the presence of their spouses in their lives. In addition, both were called to live in peace, united in one body.
Both the adulterer and the victim of adultery can heal the wounds of betrayal by being grateful for having each other as spouses. This is one of the greatest proofs of love, as well as asking for forgiveness and being forgiven.
With a lot of faith and positivity, she writes for Pray and Faith, bringing messages and Divine teachings to everyone.