Daily Bread 2011 - 1 Corinthians 7
Daily Bread 2011 – 1 Corinthians 7
Marriage
1 Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry.[a] 2 But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. 3 The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 The 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. 5 Do 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. 6 I say this as a concession, not as a command. 7 I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.
What Does This Mean?
Paul spends all of chapter7 explaining how the believers should handle the issue of marriage. Some conclude that Paul is anti-marriage from this passage, but the bottom line is that Paul thought the end of the world was coming soon, and he is thinking very practically about this issue and its implication for the church. In this chapter we see a lot flexibility, but the common thread is the importance of avoiding sexual immorality. So much so that Paul commends the person who thinks they are acting improperly toward a virgin to get married to avoid sexual immorality. In addition, how married couples should keep the needs of their partners in mind to avoid unnecessary temptation from the evil one.
Although Paul is single and feels this gives him more undivided attention to the matters of the Lord, he does not foist this on the Corinthians as a mandate. He continues with the theme that we have freedom in Christ, but we should use it to do what is best to advance the Gospel. Finally, since many new believers who were coming to faith in marriages where maybe the other partner had not yet become a believer, Paul urges restraint in separating, and allowing time for the faith of the believer partner to sanctify their spouse. But if the unbelieving spouse leaves the believing partner it is okay to let them go. Rather than build a theology on this, Paul ends this paragraph saying, “How do you know whether wife whether you will save your husband?” Meaning they should allow God to do the work of drawing the unbelieving spouse through the believing one!
What Does This Mean For Us?
Marriage is a gift from God. We know from Genesis 1, that we are not meant to be alone but God created us to be together to celebrate and complement each other, and also be fruitful in bringing new generations into this world. And yet, Paul shows us the viability of the single life, and how the single person can serve the Lord in ways that the married person may not be able to. Having been single for 37 years I can attest to that. It is important for churches to celebrate both married and single persons, so that they can both serve God accordingly. Churches need to be places where marriages are supported and married people given new ways to see how loving their spouse like Christ loved the church can be an important part of their discipleship.
And churches need to make sure single people are honored for their choice, and be recognized for the unique contribution they can make at this stage of their lives, or their whole lives if they are called to be single, like Paul.
Dear Jesus thank you for gift of marriage and also the gift of being single. Help the Church to be a place where both choices are honored and everyone is built up to serve you in whatever capacity they have for your kingdom. Amen.
Marriage
1 Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry.[a] 2 But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. 3 The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 The 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. 5 Do 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. 6 I say this as a concession, not as a command. 7 I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.
What Does This Mean?
Paul spends all of chapter7 explaining how the believers should handle the issue of marriage. Some conclude that Paul is anti-marriage from this passage, but the bottom line is that Paul thought the end of the world was coming soon, and he is thinking very practically about this issue and its implication for the church. In this chapter we see a lot flexibility, but the common thread is the importance of avoiding sexual immorality. So much so that Paul commends the person who thinks they are acting improperly toward a virgin to get married to avoid sexual immorality. In addition, how married couples should keep the needs of their partners in mind to avoid unnecessary temptation from the evil one.
Although Paul is single and feels this gives him more undivided attention to the matters of the Lord, he does not foist this on the Corinthians as a mandate. He continues with the theme that we have freedom in Christ, but we should use it to do what is best to advance the Gospel. Finally, since many new believers who were coming to faith in marriages where maybe the other partner had not yet become a believer, Paul urges restraint in separating, and allowing time for the faith of the believer partner to sanctify their spouse. But if the unbelieving spouse leaves the believing partner it is okay to let them go. Rather than build a theology on this, Paul ends this paragraph saying, “How do you know whether wife whether you will save your husband?” Meaning they should allow God to do the work of drawing the unbelieving spouse through the believing one!
What Does This Mean For Us?
Marriage is a gift from God. We know from Genesis 1, that we are not meant to be alone but God created us to be together to celebrate and complement each other, and also be fruitful in bringing new generations into this world. And yet, Paul shows us the viability of the single life, and how the single person can serve the Lord in ways that the married person may not be able to. Having been single for 37 years I can attest to that. It is important for churches to celebrate both married and single persons, so that they can both serve God accordingly. Churches need to be places where marriages are supported and married people given new ways to see how loving their spouse like Christ loved the church can be an important part of their discipleship.
And churches need to make sure single people are honored for their choice, and be recognized for the unique contribution they can make at this stage of their lives, or their whole lives if they are called to be single, like Paul.
Dear Jesus thank you for gift of marriage and also the gift of being single. Help the Church to be a place where both choices are honored and everyone is built up to serve you in whatever capacity they have for your kingdom. Amen.
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