We come to the seventh chapter of 1 Corinthians where Paul discusses some specific issues within marriage. The spirit of our times has made these matters – sexual immorality and the difficulties of marriage – particularly problematic. Paul found that the church in Corinth had adopted the mindset and values of the world, and we find the same mindset in the church today.
The Paul who wrote about marriage to the Corinthians also wrote Ephesians 5, where he gives a really beautiful description of marriage. There he states that God ordained marriage in order to illustrate the most sublime of all spiritual truths, namely, the way the Lord Jesus Christ is the bridegroom and faithful husband of the Church, and how we, the Church, are his bride. Paul is not saying something utterly different here in 1 Corinthians. He says that marriage is good. But notice, he is not saying marriage is the only good.
A good friend of mine, Howard Hendricks, who is a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, spends a lot of time counseling Christian people. He says one of the difficulties he discovers in marriages, Christian marriages, especially among some of the young couples associated with the seminary, is that one of the spouses, usually the wife, thinks that somehow sex is not the kind of thing a godly person would do. So when the husband has a desire for a sexual relationship, the wife holds back and thinks, “Well, you know, he’s young and immature yet. I suppose it’s the sort of thing you have to do, but maybe as he grows in the Lord, this will become less necessary.” That is a terrible thing.
In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul talks about a third issue, divorce. He says, “The husband must not divorce his wife. A wife must not divorce her husband.” But somebody will say, “Well, what about a condition where a Christian is married to a non-Christian?” Marriage is to be a union in the Lord, and this spiritual union is possible only if both parties are Christians.
You may think, “I don’t think I can stay unmarried.” Or you may say, “I don’t think I can stay married.” The problem is not your martial status; it is a problem of sin. In our sinful state we are so focused on ourselves, and so stimulated by our culture to focus upon ourselves, that we cannot imagine continuing in a situation, which, from our point of view, is not the most personally satisfying relationship we can imagine. That is not Christianity.
Commended in Every Way2 Corinthians 6:3-13Theme: Commending the Gospel.This week’s lessons teach us how to endure in all circumstances.
Lesson
In the last chapter we saw how the spirit of our times has made the matter of sexual immorality particularly problematic for us, not least because of the many ways in which that sin can be committed. Another area that is also of great concern, to which we come now in 1 Corinthians 7, is that of marriage. For this subject as well, it is another case of the church picking up the mindset and values of the world. Just as we have been seeing how the world was influencing the Corinthian church, so we also know that the same thing happens today. Too often the church reflects the changing patterns of the world around her, rather than acting as that holy city on a hill.
The question, therefore, that Paul places before us is simply this: What is that to which God has called you? As I read 1 Corinthians 7, I suspect that there was a division in the church between a Jewish mentality and what we would call a “super spiritual” Greek mentality.
The second category of problems that he deals with are those involving separation. Whereas Paul talks about marriage as good, separation is something that is bad, though there are times when it may be necessary. In verses 10 and 11 we read, “To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.”
But suppose the non-Christian leaves because he or she does not want to be married to a Christian. What do you do then? That is what Paul answers in verse 15 when he says, “But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace.” If the non-Christian decides to go and seeks a divorce, there is nothing the other one can do about it. Divorce becomes inevitable in that situation, and the Christian is no longer bound to that marriage.
What you have to begin with is the will of God and serving Him. You have to recognize that you are not your own, but you have been bought with a price, even the precious blood of Christ. If He calls you to a single life, you should count that all joy to serve Him in a single life. If He calls you to a married life, you should count that all joy to serve in a married life. You need to look at everything from the framework that God is able to use you to bring the fullest measure of blessing in the lives of other people.
Canadian Committee of The Bible Study Hour
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