June 8, 1 Corinthians 7
Churches today are asking questions about marriage similar to the ones Paul addressed two thousand years ago. Marriage situations are still complicated after many generations have been influenced by this teaching. Imagine how unfamiliar all this must have been to new believers living in a pagan context from which they had only recently been delivered.
We don’t have the Corinthians’ questions, just Paul’s answers. We infer their queries from Paul’s replies. That’s probably fine, but beware of dogmatism on this or any issue based on inference.
Paul defended and validated a life of chaste singleness in a world where marriage is the norm, calling singleness a gift from God that not all people are given. Much of what we do as the church is geared toward families and couples, the mainstream context of life for most people. But single people need to be included and encouraged, too.
Paul prescribed monogamous marriage as the means for fulfilling sexual desires, and a defense against temptation. Sex in a healthy context of mutual consent strengthens a marriage. The general rule of marriage is that it is for life, and that couples should stay together. If they separate, the goal is reconciliation if possible.
Many new Christians at Corinth were likely married to unbelievers, and wondered about those marriages. Paul said such marriages are valid, and the Christian mate in a sense sanctifies the family. If the unbeliever is willing to stay, the Christian should stay married. If the unbeliever is unwilling to live with a Christian spouse, the Christian can’t make the unbeliever stay, and is not enslaved to that person.
Paul stated the general rule: Lead the life to which God has called you. Becoming a Christian doesn’t dissolve all commitments and situations. Paul illustrated this with two big first-century issues. He said it doesn’t matter if you are circumcised or not when you come to Christ; you don’t have to change that. He said whether you are a slave or free doesn’t matter in Christ. Be free if you can be, but glorify God in your service if you’re a slave. Likewise, the issue isn’t whether you’re married or not in Christ. The issue is devotion to the Lord.
Because of the persecution that characterized first-century discipleship, Paul said it might be better for unmarried people and widows to stay single and avoid some anxieties of family life. But he quickly asserted it was also fine to be married. Whatever we do about such matters is to be done “in the Lord,” in harmony with God’s will and our relationship to Christ.
Some teachers feel compelled to solve all marriage dilemmas, based on their understanding of these principles. It seems to me that Paul himself gave general guidelines and not specific instructions about these matters. Let’s be careful to examine and order our own lives by what we learn from this passage. Let’s show others the courtesy of allowing them to do the same.
From The Abiding Companion: A Friendly Guide for Your Journey Through the New Testament,
Copyright © 2010 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today in God's Word—June 2024
East Tallassee Church of Christ
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