seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
1 Corinthians 7:1 Now for the matters you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” 2 But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband. 3 The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. 5 Do not deprive each other except perhaps 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 of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.
8 Now to the unmarried[a] and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. 9 But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
10 To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. 11 But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.
12 To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. 13 And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.
15 But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or the sister is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. 16 How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?
17 Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches. 18 Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised. 19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commands is what counts. 20 Each person should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.
21 Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so. 22 For the one who was a slave when called to faith in the Lord is the Lord’s freed person; similarly, the one who was free when called is Christ’s slave. 23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of human beings. 24 Brothers and sisters, each person, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.
25 Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. 26 Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for a man to remain as he is. 27 Are you pledged to a woman? Do not seek to be released. Are you free from such a commitment? Do not look for a wife. 28 But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.
29 What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not; 30 those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; 31 those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.
32 I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord. 33 But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— 34 and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. 35 I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.
36 If anyone is worried that he might not be acting honorably toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if his passions are too strong[b] and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married. 37 But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin—this man also does the right thing. 38 So then, he who marries the virgin does right, but he who does not marry her does better.[c]
39 A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord. 40 In my judgment, she is happier if she stays as she is—and I think that I too have the Spirit of God.
a. 1 Corinthians 7:8 Or widowers
b. 1 Corinthians 7:36 Or if she is getting beyond the usual age for marriage
c. 1 Corinthians 7:38 Or 36 If anyone thinks he is not treating his daughter properly, and if she is getting along in years (or if her passions are too strong), and he feels she ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. He should let her get married. 37 But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind to keep the virgin unmarried—this man also does the right thing. 38 So then, he who gives his virgin in marriage does right, but he who does not give her in marriage does better
This is from the easy English site.
Paul was honest and practical. He knew that there was much temptation in Corinth. It would be better for a man to marry than to give in to his natural desires in wrong ways.
Some Christians in Corinth thought that it was more ‘spiritual to live as married people without sex. Paul said that sex was a duty of both man and wife to each other. In a Christian marriage, the husband and wife belong to each other. The sexual act is a special part of their life together.
Paul wished that Christians would remain single, like him. But he recognised that people are different from each other. God gave some the gift to remain single. He gave other people the gift to be married.
Paul thought that there was only a short time left before Jesus returned. So, it would be sensible to remain single. But Paul warns them not to stay in a situation where they would find it easy to sin. It all depended on the character of the person. If they had very strong desires, they should marry.
Some people believed that a Christian should not continue to live with a pagan husband or wife. Paul had to give his judgement about mixed marriages. There was no direct command from Jesus to which he could refer. Mixed marriages could cause problems. (They still do cause problems.) Christians like to go to church meetings. They like to serve other people. But this would mean that a husband and wife would spend less time together. The kiss of peace with which Christians greeted each other (1 Corinthians 16:20) could easily have caused a quarrel. The pagan husband or wife might feel jealous and worried. They might not be sure whether they could trust their partner.
Paul’s advice was practical. When the non-Christian partner wanted to stay in the marriage, there should be no divorce. Because the Christian was ‘holy’, the partner and the children would be ‘holy’. The blessings that come from God do not only affect Christians. A Christian’s belief would also benefit the partner who is not a Christian. And it would also benefit their children.
The pagan might be so much against the Christian faith that there would be quarrels all the time. If he or she wanted to leave, the Christian should allow the pagan to go. Paul thought that it was reasonable for a marriage like this to end. God wanted peace in a family, not constant war.
The non-Christian might stay. Then there was the opportunity to persuade him or her to become a Christian. Peter also believed that this was possible. ‘Wives, obey your husbands. There may be some husbands who do not believe God’s message. But if their wives obey them, those husbands may believe. They may decide to believe God, even if their wives have said nothing to them about God’s message’ (1 Peter 3:1).
Paul was probably writing about young women who were engaged. Some Christians at Corinth were trying to persuade engaged people to remain unmarried. They believed that sex was wrong. Paul says that the Christians can trust his opinion on the matter. He does not say ‘because I am an apostle with Christ’s authority’. They can trust him because the Lord has shown mercy to him. Paul is thinking about what is good for them.
The Christians were already having difficulties because people were opposing them. Paul believed that Jesus would return soon. Before that happened, there would be a time of even greater danger and trouble. So, it was not the time to make important changes in their lives.
Married people should not divorce. Single people should not want to get married. But it is not a sin to marry. It is not wrong for a young engaged woman to marry. But marriage would bring extra problems. Paul did not say what these ‘troubles’ were. But it is not always easy for even a loving husband and wife to share each other’s needs and emotions. Children take up a lot of time and they are not easy to train.
Paul believed that Jesus would return soon. There was not much time left to do God’s work. Paul wanted them to stop and think. So he wrote in such a powerful way because he wanted them to be serious about God’s work. He did not expect them to understand his examples in their exact meaning. But he expected husbands to continue to love their wives. People would continue to be sad or happy. Trade would go on. But these things should not control their lives. Because of their faith they already belonged to the world of eternity. So, their relationship to the present world was not the most important one. The present world is in the process of passing away. God has already decided the course of future events. Therefore, their hope for the future should free them from too many worries about the affairs of this life.
Paul pointed out this problem because he did not want anyone to be anxious in their Christian lives. He thought that to remain single would avoid the difficulty of divided responsibility. But he did not want his words to be like a thick piece of string round people’s necks to control them. They had the freedom to choose marriage. He wanted them to do whatever would help them to serve the Lord best.
The strict Jews called the Essenes allowed only one marriage. They thought that the unity of husband and wife continued after death. Paul believed what Jesus taught. He taught that marriage was for life. But a widow could marry again after her husband died. Women usually lived longer than men, so Paul speaks about widows. But this same advice would be true for men whose wives had died. In some ways, a second marriage is a way to praise the first one. The first one had been so happy that one is not afraid to begin a second one. The only limit to the choice to marry again was that the new partner should be a Christian. This is a wise command. A marriage between a non-Christian and a Christian could create great difficulties.
I am having a hard time liking Paul. He's single and he thinks the only reason to get married is if he can't keep his hands to himself.So.... where does that leave the ordinary guy? Where does that leave the average gal? Well if Paul had his way.... they would be too busy working in the church to think about personal desire....... but if personal desire just could not be held back.... they should marry rather than rape..... right?
Jesus loved kids..... He looked forward to being around them..... I don't think Paul did. According to this commentary..... children would be a distraction.
Paul didn't seem to have a lot of use for women. It almost seems he "tolerated" them. Paul saw women and children as a distraction.... and if a man couldn't deal with his distractions.... then he was no good to the church.... because his mind would not be on God.... it would be on the wife and kids.
Paul was big enough to tell those who were already married that they could stay married. Which brought up quite another subject........ some people didn't think they should have sex anymore.... after all the Holy Spirit was there.... watching. Others thought they should only have sex when it was for procreation..... not for pleasure.
Now I have known a lot of people who have been willing to discuss the "sex for pleasure v sex for procreation" debate. Most men think it's ridiculous.... blaming women for prudence instead of respecting her. Women, on the other hand have been fairly split on the subject. I guess the pill has a lot to do with this.
I was in a horrible marriage.... my mother quoted from this chapter and made me stay...... she said "You made your bed". Two and a half children later..... a Baptist preacher pointed out the part that says that if the hubby is going to take the wife to hell..... she can run! Of course running with three babies is hard.... and slow..... but sometimes.... it's necessary.
Paul didn't know what a real marriage is. Had Paul been married to a good partner for 35 years.... he would have known that the sexual part is only a tiny part of the marriage. It's not a distraction.... and it's only a small part. After 35 years.... and after retirement.... it's being able to find something to talk about after months in quarantine from a pandemic..... it's figuring out a new way to cook chicken so dinner is a delight.... but it's also knowing that the chicken will be great anyway it's cooked because the dinner is shared by best friends. Paul didn't have a human best friend.... well.... maybe Timothy.... since they were working together..... but Paul really had no clue what marriage is about.
Paul thought Jesus was coming any minute.... and he didn't want Christians to be "distracted" when Jesus arrived. They might miss it......
Paul.... God created marriage and sexual desires.... he's not about to leave a body behind for enjoying a marriage, sex or their children.... it just doesn't make sense. Marriage is not a distraction.... it's a way of life.
