“You shall not commit adultery.”

-Exodus 20:14, NKJV

Does it make it any less sinful to cheat if the marriage is troubled?

The correct answer to this is “No.”

Adultery is adultery. Sin is sin. Circumstances around the sin do not matter as far as determining if the behavior is sin or not.

I see no “escape clause” in the Ten Commandments for a pass in committing adultery.

When adultery is labelled “an exit affair,” it obscures this important moral and theological point. The person who cheated is still fully responsible for breaking God’s commandments. It is not on the marriage or the faithful spouse.

Labeling the adultery as an “exit affair” minimizes the moral gravity of what happened and hamstrings the ability of the cheater to truly repent as the cheater is shifting blame away from themselves with such a label.

It is best to call sin, sin.

It is best to remember the only person who chose to sin is the sinner. Anything less than this understanding and teaching will lead to facilitating further spiritual sickness and destruction.

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*A version of this post ran previously.