Even in this letter, God was reaching out to those in adultery and asking them to repent so he wouldn’t have to bring suffering into their lives. Jesus really prefers our voluntary repentance to discipline. During my years of counseling, I have never heard a man or woman who committed adultery say they would do it again. From where I sit, the act itself creates so much suffering, guilt, shame, and double-mindedness that the adulterer would give everything he or she possesses to take it all back.