1 Corinthians 7
Daily Bread
1 Corinthians 7
Marriage
1Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry.[a] 2But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. 3The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. 5Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6I say this as a concession, not as a command. 7I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.
8Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am. 9But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
Observation:
Who said the bible doesn’t talk much about sex? Paul gets very practical in this chapter about the often volatile topic of human sexuality, and how it should be lived out in the community of faith. Obviously there was a lot of confusion about this in the Corinthian church. For the first time converts to the Christian faith who were unbelievers were faced with the issue of whether they should stay in their relationship with an unbeliever. Paul addresses the topic of singleness and seems to be in favor of it. Paul is definitely “pro single”. But we should be reminded that Paul thought the end of the world was very near (see v.29) and that the duties of marriage could hinder single minded devotion to the Lord’s business before he returned.
Within this context Paul also outlines the difference between direct commands from the Lord (which would have been from the OT Law) and his pastoral advice. Obvious since we know now that all of Scripture is inspired, we treat Paul’s teaching with the same authority. Paul also advocates the freedom we have in Christ. If gives each person the freedom to marry if that is their situation, and yet if one has the gift of celibacy then that is good too. Interestingly Paul proscribes that the believing spouse sanctifies, or makes holy, the unbelieving spouse. This is the mystery of marriage (or as the Catholics describe it, Sacrament) how two become one. If the one is holy, the other is affected. Also it says that the children born of a marriage where one is a believer and the other isn’t, is also holy. The Spirit of God that lives in a person is a powerful force indeed.
Application:
Of course there are many applications today, as things haven’t changed in 2,000 years. People still struggle with immorality, divorce and being in a relationship where one person is walking with the Lord and the other isn’t. The greatest gift God has given us, the ability to reproduce and enjoy sexual intimacy with our spouse, can also lead to great destruction and pain when not practiced within God’s prescription.
While Paul mentions how a single person can serve the Lord with maybe less restriction, what he doesn’t mention is how helpful a believing spouse can be for a believer. Being a person in full time ministry, being married and having two young children, I believe helps me to relate to people in my congregation. Learning how to love my wife unconditionally as Christ loved the Church helps me grow in my own discipleship in a way that no other relationship could produce. Having children helps me to see how much God loves us as His children.
So while I see many of Paul’s arguments, I see many other arguments that would support how marriage and being in ministry are not mutually exclusive. At the same time this does not diminish those role and place of single ministers. I think a good conclusion would be that God calls some to be single and some to be married, but each can be used for God’s glory.
Prayer: Thank you God for the beauty of relationships and our human sexuality. Help us to use it as you intended and celebrating it as a gift to be enjoyed within the boundaries you have given us. Help those who are sexually broken, or who have gone through painful divorces to be able to love and enjoy the gift of relationships once again at the right time. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
1 Corinthians 7
Marriage
1Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry.[a] 2But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. 3The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. 5Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6I say this as a concession, not as a command. 7I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.
8Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am. 9But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
Observation:
Who said the bible doesn’t talk much about sex? Paul gets very practical in this chapter about the often volatile topic of human sexuality, and how it should be lived out in the community of faith. Obviously there was a lot of confusion about this in the Corinthian church. For the first time converts to the Christian faith who were unbelievers were faced with the issue of whether they should stay in their relationship with an unbeliever. Paul addresses the topic of singleness and seems to be in favor of it. Paul is definitely “pro single”. But we should be reminded that Paul thought the end of the world was very near (see v.29) and that the duties of marriage could hinder single minded devotion to the Lord’s business before he returned.
Within this context Paul also outlines the difference between direct commands from the Lord (which would have been from the OT Law) and his pastoral advice. Obvious since we know now that all of Scripture is inspired, we treat Paul’s teaching with the same authority. Paul also advocates the freedom we have in Christ. If gives each person the freedom to marry if that is their situation, and yet if one has the gift of celibacy then that is good too. Interestingly Paul proscribes that the believing spouse sanctifies, or makes holy, the unbelieving spouse. This is the mystery of marriage (or as the Catholics describe it, Sacrament) how two become one. If the one is holy, the other is affected. Also it says that the children born of a marriage where one is a believer and the other isn’t, is also holy. The Spirit of God that lives in a person is a powerful force indeed.
Application:
Of course there are many applications today, as things haven’t changed in 2,000 years. People still struggle with immorality, divorce and being in a relationship where one person is walking with the Lord and the other isn’t. The greatest gift God has given us, the ability to reproduce and enjoy sexual intimacy with our spouse, can also lead to great destruction and pain when not practiced within God’s prescription.
While Paul mentions how a single person can serve the Lord with maybe less restriction, what he doesn’t mention is how helpful a believing spouse can be for a believer. Being a person in full time ministry, being married and having two young children, I believe helps me to relate to people in my congregation. Learning how to love my wife unconditionally as Christ loved the Church helps me grow in my own discipleship in a way that no other relationship could produce. Having children helps me to see how much God loves us as His children.
So while I see many of Paul’s arguments, I see many other arguments that would support how marriage and being in ministry are not mutually exclusive. At the same time this does not diminish those role and place of single ministers. I think a good conclusion would be that God calls some to be single and some to be married, but each can be used for God’s glory.
Prayer: Thank you God for the beauty of relationships and our human sexuality. Help us to use it as you intended and celebrating it as a gift to be enjoyed within the boundaries you have given us. Help those who are sexually broken, or who have gone through painful divorces to be able to love and enjoy the gift of relationships once again at the right time. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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