Well, we come once again to our passage in the
book of 1 Corinthians chapter 7. Lord willing,
today I would like to complete this chapter as
the Lord wills. I'm going to give my introduction
before we read it, because I think it will be
helpful for you as we look at this unusual portion
of Scripture. At the beginning of the chapter,
Paul began answering questions that the church
had sent to him. They needed wisdom on various
matters and they wrote to him as their father
in the faith. He began answering those questions
with the subject of marriage. There was great
need for wisdom on that matter. When I began
this chapter back in June, I set forth competing
perspectives that were creating confusion on
marriage. in the corinthian church two of them
are likely in mind in our passage today and i'm
going to repeat them again one was the jewish
view jewish christians that marriage was considered
obligatory a religious duty young men were expected
to marry between ages 16 to 18 and remaining
unmarried at age 20 was viewed with suspicion
and then there were the ascetics That is, believers
who taught that self -denial, especially of physical
pleasures, elevated one's spiritual standing.
Celibacy was prized as a superior calling, and
sex, even within marriage, was seen as demeaning,
earthy, and sensual, and should be avoided. Now,
with a few slight differences, the problems they
faced are also problems we face as well. So this
chapter has been very relevant to us. Having
said that, though, there are some quite unique
characteristics of the passage today which Paul
wrote and which applied to his day. So our first
responsibility is to attempt to understand the
current situation at the time of this writing.
and then to understand and interpret Paul's counsel
to them. The section before us deals with the
question of virgins, that is, young unmarried
ladies. Should they get married, or is it better
to be celibate, that is, to remain unmarried?
That is the question here. And Paul goes at great
length to answer this. He's already established
that celibacy is good for those whom the Lord
has gifted for that calling, but it is not the
normal state of being. The normal course of action
is for young men and young ladies to get married,
to have children, and to reflect a glorious picture
of the glory of Christ's church in their marriage.
And so, in answer to their question, to this
question, the Jewish Christians would have said,
absolutely, it is God's will. Virgins should
marry. But the ascetics would say, no, they should
not marry. Singleness and devotion to God is
better, for they can serve God with a single
mind. And thus, they write the question to Paul
about virgins. This is the need. Paul begins
by saying, though, I have no commandment from
the Lord regarding this subject. It says, Yet
I give judgment as one whom the Lord in his mercy
has made trustworthy. What Paul is saying is
that this passage is not the revelation of a
command from God. He has not received direct
inspiration from God. In answering this question.
But as a wise man. And as one as he says. Whom
God has judged to be trustworthy. And to give
good judgment. He will render his judgment on
the matter to them. So it's important as we read
this to understand. This is the whole book. This
is the whole inspired word of God. In his revelation
to us. And yet Paul is saying. I did not. Hear
from God specifically on this matter. And so
I'm giving you wise judgment on it. Now this
passage is a rather difficult passage to teach.
Probably one of the most more difficult of any
thus far. So we need to search for interpretive
keys that might open up our understanding of
it. I think that key is in verse 26. And if this
is understood, it opens up the meaning of this
passage tremendously. If this clue is not understood,
our whole understanding will be distorted. And
in fact, in history, it has been distorted. So
with the help of the Lord and wise commentators,
we want to understand what he is saying and then
make applications for us so that we might have
some takeaways. to take home i will first read
the passage and then i'll begin with this key
in verse 26 so first corinthians chapter 7 verse
25 now concerning virgins i have no commandment
from the lord yet i give judgment as one whom
the lord in his mercy has made trustworthy i
suppose therefore that this is good Because of
the present distress. That it is good for a man
to remain as he is. Are you bound to a wife?
Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from
a wife? Do not seek a wife. But even if you do
marry, you have not sinned. And if a virgin marries,
she has not sinned. Nevertheless, such will have
trouble in the flesh, but I would spare you.
For this I say, brethren, the time is short.
So that from now on, even those who have wives
should be as though they had none. Those who
weep as though they did not weep. Those who rejoice
as though they did not rejoice. Those who buy
as though they did not possess. And those who
use this world as not misusing it. For the form
of this world is passing away. But I want you
to be without care. He who is unmarried cares
for the things of the Lord, how he may please
the Lord. But he who is married, okay, I might
have said that wrong. He who is unmarried cares
for the things of the Lord, how he may please
the Lord. But he who is married cares about the
things of the world, how he may please his wife.
There is a difference between a wife and a virgin.
The unmarried woman cares about the things of
the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and
in spirit. But she who is married cares about
the things of the world. how she may please her
husband. And this I say for your own profit,
not that I may put a leash on you, but for what
is proper, and that you may serve the Lord without
distraction. But if any man thinks he is behaving
improperly toward his virgin, if she is past
the flower of youth, and thus it must be, let
him do what he wishes. He does not sin. Let them
marry. Nevertheless, he who stands steadfast
in his heart, having no necessity, but has power
over his own will and is so determined in his
heart that he will keep his virgin does well.
So then he who gives her in marriage does well,
but he who does not give her in marriage does
better. A wife is bound by law as long as her
husband lives, but if her husband dies, she is
at liberty to be married to whom she wishes.
only in the Lord. But she is happier if she remains
as she is, according to my judgment. And I think
I also have the Spirit of God. Let's pray. Father,
as we go through this passage, Lord, we admit
before you that this one is a bit difficult to
understand in its entirety, especially when we
look at many other passages of Scripture. So
we ask, Lord, that you would open it up to us,
that we might understand what is here in your
word to us for today. We pray that we might learn
and profit by it, that you would guide us, Lord,
that our hearts might be right and pure before
you, and that we would love you devotedly. We
ask, Lord, that you would bless this time together.
We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. I mentioned to
you that there is an interpretive key. Because,
as I already explained to you, he comes here
and he says, concerning virgins, I have no commandment
from the Lord, but yet I give judgment. He then
says, I suppose that this is good. Why? Because
of the present distress. That it's good for a
man to remain as he is. Are you bound to a wife?
Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from
a wife? Do not seek a wife. What is Paul referring
to in this present distress? This is something
here. He says that this is present. Now, the
word present is not necessarily used here as
something that is immediate. It can be near.
It could be coming on. In other words, it's something
that is impending or soon to come. It is threatening.
Something is near that will afflict as time presses
on. And so Paul writes this whole passage passage
in light of the present distress that which is
soon to come distress means a calamity or straits
or a great trial in other words something is
on the horizon that will cause great problems
it will be a severe trial of significant proportions.
Paul does not say specifically what this was,
but he says it is something that he was aware
of, and thus he is expressing his opinion to
the Corinthian church on this subject in light
of the present distress. What is he speaking
about? Well, He doesn't tell us. So this is kind
of like reading someone else's mail. We have
to look for clues and things throughout the other
scriptures or in history that might be possible.
I think there are several possibilities. He could
be referring to something specifically in Corinth.
that we do not know about. There were times in
Corinth where they had a prolonged grain shortage,
for example, or a time of famine. We know that
there was a time of great famine throughout the
Roman Empire during the days of Claudius Caesar,
the emperor before Nero. But that might have
taken place before he wrote this. We're not exactly
sure. He could also be referring to the time...
That would be prior to the destruction of Jerusalem.
Now, you might say, what does the destruction
of Jerusalem have to do with the folks in Corinth?
Well, Jesus himself says in Luke chapter 19,
I'm sorry, chapter 21, and also in Matthew 24,
that there would be great natural disasters in
various places in the world at that same time
period. There would be earthquakes, Jesus said,
famines. pestilences, and it would be a very
difficult time. Jesus said in Luke 21 verse 9,
but when you hear of wars and commotions, do
not be terrified, for these things must come
to pass first, but the end will not come immediately.
Then he said to them, nation will rise against
nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there
will be great earthquakes in various places,
and famines, and pestilences, and there will
be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.
So it could be possible that this great earth
-shaking event that took place at that time would
also affect Corinth in some way, as history would
bear out that even in far -off places, this was
a great and tumultuous time. In AD 69 there was
an intense civil war. Four different Roman empires
reigned in one year. Some were murdered, others
died and it was a time of great upheaval. So
perhaps he is referring to that. Paul knew this
prophecy of Jesus and that it would take place
within the first generation after Christ. The
word distress is the same word used in Luke 21,
verse 23. Woe to those who are pregnant and to
those who are nursing babies in those days, for
there will be great distress in the land and
wrath upon this people. So that's one possibility.
Another option is that there was severe persecution
under Nero. This happened around AD 64. Persecution
broke out with great ferocity against the church.
Now this was especially in Rome. There's a question
of how much this would have affected Corinth
in Greece, but it is certainly possible. Now
both of these last options would fulfill the
prophecy in the book of Revelation about the
beast of the sea and the beast of the land. And
it was as if all hell was turned loose against
the church. Paul might have had in mind the fulfillment
of Revelation 12 when it says that the dragon,
the evil one, Satan, made war against the saints
of the church. Romans 12 verse 17 says, And the
dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went
to make war with the rest of her offspring, who
kept the commandments of God and had the testimony
of Jesus Christ. Paul might have had something
like that in mind, although the book of Revelation
was probably not yet written then. Now all of
this happened in the first century. So we really
don't know what this present distress was. But
it was something that was really distressing.
And I gave you here a number of options to think
about. Therefore, as we examine this portion
of Holy Scripture of Paul's advice to the Corinthians,
this context must, I underline that, it must
be kept in mind. Because we cannot interpret
this passage as something that is normative.
Something that is just regularly practiced all
the time. It's not the ideal. Virginity is not
more holy and righteous than marriage, as some
of the ascetics or some of the early church fathers
thought. Because this would go against the express
commands of other scripture. It would confuse
and twist the normal purpose and goal of young
men and women to live for God by marrying, having
children, and living a normal Christian life
wherever they are in this world. Paul's advice
here is not a diatribe or a prohibition against
marriage, and it's not to be taken in a normative
context. It does not contradict the commands
given to be fruitful and multiply in Genesis
1 and Genesis 2 and Genesis 9 or in Psalm 127
and Psalm 128. I believe this verse is the interpretive
key to understand everything else in this passage,
including this statement that he who gives her
in marriage does well, but he who does not give
her in marriage does better in verse 38. So with
this understanding, in light of this interpretive
key, we'll now look through the rest of the passage
to understand Paul's counsel to the Corinthian
church in light of the present distress. We're
not going to examine all the meanings of every
word. A lot of this is fairly plain. It just
needs to be understood in light of this, which
is why I've spent the amount of time in preparation
for this. So the principle is, verse 26 to 28,
because of the present distress, a man should
remain as he is in his current state. So Paul
says, if you are married, though, do not be loosed
from your wife. It's in verse 27 in the beginning.
Now the word loosed here means divorced. It means
being set free from the bond of marriage. So
the present distress does not mean that you have
the authority to break the earlier command, which
is that a wife is not to depart from her husband.
But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried
or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband
is not to divorce his wife. In other words, the
present distress was no excuse for them to divorce
or to separate. It's not an option on the table
at all. Take it off. So what he's saying here,
do not be loosed from your wife. He then says,
if you are loosed from your wife, do not seek
a wife. This is his counsel to stay in that state.
Now here the word loosed is slightly different,
but it still implies that you're loosed from
something that you were fastened to, such as
a husband and wife joined together by the bond
of matrimony. This again... It goes back to the
possibility of divorce that came about because,
or the possibility of divorce because of an unbeliever
not wanting to stay. And so if in such case,
Paul said, let the unbeliever depart, let the
one who's abandoning depart. A brother or sister
is not in bondage in such cases. But at the same
time, here he is saying, if that is the case,
in light of the present distress, don't seek
a wife. This is his counsel. In other words,
where there is abandonment and you have the opportunity
to marry, Paul's counsel was, do not seek a wife
in light of the circumstances. But he goes on.
He says, even if you do marry, you have not sinned.
And if a virgin marries, she has not sinned.
In other words, Paul is again giving wise counsel,
but he is also demonstrating Christian liberty.
The wise counsel, don't get married if you are
loosed, and the Christian liberty, even if you
marry, you have not sinned. In this, the apostle
is an example to us in how he is very careful
not to infringe on the liberty that comes to
all Christians. This is a really good lesson.
It's a key point of this chapter. It's one that's
very wise for parents as well as pastors and
teachers and any in authority or in a place of
influence. It is so easy for us to give our counsel
and then fail to extend the liberty to the person
to disregard that counsel. We can so easily pretend
to be the Holy Spirit instead of recognizing
that both we and they, the other person, or persons
are filled with the Holy Spirit, and he is not
us. We are not he. There are many times when
wise counsel must be given in light of current
circumstances, but great care must be taken so
as not to bind the conscience where God has not
bound it. We do not have. that authority. And
here even the beloved apostle Paul, in all of
his authority as an apostle, because he didn't
receive this as revelation from the Lord, he
said, if you do this, you have not sinned. If
you have to do this, you have not sinned. You
are at liberty, but here is my counsel. Very,
very wise for us to consider and remember. Then
he makes this statement, nevertheless, such will
have trouble in the flesh, but I would spare
you. This is the first reason that he gives for
his counsel. He's going to give three reasons.
What would this entail? What would this trouble
in the flesh entail? Just think for a moment
of a time of great tribulation, of persecution,
or of peril, or of famine. The care of a wife
and children, or the care of a husband and children,
weighs most heavily on the mind of the one undergoing
the tribulation. There have been times where
people recanted because they couldn't take the
pressure of all the care and responsibility that
they are foregoing because of naming the name
of Christ or of living for Christ. And so Paul
says this is a care. You're going to have trouble
in the flesh about this. A good example is John
Bunyan, the author of Sinners Abounding as well
as What is more well known is that is the pilgrim's
progress. He was an English nonconformist preacher
who preached without the appropriate license
or authority from the state and consequently
was imprisoned for 12 years. He had a wife, he
had a family, and he was not able to be there
with them. He could see them occasionally, but
it was a great hardship for him and for them.
And yet he continued steadfast in this. I will
not yield to the authority of the state in their
matter because that would be to go against God.
And he remained faithful to the Lord in it. But
it was a great hardship for him to be thinking
about the care that he could not give. And his
children growing up. without Him there in the
home to lead them in family worship, to love
them, care for them, discipline. This indeed
is what the Apostle Paul is talking about. We
can also think of those who are married and have
children during a time of severe famine, and
you don't have the food to give to your children.
And they have hungry bellies, and they're crying
out for food, and you can't give it to them.
These are the kinds of things that Paul has in
mind as he thinks of the current distress, the
present distress. The care is so much more difficult.
This is why Paul was counseling singleness for
times like that so that they are spared from
the trouble in the flesh. Then he moves on to
the urgency of the times and to live in light
of eternity, verses 29 to 31. He says, but this
I say, brethren, the time is short. So that from
now on, even those who have wives should be as
though they had none. Those who weep as though
they did not weep. Those who rejoice as they
did not rejoice. Those who buy as though they
did not possess. And those who use this world
as not misusing it. For the form of this world
is passing away. Second reason to remain single
right now is because the time is short before
these troubles will come. The pressure is on.
And that's the idea here is that of pressure.
The persecution or the distresses are coming
soon. And therefore earthly relationships and
circumstances need to be held loosely. He said
those who have wives as though they had none.
That is they must not set their hearts too much
on the comforts of life. And the joyful companionship
with their wife. Rather. they must be prepared
to be separated from their wife if it was persecution.
He might need to escape for his life or to meet
death, being drug from her to appear before the
magistrate. These kinds of things happened at
times like this. Those who weep as though they
did not weep. Again, those who rejoice as though
they did not rejoice. Those who buy as they did
not possess, as though they did not possess.
The distress or confusion may be such that private
sorrows or private joys will be absorbed up into
horrors of the time. Those who use the world
is not misusing it as holding it lightly, so
to speak. Possessing them, but not letting them
possess you. This is a good reminder for us.
And I'll speak of this again a little bit later.
In fact, this whole passage right here would
almost sound like times even far in the distance.
I believe Paul is referring to it here specifically.
And yet certainly this is something for us all
to consider as we live constantly in the light
of eternity with God and not knowing the future.
why is this he paul gives the reason by saying
he says the form of this world is passing away
he's not saying the world is passing away he's
saying the form in other words the particular
order of the time this would be one inclination
that paul could be referring to the upheaval
and tribulation around the time of the destruction
of jerusalem even though that did not occur for
some time after he wrote this but he may have
had that in mind because that was a tremendous
upheaval where the form of the current world
system was greatly changed so it's a possibility
i don't know exactly I don't think though it
fully means the second coming of Christ because
it's not talking about the world but rather the
form of the world and it fits into the context
better that way. Then he moves on to verse 32
to 35 and gives the third reason and that is
the advantage of singleness. That is freedom
from anxious care for undivided devotion. He
says, but I want you to be without care. He who
is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord,
how he may please the Lord. But he who is married
cares about the things of the world, how he may
please his wife. There's a difference between
a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares
about the things of the Lord, that she may be
holy both in body and in spirit. But she who
is married cares about the things of the world,
how she may please. her husband. And this I say
for your own profit, not that I may put a leash
on you, but for what is proper and that you may
serve the Lord without distraction. So the third
reason here, Paul says this counsel that he is
giving is that I want you to be without care.
And this word care is referring to anxiety. Now,
why would one be anxious? because of the present
distress. He therefore gives this counsel so
that they would not be anxious, but devoted completely
to the Lord during this difficult time. Look
back at Deuteronomy 6 and verse 5. You shall
love the Lord your God with all your heart, with
all your soul, and with all your strength. And
that verse applies, that command applies in every
situation. But depending on where you are, you
might have some times of being anxious and you
might easily be diverted from an intense love
for the Lord to anxiety about your current situation.
What's going to happen here? What's going to
happen if I'm persecuted and taken away? Or what's
going to happen if a famine comes or whatever
else it might be? He says here, I want you to
not be anxious, to be without care. He then gives
a contrast. Note that he's not referring to the
man and the woman as sinning by caring about
each other. In fact, that's commanded in many
places. It's fully intended by God that a husband
and a wife care about pleasing each other and
thus care about the things of the world. In other
words, things that are not sinful, but that are
earthy, that are connected to our marriage right
here. We care about it. We want to love each
other and to please each other. In fact, if you're
a husband or a wife and you don't want to please
your spouse, there's something wrong. And you
are sinning against God if you are not seeking
to please Him in it. But he notes the difference
between married and unmarried in the level of
responsibility and in the time of great difficulty.
that responsibility can be overwhelming, it can
create anxiety, and can add a great burden, thus
distracting one from serving the Lord wholeheartedly
in this difficult time. And so he breaks it down.
Unmarried man cares for the things of the Lord,
how he might please the Lord. Unmarried woman
or virgin cares about the things of the Lord
that she may be holy both in body and spirit.
The married man cares about the things of the
world, how he may please his wife. The married
woman cares about the things of the world, how
she may please her husband. None of these are
sinful. It's just a fact of life in the way that
it is. So in no way can we interpret these verses
to mean that God is not pleased with married
men and women serving Him by loving and pleasing
each other, by making sure that their physical
and sexual needs are fulfilled, and that a husband
provides for his wife and family as to the Lord.
No, dear brother, as Proverbs 5 exhorts you,
let your fountain be blessed. Rejoice with the
wife of your youth. As a loving dear and a graceful
doe, let her breast satisfy you at all times
and always be enraptured with her love. That
is biblical counsel and wisdom and it is a foundational
principle for marriage. You can do this with
a heart filled with love and delight in God your
creator through Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit.
But know that in a time of great persecution
or famine or pestilence, the care, the anxiety,
and the responsibility can rise exponentially
and be overwhelming. So Paul's counsel is, in
light of that, if you are thinking of getting
married, it might be good to delay that. It might
be good for you to remain in the state in which
you are right now. Paul clearly means this when
in verse 35, he says, I say for your own profit,
not that I may put a leash on you, but for what
is proper and that you might serve the Lord without
distraction, without distraction. I think this
is the key to understanding this. Finally, then
we come to verses 36 and 38. And he gives guidance
for those considering marriage. He says, But
if any man thinks he is behaving improperly toward
his virgin, if she has passed the flower of youth,
and thus it must be, let him do what he wishes.
He does not sin. Let them marry. Nevertheless,
he who stands steadfast in his heart, having
no necessity, but has power over his own will,
and has so determined in his heart that he will
keep his virgin, does well. So then he who gives
her in marriage does well, but he who does not
give her in marriage does better. Here again,
we have some significant challenges in understanding
these verses. Who is the any man? Or depending
on your translation, it might be man or he. Who
is this in these verses? Is this speaking of
the girl's father? of the unmarried person, or
even the fiancé, the betrothed. This has been
much debated by good biblical scholars and teachers,
and it is not explicitly plain in the text, because
the words that are used do not indicate this
exactly. It's just any man and then he. Who's
the he, in other words? Many of the early church
fathers and many of those in several hundred
years ago believe that this is speaking of the
father. This is speaking of the father in these
particular verses. However, as much as I appreciate
them, I will take a different view of that. I
think that this is speaking of the betrothed
man. the betrothed man although verse 38 could
be speaking of the virgin's father therefore
i understand it like this and i'm going to paraphrase
it here and see if this makes sense to you but
if a betrothed man the fiancee thinks he is behaving
improperly toward his virgin if she has passed
the flower of youth and thus it must be let him
do what he wishes he does not sin let them marry
Nevertheless, the betrothed man who stands steadfast
in his heart, having no necessity, but has power
over his own will, and is so determined in his
heart that he will keep his virgin, does well.
Now, I understand either way you could look at
it. It could go either way, but I think this
fits it a little bit better. To make this person
be the father does not fully make sense. Although,
again, I say wise men have interpreted it so.
I find the argument compelling. In the pillar
commentary, and I'm going to quote them, it says,
Although it is a very difficult exegetical decision,
it seems to make the most sense, in light of
verse 26 and 27, to see Paul distinguishing between
two kinds of betrothed men. One who feels he
should not wait any longer before marrying his
fiancée. and the other who feels free to follow
Paul's advice not to change his and her status
during the present crisis, and who prolongs the
engagement for the time being, keeping his girl
as his fiancée rather than marrying her. He is
bound to her, but he seeks neither to be released
from her nor to conclude the engagement with
the marriage for the time being. Let me explain
this a little bit further. past the flower of
her age refers to the lady's prime now the Greeks
believed and so this is in the context of this
that a woman was in her prime at age 20 that
was the age of prime for a young lady of course
the Jewish girls they viewed that a little bit
differently it was more 16 to 18 because that's
often when they got married so he who stands
steadfast in his heart He has no necessity and
he is over his own will that could be referring
to his own sexual desires or to societal pressure
from parents or peers or simply societal expectations.
So in other words, he's looking at this, he's
considering the situation, he is able to stay
pure and thus he says, I'm not going to marry
at this time in light of the present distress
or whatever else it may be. In conclusion, though,
Paul then again says, he who gives her in marriage
does well, but he who does not give her in marriage
does better. And this again could be referring
to from the he could be the father or it could
be the engaged man. And the word give her in
marriage is which, when you think about who is
it that gives someone in marriage, it's the father,
right? So the father gives the one in marriage.
So if you look at that word, it's actually one
word that's used as being given in marriage,
it would seem to be the father. However, it does
not always mean this. It can simply mean to marry
because it has two definitions. It could be given
in marriage or simply marriage. So thus he could
be referring to the father giving away his daughter
in marriage or it could simply mean the fiance
marrying such as he who marries her does well,
but he who does not marry her does better. This
is my understanding of these. So I submitted
to you for your as just. I don't want to spend
a lot of time on it. I'm just saying this is
a difficult one to fully understand. Two final
notes as we look at this. In either case, Paul
says, there is no sin. There is no sin. There
is Christian liberty. Paul's giving his counsel.
This is not a command from the Lord. And this
is all in light of the present distress and must
not be considered normative. This is not normal
Christian living. Normally, long, open -ended
engagements should not take place. It can be
very difficult. But this was an unusual circumstance.
Therefore, this makes the most sense. But again,
I submit it to your own thought. number six then
is counsel he gives he closes with counsel to
widows says a wife is bound by law as long as
her husband lives but if her husband dies she
is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes
only in the lord but she is happier if she remains
as she is according to my judgment and i think
also i have the spirit of god so as a conclusion
to this whole matter he's now ending the chapter
on marriage And Paul then applies the same reasoning
to be a widow. He's going to move on to the subject
about idols and Christian liberty beginning in
chapter 8 and eating the food offered to idols.
But first, he makes sure that the Corinthians
understand that living single because of the
present distress is not an option if you are
married. Therefore, he says a wife is bound by
law as long as her husband lives. So in other
words, it's not an option to say times are tough.
I'm going to divorce you. So he's saying here
very clear. This is the law by God. She is bound
to him as long as her husband lives. This distress
does not give permission to depart and to divorce
or to separate. which is right in line with the
earlier command as we already looked at it. Do
not even think about it. Do not contemplate it.
This is not advice or counsel. This is a directive,
a command with the weight of God's law. But if
her husband dies, then she is at liberty to be
married to whom she wishes, but only in the Lord.
And here again, we see Christian liberty. within
guardrails of God's law. She is at liberty to
be married again if her husband dies. At liberty,
but only to marry in the Lord. Only to marry
a fellow believer. Marriage after becoming a
Christian is only to be between Christians. And
this applies to all Christians who marry, and
not only the case of widow in which it's given
here. And yet Paul says, She is happier if she
remains as she is. And this is according to his
judgment. And he believes he has the spirit of
God. But it's not law. This is wise counsel given
in light of the present distress. What can we
take away from this? This could be, okay, so
how does this really apply to us? What can, you
know, but it's here. It's here for our instruction.
It's part of my responsibility to teach the whole
counsel of God. And this is right here in the
word of God. So what do we take away from this?
Well, there's a few things that I think are valuable
for us as we close this. First, marriage is good
and honorable. It is not sin. It is both commanded
by God in most circumstances for most people.
It is a great mystery that speaks of Christ in
the church. Ephesians 5, 32. And as the wonderful
wedding vows and the preparation for that in
the book of common prayer says, marriage is not
by any to be enterprised nor taken in hand unadvisedly,
lightly, or wantonly, but reverently, discreetly,
advisedly, soberly, and in the fear of God. That
is what marriage is to be. It should be entered
with deep thought and care and respect with spiritual
seriousness and clear judgment and with the choice
made deliberately and with good counsel and full
awareness of the responsibility and the lifelong
obligation to care, to provide, to love, to respect
and all of the other commands even in the midst
of times of great upheaval. It is a great responsibility.
But dear Christian, let no one put you on a guilt
trip about marriage. The normal Christian life
is that you love God, you serve Him, and in most
cases you get married, have children, and live
life together before the face of God. And this
is good and acceptable with God and His will.
So do not tear these verses, kicking and screaming
out of their context, as Votie Bauckham used
to say, and apply it across the board in every
situation. No, it was not meant for that. Number
two, singleness with self -control offers practical
advantages for undivided service, especially
in times of distress. Therefore, if one either
has the gift from God of singleness or is self
-controlled in light of present circumstances,
it is acceptable before God. There is a place
for singles. There is a place where you can serve
God and give yourself in a way that can be very
freeing, especially in difficult times. So use
it for the glory of God if that's where God has
you. Use it for the glory of God. There's no
condemnation with this. But if one cannot succumb
without, or if one cannot exist without succumbing
to sexual temptations of self -abuse, or fornication
then it's better to marry first corinthians 7
verse 9 if they cannot exercise self -control
let them marry for it is better to marry than
to burn with passion so but apart from that if
you're here you're a single before the lord then
use it for the glory of god and be content with
where he has you until the lord provides for
you in one way or another Number three, in this
passage, we are taught to hold God's gifts and
the things of the world loosely. As the fires
of the last weeks have shown us, the things of
the world, possessions, houses, lands, cattle,
can be taken away in just one night of a raging
fire with 40 to 50 mile an hour winds. Just that
quickly. Let us hold them lightly. Job is such
a great example of this. With so many things,
and his life turned into a complete upheaval
so quickly. His vast herds, his servants, his
children, and his health. And yet the scripture
says, in all this, Job did not sin with his lips,
nor charge God with wrong. This is a wonderful
example of how to hold things loosely. It's not
wrong to possess great things if that's what
the Lord gives you, but hold them loosely. Don't
wrap up yourselves together in them so tightly
that when they're gone, you get upset at God
or you get angry at God or you turn against him.
No, Job did not sin with his lips. Rather, he
worshiped. And he said, naked I came from my
mother's womb and naked shall I return there.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed
be the name of the Lord. That's how we hold things
loosely. Paul reiterates this principle as he
teaches how to view the world in light of the
impending calamity and distress. Number four.
This passage dramatically shows the need to understand
context in the understanding of a passage. It's
very important. Some of these verses have been
dragged out of context to say that singleness
is altogether superior and marriage is inferior.
But in order to properly understand and rightly
divide the Word of God, we must pay attention
to the context in which it is written. including
wherever possible, the who, the what, the why,
the where, and the when, whenever we can. Finally,
I submit this to you. I believe and hope that
this has been a faithful interpretation and exposition
of this difficult passage. I pray that it has
been edifying for you and that it builds you
up in Christ's kingdom. And indeed, if anything,
I have not taught it correctly. I pray for God's
forgiveness and mercy and submit it to him. Let's
close in prayer. Father, we thank you so, so
much.