Written ~ 08-12-2024
Read 1 Corinthians Chapter Seven
1 Corinthians 7
The main topic for chapter seven is “Instruction on Marriage.” For this chapter, so we all get good Biblical understanding, I will be relying on what Paul says about marriage and I will be consulting the “Expositor’s Bible Commentary” quite often. If you are unmarried at the time you read this Bible Study, don’t dismiss it, this chapter has valuable information for decisions you may want to make in the future.
In chapter six Paul had to address the sexual immorality that was rampant in the Corinth church, which caused him to point out with bold directness that sexual immorality is wrong no matter what. Chapter seven is a response to questions the Corinth believers had asked if a Christian should get married or if virgins should get married…
Before we begin, we need to wrap our minds around who Paul was speaking to, the church in Corinth was in an area where the persecution of Christians would have been rising swiftly under the rule of Emperor Nero, who was a cruel and violent man. So, keeping this in mind, some of the “absolutes” that Paul speaks of would be considered crucial for the “time” they lived in. But that does not mean we dismiss what he is saying because we live in a different time. No, everything Paul says to the Corinthian believers is just as valid and true today.
1 Corinthians 7:1-2…
1 “Now regarding the questions you asked in your letter. Yes, it is good to abstain from sexual relations. 2 But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband.”
I would say his opening comment is quite clear, because of sexual immorality it is better to be married as long as there remains faithfulness in that marriage…
This is what the “Expositor’s Bible Commentary” had to say:
- As to the question from the Corinthian church on the pros and cons of being married, Paul may seem to agree completely with those who argued for a celibate life — in contrast to what it says in Genesis 2:18, “It is not good for the man to be alone,” (the usual Jewish view in favor of the married state). But Paul’s statement in verse 7:1 is not to be taken absolutely; it is his suggestion specifically for Corinth because of some present crisis (heavy persecution from Nero).
Next, in verses 7:3-5, Paul gives specific instructions to what the sexual relationship between husband and wife should look like. It is very clear it is in the unity of marriage, that sexual fulfillment is found. Many believers have taken on the world’s view that having sexual relations with your partner, without being married is ok. The reasoning behind that decision has been so over justified or rationalized or those lines have been so blurred that it is no longer considered sin in the mind of the believer. But blurring moral lines just so you can be right and continue doing what you want to do, does not make it right, bottom line it is not Biblical, and it is sin.
In verse 7:7, Paul wishes everyone could remain single, but he does interject that everyone has been given a special gift from God, which suggests some people will marry and some will remain single. It means some people are able to live life with complete abstinence and are able to their lives fully committed to Jesus with no distraction or temptation at all. But there are others who will marry and serve the Lord alongside their spouse with full devotion to each other and to God.
1 Corinthians 7:8-9…
8 “So I say to those who aren’t married and to widows — it’s better to stay unmarried, just as I am. 9 But if they can’t control themselves, they should go ahead and marry. It’s better to marry than to burn with lust.”
What’s important for us to understand is that Paul is not arguing the point that being single is better, because for some people it just isn’t. There are those who cannot stay away from sexual impurity. For the believer specifically, it is imperative that we understand that God has given us a sex drive and in its purist form within the vows of marriage it is ordained and blessed by God. Any sexual relations outside the marriage bed is sin and God cannot bless that union. You may really love that person dearly, but if you are not married, it is lust that is driving that sexual temptation and leading into sexual impurity. That’s why Paul is urging those who can withstand sexual temptation to remain unmarried, but if you cannot abstain, they you should marry. But the need to have sex should not be the main focus for getting married, if it is you might need to reset your priorities.
The next passage we are going to look at is regarding marriages that are mixed or unbalanced. During Paul’s ministry many people were coming to Christ through the Gospel message he taught. That meant, in a lot of cases, only one spouse would give their heart to the Lord and not the other. Their home would be divided in belief and unbelief which can result in varying levels of conflict. Paul knew that marriage was hard enough with both the husband and wife as believers, but the added dynamic of one not believing would create a lack of unity. Paul did not condone divorce as a way out. He made it clear in verse 7:11, that neither the wife nor the husband should leave their spouse. But he did go into much more detail when it comes to the already married couple that now has one spouse becoming a believer and the other remaining unsaved.
1 Corinthians 7:12-16…
12 “Now, I will speak to the rest of you, though I do not have a direct command from the Lord. If a fellow believer has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to continue living with him, he must not leave her. 13 And if a believing woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to continue living with her, she must not leave him. 14 For the believing wife brings holiness to her marriage, and the believing husband brings holiness to his marriage. Otherwise, your children would not be holy, but now they are holy. 15 But if the husband or wife who isn’t a believer insists on leaving, let them go. In such cases the believing husband or wife is no longer bound to the other, for God has called you to live in peace. 16 Don’t you wives realize that your husbands might be saved because of you? And don’t you husbands realize that your wives might be saved because of you?”
Ok, there are a couple of things to understand from this passage. This passage pertains to the already married couple, during that marriage one spouse devotes their heart and life to the Lord, while the other remains unsaved. It is a whole other discussion Paul will have later in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 where he says, “Do not team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever?” In those verses Paul is very clear that a believer should not marry a non-believer because their union would never be in harmony. The other thing we need to point out and understand, if one spouse becomes a believer, it says in the passage above that they will bring holiness to the marriage and that children from this union would be holy. What that does not mean is that the non-believing spouse automatically becomes saved or that the children become saved, those decisions have to be their own.
Here is an excerpt from the “Expositor’s Bible Commentary:”
- The Christian spouse should think of the truth that the Lord can use him or her as a godly, holy influence in such a mixed family relationship and in helping that family to worship God. The word “holy” does not refer to moral purity — Paul is certainly not teaching that the unbelieving partner is made morally pure through a believing spouse. What the word emphasizes is a relationship to God, a claim of God on the person and family to be set apart for Him (Acts 26:18, “…to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in Me.”). The tense of the verb stresses that the unbeliever who is in a Christian family has already become and continues to be a part of a family unit upon which God has staked His claim and which He will use for His service. The same is true of children born in such a family.
So if we are reading the Scriptures correctly, by having one spouse come to the Lord during their marriage, then that marriage, that family’s sole purpose will be to worship the Lord. That’s why Paul states quite emphatically that if the unbelieving spouse doesn’t mind that their household is now being used for the Lord’s purpose and wants to stay, then the believing spouse might be able to bring their spouse to the Lord. But if the unbelieving spouse never turns to the Lord, it cannot be because of that reason that the believing spouse leaves the marriage. What it does mean is that the believer’s witness and their testimony must be strong! Their faith and trust in the Lord must be evident at all times. Their character as the believing spouse must be rooted in the Word of God. Their strength, wisdom and knowledge should have its foundations set in stone, that stone being the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
Alright, let’s jump down to verses 7:32-35 and check out what Paul has to say next…
1 Corinthians 7:32-35…
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.”
This goes along with what Paul said in verse 7:7, that even though he wished everyone would remain single, he knew it was also God’s design that a man and a woman be united in marriage. Even though a married person’s responsibilities are divided, does not mean they cannot serve the Lord with their whole heart.
This chapter gives us a lot to think about regarding the marriages or the singlehood we find ourselves in. As a single person have you given your life solely to the Lord, so the temptation of sexual immorality has been removed from your heart and mind? Are you able to serve the Lord with a purity of heart? As a Christian married person with a Christian spouse are you both honoring the Lord within your marriage? Do you individually and together serve the Lord with your whole heart and pursue greater wisdom and knowledge from Scripture? To the married person with the nonbelieving spouse, do you fill your home with the love of Jesus and create an atmosphere of praise and worship to the Almighty God? Is your foundation unmovable because you are firm in the Word of God?
I am so thankful for the words Paul has written in his letters. His straightforwardness gives us clear instruction, it is up to us now to heed his instructions.
~AMEN~