Paul Continues to Teach on Married Life, Sexuality, Singleness, and When Two People Dating Should Get Married! Very Relevant for Today!

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1 Corinthians 7:32-40

32 I want you to be free from the concerns of this life. An unmarried man can spend his time doing the Lord’s work and thinking how to please him. 33 But a married man has to think about his earthly responsibilities and how to please his wife. 34 His interests are divided. In the same way, a woman who is no longer married or has never been married can be devoted to the Lord and holy in body and in spirit. But a married woman has to think about her earthly responsibilities and how to please her husband. 35 I am saying this for your benefit, not to place restrictions on you. I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few distractions as possible. 36 But if a man thinks that he’s treating his fiancée improperly and will inevitably give in to his passion, let him marry her as he wishes. It is not a sin. 37 But if he has decided firmly not to marry and there is no urgency and he can control his passion, he does well not to marry. 38 So the person who marries his fiancée does well, and the person who doesn’t marry does even better. 39 A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. If her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but only if he loves the Lord. 40 But in my opinion it would be better for her to stay single, and I think I am giving you counsel from God’s Spirit when I say this.

Paul gives some more practical guidance on the topic of marriage, being single, and sexual temptation. As we said yesterday, Paul thought Jesus was going to return soon, so he felt that serving the Lord unhindered by earthly responsibilities was most important. He says in verse 29, 

"But let me say this, dear brothers and sisters: The time that remains is very short."

Paul makes it clear that no one should end their marriage, but stay married. Also, note Paul affirms the responsibilities a husband and wife have toward each other. He says a married man or woman has to think about, "their earthly responsibilities and how to please their spouse."  Notice again Paul says this for both the man and the women, which would have been somewhat unusual in his patriarchal culture. 

Also, he dispels the modern notion that one might neglect their spouse because, "They are serving the Lord!" Sometimes saying "no" to an additional commitment at church to say "yes" to spending more time with your spouse or kids, is more pleasing to the Lord. Sometimes people use being at church, as a chance to avoid their spouse. This not only is disrespectual, but also will discourage the spouse who is not at church, and could cause them to become resentful toward the church. This certainly won't bring them any closer to the Lord or the church!  

This is true even for pastors.  Though I work very hard in my calling as a pastor, I try to take at least one day off for Sabbath for myself, and also time to be at home with my family. Most pastors struggle with this, but there is a reason why many pastor's marriages can end in divorce, or worse yet adultery or some other form of immorality.  We see how the Catholic church requiring celibacy and not leaving it up to the individual priest has caused lots of problems for them. 

We know for sure God does not want this. Finally, Paul says that if two people are heading toward the commitment of marriage and are being tempted to have sex, they should get married. Although this is not the only reason to get married, it shows that Paul teaches that pre-marital sex is wrong. Many people think pre-marital sex is a chance to see if they are sexually compatible. But every study shows that couples that wait until they get married to have sex,  statistically have a lower incidence of divorce than those who don't. 

Bottom line as we all know sexual immorality is still a huge issue in our culture. We are bombarded with sexual images and lust producing messages 24/7 in every aspect of media. As a man who stayed single until age 37, I know the struggles single men have with lust, and also married men! But if you stay faithful to God and remain pure, he will be faithful to you. 

On the other hand if you have fallen to sexual temptation, confess your sin, repent of it and get back to following Christ. There is no condemnation in Christ. There is no unforgiveable sin.

In John 8, when Jesus met the women who was caught in adultery and about to be stoned by the religious leaders, he asked her after all the leaders had left, "Who is it that condemns you?" She replied, "No one sir!" Then he said, "Neither do I. Now go and sin no more!"

Jesus took all of our sin on the cross. All of it! When we sin he calls us to repent of it and return to following Him alone. Part of the freedom he has given us through the power of the Holy Spirit is to say "no" to sexual temptation of any kind.  If the Son sets you free you are free indeed! John 8:35

Pray for those who have fallen to sexual immorality or some other sin. Pray for marriages that have been torn apart by sexual infidelity. It is painful but with forgiveness there can be a restoration of trust and intimacy by God's grace. Pray especially for church leaders to remain pure in heart, as they set the example for their flocks and also are a witness to the unbelieving world!