Episode 188 - "Be dedicated to the Lord" - 1 Corinthians 7:25-40

1Cor. 7:25 Now concerning the betrothed, I have no command from the Lord, but I give my judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. 26 I think that in view of the present distress it is good for a person to remain as he is. 27 Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife. 28 But if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if a betrothed woman marries, she has not sinned. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that. 29 This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, 30 and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, 31 and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.

1Cor. 7:32 I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. 33 But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, 34 and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. 35 I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.

1Cor. 7:36 If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed, if his passions are strong, and it has to be, let him do as he wishes: let them marry—it is no sin. 37 But whoever is firmly established in his heart, being under no necessity but having his desire under control, and has determined this in his heart, to keep her as his betrothed, he will do well. 38 So then he who marries his betrothed does well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better.

1Cor. 7:39 A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. 40 Yet in my judgment she is happier if she remains as she is. And I think that I too have the Spirit of God.

In this episode, you’ll notice that we’re looking at a longer-than-normal section of Scripture. The primary reason for this is the principle within this Scripture is a continuation of what he’s already said in the text we’ve read in the past few episodes. That principle is there is wisdom in remaining how you are. In verses 25-31 Paul expresses his opinion that single people should remain single. Why? He explains that it’s because of “this present distress.” (v. 26) In verse 28 he says, “those who marry will have worldly troubles.” Then in verse 29 he writes, “ the appointed time has grown very short.” What does he mean by all this? I think he explains it in verse 31, “the present form of this world is passing away.” Paul wants Christians to focus on preparing for Christ’s return.

He explains this more in verses 32-35. His point is that when you’re married, you have obligations in this world. If you are single, you don’t have a wife, children, or perhaps others to take care of. Therefore, one can dedicate themselves to the work of the Lord.

He’s said it before. But in verses 36-38, Paul reemphasizes that it is not a sin to get married, and if one has difficulty controlling their sexual urges, they should marry. But, if possible, he says it is best if one can remain single and focus on service to the Lord.

Finally, in verses 39-40, Paul applies this same principle to widows. He repeats that marriage designed by God is a lifelong commitment. When a woman’s husband dies, she is free to remarry. However, he says that it’s best if she can “remain as she is” and serve the Lord.

It may be easy for someone to read this and say, “it doesn’t apply to me.” But it does apply to each one of us. It applies by teaching and exhorting each one of us not to prioritize relationships and activities over what the Lord may want of us. There are people who may experience a divorce or perhaps the death of a spouse, and their highest goal is to go out and find a new spouse. People who’ve never married may feel as though they haven’t been successful in life unless they get married and have children. Paul is advising against these trends, which are common in our society. Paul would say to this that our priorities are messed up.

It appears to me that what Paul is advocating is in line with Jesus’ teaching. In Luke 14:26, Luke records Jesus’ words as, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” Jesus is not contradicting the Ten Commandments, which teach us to honor our parents. His point is that our priority is first to the Lord.

Whatever life situation we are in, we should seek to serve the Lord the best way we are able.

Episode 186 - "God's extended blessings to others" - 1 Corinthians 7:6-16

1Cor. 7:6 Now as a concession, not a command, I say this. 7 I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another.

1Cor. 7:8 To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single, as I am. 9 But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

1Cor. 7:10 To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband 11 (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife.

1Cor. 7:12 To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. 13 If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. 15 But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace. 16 For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

The beginning of this section is a continuation of the topic of human sexuality, singleness, and marriage. Paul says, “I wish that all were as I myself am.” (v. 7) What does that mean? He explains in verse 8 this refers to his status as a single person. Note: This is not a command from the Lord. This is Paul’s opinion. When God created the world and human beings, he blessed them and told them to multiply (see Gen. 1:28). If everyone were single and celibate, there wouldn’t be any multiplying going on. Why does Paul say this, then? He explains later that a single person can be dedicated to the service of the Lord. We’ll get that later. He then concedes that marriage is good too. (v. 9)

Paul moves on to a topic that is frequently debated to this day; the question of divorce of believers. The reason it’s debated is that people often pick which Scripture passages, speaking about marriage and divorce, they most prefer to defend their view of this issue. I will not enter into a lengthy discussion of various texts relevant to that debate. However, one example is when the Jews, who returned to Israel after their exile in Babylon, “put away” their foreign wives. It was not condemned. In fact, it was encouraged. Why? Like Solomon, the issue wasn’t that their wives were of different nationalities, ethnicity, or race. It was because they worshipped foreign gods, and it led the Jews away from their God. It was why they had been disciplined by God in the first place and were sent as captives in Babylon and later Persia. So, what these Jews were doing was in keeping with their desire to be faithful to God over a relationship with their spouse. It’s one of those situations that demonstrate how sin messes up our lives. Sometimes none of the options available to us in the wake of our sin are ideal. (See Ezra 10:10-11)

Interestingly, Paul contradicts that measure in this first letter to the Corinthians. The counsel is that a believing spouse should not leave their unbelieving spouse. There are a few things to note about this specific situation of a believing and an unbelieving couple. Notice the specific situation calls for the unbelieving spouse to be content to stay in the relationship. The next thing (at the heart of much debate) is Paul saying the unbelieving spouse who is content to remain in the marriage is “holy.” Wow! What does that mean? That’s a tough question, and I can’t be certain. However, I don’t believe it means the unbelieving spouse is “saved” (meaning right with God and guaranteed eternal life). Otherwise, why would Paul feel the need to write about this, speaking of an “unbelieving” husband or wife? Furthermore, Paul asks the question in verse 16 to the believing husband or wife, “How do you know whether you will save your (spouse)?”

That question in verse 16 leads us to an answer I think is more likely. The unbelieving spouse is considered “holy” by virtue of being content to remain with the believer. By virtue of that willingness, they participate in the blessing of God upon that home. They receive blessings from God because of their willingness to not be so offended by their spouse’s faith that they walk away from it. Perhaps they even value or admire their spouse’s faith. Paul’s question then in verse 16 is to suggest that through that extension of blessing, the unbelieving spouse may ultimately come to faith and be saved.

Children of this believer/unbeliever relationship also receive this extension of God’s grace and blessing to them because of the faith lived out by the believing parent, and they have an advantage that ideally would lead them to faith as they grow and make decisions for themselves. A perfect example of this is found in the story of Jacob and Esau with their father Isaac. Neither son appeared to appropriate their father’s faith even into their teens or early adult years. Esau did not value the birthright that was his by virtue of being born first of twins. Jacob, when pulling off the charade to steal the blessing of his father, said that he had gotten the requested game (meat) so quickly because “The LORD your God gave it to me.” (Gen. 27:20) It is later that God reveals himself to Jacob in a vision, and Jacob is moved a step closer to affirming his faith in the LORD. (See Gen. 28:10-22) God extends grace to Jacob, and Jacob comes to faith in the LORD.

There is so much here, and perhaps more questions have been raised than answered. But I believe a principle underlying all of Paul’s advice here is the significant way that God can use us in whatever situation we are currently in. Whether single or married, we shouldn’t think that we need to change it to please or serve the LORD. We should seek to honor the LORD in the situation we are in right now and trust him to extend his blessings through us.

Prayer: Father in heaven, let me be used to extend your blessings to others around me, and may it lead them to faith in you.