Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the above theme from 1 Co 7:1 and following. Indeed, after having warned him here in 1 Co 6:12-20 against the believer against impurity, the apostle in response to questions asked speaks to him here about the path in which he can embark with the Lord’s approval: that of marriage. For the young Christian who has been careful in his way according to the Word (Ps 119:9), must more than ever continue to expect him for this momentous decision.
Instructions are then given, either by direct inspiration from the Lord or by the Apostle as a fruit of his experience, to help those whose marriage situation may be difficult: especially a brother or sister with an unbelieving spouse. “You were bought at a price”. What we have cost the Lord Jesus suffering to tear us away from the power of Satan and the world is the great reason not to place ourselves in it again. To serve Him, the Lord wants free men and women. But it is he who has chosen the conditions in which he wants everyone to serve him: country, social environment, labour relations. Before deciding on any change, let’s be sure that it is according to his will.
To be worriless about the things of the earth, to have the heart exclusively occupied with the interests of the Lord in seeking how to please Him, to go to His service without distraction, yes, this is the advantage of the servant of God who is not married over the one who is. But one must, like Paul, have received this as a grace.
We have seen that if the Corinthians ignored certain things and had to learn them, they knew very well many others, but neglected their significance in their daily conduct, or in their life as a congregation. It was in fact, even more serious than to ignore them completely so the apostle repeats to them with just severity “Don’t you know?” They did not take into account their state of death in the flesh, to which they attributed importance; they did not feel that they had been “crucified to the world” because if they had difficulties among themselves, they resorted to his judgment; they were dealing with a moral evil in the Church, and prided themselves instead of humiliating themselves, so that discipline could be exercised. In a word, the first chapters showed us that what the Corinthians lacked was, crucially, to realize that the cross of Christ had put an end to the old man by judgment. Now, omitting this main question, they had all kinds of casuistic details to submit to the apostle. Nevertheless, God uses it to enlighten them about the order that is appropriate for God’s house.
They asked whether or not to have conjugal relations; if Christians, with pagans as their spouses, were to live with them and what they were to do with their children; if, being a slave, one were to remain in this condition, or to free oneself from it; whether one should remain a virgin, or not; if one could eat things sacrificed to idols or abstain from them. God answers these questions, interesting in their place, because they touch on Christian freedom, but which, as questions of detail, had taken hold of the spirit of the Corinthians, to the detriment of the essential and overall truths. Such a state of mind is frequently encountered. In proportion to spiritual weakening, one is willingly occupied with questions that do not relate directly to the person of Christ. Baptism, the outward way in which the Lord’s Supper is to be administered, food, clothing, etc., questions that God occasionally answers, because He has the answer to everything, but which Satan likes to use to turn souls away from the Lord.
As for inspiration, we would be very embarrassed to define it and, not being inspired, we would probably never be able to do so, but we know that in inspiration God reveals to men chosen of Him, his thoughts and communicates them to us, by their means, in a way as complete as they have received them, keeping them from any mixture of the flesh, for he wants his thoughts, which are destined for us, to come to us in all their divine perfection.
A few passages here illustrate these three things: apostolic authority, inspiration and the right of the spiritual Christian to be heard: “Now I say this out of indulgence, not as a commandment.” Thus, it was simply out of consideration for their weakness that he did not express an order, having authority on God’s part to do so. Then: “This is how I order it in all assemblies.” Here we find this authority exercised throughout the Church. Then again: “I have no order from the Lord; but I give my opinion as having received mercy from the Lord to be faithful.” He speaks as a spiritual man who had to be listened to. Also: “Now I believe that I too have the Spirit of God”. He believes that, as such, he must be heard.
When he comes to inspiration, he says in 1 Co 7:10 “I enjoin them, not me, but the Lord” but “as for others, I say, I, not the Lord” (1 Co 7:12), distinguishing between his word as an apostle and his inspired word. The latter is the word of the Lord, coming out of the rest of Christ’s own mouth: “Let man therefore not separate what God has joined.” (Mt 19:5-6; Mark 10:6-9). When it comes to marriage, the Lord mentions what was declared by inspiration from the beginning: “The two will be one flesh,” and then he confirms it by his own word, and establishes it here by the inspired word of the apostle.
In addition, the apostle admits that the circumstances differ, that it is legitimate to take them into account, and that everyone is free to judge for himself. When it comes to the Lord’s service, however, he would like “all men” to be like him (1 Co 7:7). This is what made him say to Agrippa, “Pray to God that not only you, but also all those who hear me today, will become in every way as I am, except for these bonds” (Acts 26:29). However, as far as marriage or vocation was concerned, there was no harm in acting other than the apostle, provided that it was “in the Lord,” each having “his own gift of grace from God, one in one way, and the other in another” (1 Co 7:7, 39). Celibacy offers great dangers, marriage great difficulties; let everyone weigh this before the Lord and decide; there is no harm in this decision. The apostle sets out the hearts of the Corinthians whom this thought concerned; only, the wife was not to be separated from her husband, nor the husband of her wife.
There were, however, less simple relationships, such as that of a Christian woman with a pagan husband, or a Christian husband with a pagan wife (1 Co.7. 12-17). Should they separate? According to Jewish law, this should have been the case, as we see in the last chapter of Ezra: the Israelite had to separate itself from the foreign woman, in order to be able to be part of the holy congregation which was the people of the Lord. The apostle starts from this thought to show that, under the regime of grace, things were exactly the opposite of the legal regime. A Christian husband should not separate from his pagan wife, because the wife was sanctified by the husband, and vice versa. It goes without saying that, speaking of the union of a Christian with a person of the world, the apostle does not think for a moment that he has been able to contract such a union since his conversion, but assumes that the conversion of one or the other has taken place since marriage and that he does not give any freedom to ally himself with worldly people.
The apostle then addresses another question: How should Christians behave with regard to the various conditions they occupied at the time of their conversion? First, when one is called into circumcision or uncircumcision, it is neither one nor the other, but “the observance of God’s commandments” (1 Co7:18, 19). Then it goes into the state of slavery. This sentence, which does not seem to affect us, is, on the contrary, of great importance to us. We are very often called, being in a dependent condition; we would like to shake off the yoke, and this desire becomes the starting point of much misery in our Christian life. Is it slavery? it would seem that a Christian should immediately free himself from such bonds.
Finally, the Corinthians had asked the apostle about those who had never entered into the bonds of marriage. He gave them the indications that a spiritual man like him could give, for he felt that he too had the Spirit of God (1 Co 7:40). He said to them: let him or she who is a virgin not marry. Without these bonds, you can do many good works, for then you only have to please the Lord, which is much better. I give you this counsel, but you are free, absolutely free to act according to your degree of faith, provided that you are dealing with the Lord; and he adds: “Time is difficult.” This word means: “Time is shortened”. For we find ourselves, from the cross, in a time when everything is moving rapidly towards the end. Everything passes; what will remain? So don’t bother with what might hinder your march forward.
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
- Wedding order
Pr 18:22 He who finds a woman finds happiness; It is a grace he obtains from Jehovah. Jer 29:6 Take wives, and beget sons and daughters; take women for your sons, and give husbands to your daughters, that they may give birth to sons and daughters; multiply where you are, and do not diminish. 1 Tim 3:12 Deacons must be husbands of one wife, and direct their children and their own homes well; 1 Tim 5:14 So I want young people to marry, to have children, to run their homes, not to give the adversary any opportunity to speak; Heb 13:4 Let marriage be honored by all, and the marital bed free from defilement, for God will judge the shameless and adulterers.
- Adultery
Ex 20:14 Thou shat not commit adultery. Lev 20:10 If a man commits adultery with a married woman, if he commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, the adulterous man and woman will be punished with death. Jb 24:15 The eye of adultery spies on twilight; No one will see me, he said, and he puts a veil over his face. Mt 5:27 You have learned that it has been said: Thou shat not commit adultery. Mt 19:9 But I tell you that he who repudiates his wife, except for infidelity, and marries another, commits adultery. Rom 7:3 If, therefore, during her husband’s lifetime, she becomes the wife of another man, she will be called adultery; but if the husband dies, she is freed from the law, so that she is not adulterous in becoming the wife of another. 1 Co 6:9 Do you not know that the unjust will not inherit the kingdom of God? Make no mistake: neither the shameless, nor the idolaters, nor the adulterers;2 P 2:14 They have eyes full of adultery and insatiable sin; they initiate souls badly strengthened; they have hearts exercised to greed; they are children of curse.
- Believing him as a New Man Ps 40:4 He put in my mouth a new hymn, A Praise to Our God; Many saw it, and had fear, and they entrusted themselves in the Lord.
Ez 11:19 I will give them one heart, and I will put in you a new spirit; I will remove from their bodies the heart of stone, and I will give them a heart of flesh; Rom 6:4 So we were buried with him by baptism in his death, so that as Christ rose from the dead by the glory of the Father, so too we would walk in newness of life. Rom 7:6 But now we have been freed from the law, having died to that law under which we were held, so that we serve in a new spirit, and not according to the letter that has aged. 2 Co 5:17 If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature. The old things have passed; behold, all things have become new. Gal 6:15 For it is nothing but to be circumcised or uncircumcised; what is something is to be a new creature. Eph 2:15 having annihilated by his flesh the law of ordinances in his prescriptions, in order to create in himself with the two one new man, establishing peace; Eph 4:24 and to put on the new man, created according to God in the righteousness and holiness that the truth produces. Col 3:10 and having put on the new man, who renews himself, in knowledge, according to the image of the one who created him.
- The Perfect Law, Divine Perfection
Ps 19:8 The law of jehovah is perfect, it restores the soul; The testimony of Jehovah is true, it makes the ignorant wise. Ps 119:142 Your righteousness is eternal righteousness, and your law is the truth. Rom 7:2,14 Thus, a married woman is bound by the law to her husband as long as he is alive; but if the husband dies, she is relieved of the law that bound her to her husband. 14 We know, in fact, that the law is spiritual; but I am carnal, sold to sin. 1 Tim 1.8 We are aware that the law is good, as long as it is used legitimately;
From all the above, we note that we can say this even more than the apostle, for we are very close to the coming of the Lord. Do we want to take on so many burdens, so many bonds that necessarily play a very big role in our lives? They will pass with the short existence to which they attach themselves. And let’s be like those who are not married; let’s not allow ourselves to be imposed, in our Christian march, even the most legitimate things. If we had this thought in front of our eyes, we would be preserved from earthly interests! And if our hearts are filled with Christ, we will have more to do with God; we will be attached to the Lord and His interests; we will be simpler, happier, quieter; instead of suffering all the turmoil of the world around us, we will be able to cross it in true moral rest. Let’s be attentive to these exhortations of a man who, subject to the same passions as us, was par excellence “the spiritual man”, even though he does not give us these councils as commandments, nor does he establish them by his apostolic authority. Let’s have an open ear to hear them, and hearts subject to the thoughts expressed by the one who could say: “I too feel that I too have the Spirit of God”. Our prayers sustain you all in this regard.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may be shining in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby watering point to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to respond to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow on “what concerns meats sacrificed to idols.”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.