Adultery In the Heart

What Jesus’s Words About Lust Teach Us About the Law

According to Jesus, lust is a violation of the seventh commandment. He says that “everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matt. 5:28).

But isn’t adultery the physical act of immorality between a married person and a person he or she is not married to? How does lust in the heart violate the law?