Marriage Matters

TO READ: 1 Corinthians 7:1-16

Marriage Matters

Because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife,and each woman should have her own husband. . . . I wish everyone could get along without marrying, just as I do. But we are not all the same. God gives some the gift of marriage, and to others he gives the gift of singleness.

1 Corinthians 7:2, 7

Marriage is a divine idea. Right from the beginning of creation, God ordained that a man and a woman should devote themselves to each other in a mutually loving, caring, marital relationship. He made it clear that marriage was to be a fundamental building block of society.

But in Corinthian society, as in our modern societies, there were some people who, for a variety of reasons, did not wish to be married. They glorified the unmarried state, and they believed that it was a superior lifestyle. They asked for Paul’s opinion, and he agreed: “Yes, it is good to live a celibate life” (1 Cor. 7:1). Paul went even further and said, “I wish everyone could get along without marrying, just as I do” (7:7). But having said that, he stopped far short of advocating that being single was morally superior to being married. On the contrary, he insisted, “God gives some the gift of marriage, and to others he gives the gift of singleness” (7:7). To those who have the gift of being married, Paul says, “Each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband” (7:2).

The downside of singleness, from Paul’s point of view, was that if natural sexual desires were not carefully controlled, single people—particularly those living in the sexually charged environment of Corinth—would be vulnerable to the blandishments of illicit sexual activity. Rather than allow that to happen, they should marry and enjoy mutually satisfying sexual relations.

But marriage is not without its difficulties either. Marriage is particularly difficult when one of the partners becomes a Christian subsequent to the marriage. Rather than working through the difficult tensions that such a situation created, people in Corinth were giving up on their marriages and settling for divorce. Christians who were contemplating taking this way out of difficult marriages were overlooking, or ignoring, the fact that a Christian marriage partner “brings holiness to” her or his marriage, and that the children of such a marriage live under a “godly influence” (7:14).

The Christian, bearing all this in mind, should not divorce. On the other hand, if the unbeliever decides to leave the marriage, the Christian partner “is not required to stay” with that person (7:15).

In marriage matters, modern western society bears striking similarities to ancient Greco-Roman society. So it is not too difficult to make an application of Paul’s teachings and of Christ’s specific commands.

Marriage is good, and in special circumstances, singleness is a blessing. But marriage is not easy. In certain limited circumstances divorce is permissible, but it also creates major problems. So honor marriage, respect singleness, and avoid divorce. And remember, “God wants his children to live in peace” (7:15).

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I Thank You for the gift of marriage, and for the wonderful wife that You blessed me with. It is my prayer that You would open the hearts of all to the sanctity and blessings of Holy Matrimony.

I pray for this in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ!

Amen an Amen

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 7: 1-16

1 Corinthians 7

¹ Now concerning the things whereof all of you wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.

² Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.

³ Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.

⁴ The wife has not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband has not power of his own body, but the wife.

⁵ Defraud all of you not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that all of you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.

⁶ But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment.

⁷ For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man has his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that.

⁸ I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.

⁹ But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.

¹⁰ And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband:

¹¹ But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.

¹² But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother has a wife that believes not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away.

¹³ And the woman which has an husband that believes not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.

¹⁴ For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.

¹⁵ But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God has called us to peace.

¹⁶ For what know you, O wife, whether you shall save your husband? or how know you, O man, whether you shall save your wife?O READ: 1 Corinthians 7:1-16

Marriage Matters

Because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife,and each woman should have her own husband. . . . I wish everyone could get along without marrying, just as I do. But we are not all the same. God gives some the gift of marriage, and to others he gives the gift of singleness.

1 Corinthians 7:2, 7

Marriage is a divine idea. Right from the beginning of creation, God ordained that a man and a woman should devote themselves to each other in a mutually loving, caring, marital relationship. He made it clear that marriage was to be a fundamental building block of society.

But in Corinthian society, as in our modern societies, there were some people who, for a variety of reasons, did not wish to be married. They glorified the unmarried state, and they believed that it was a superior lifestyle. They asked for Paul’s opinion, and he agreed: “Yes, it is good to live a celibate life” (1 Cor. 7:1). Paul went even further and said, “I wish everyone could get along without marrying, just as I do” (7:7). But having said that, he stopped far short of advocating that being single was morally superior to being married. On the contrary, he insisted, “God gives some the gift of marriage, and to others he gives the gift of singleness” (7:7). To those who have the gift of being married, Paul says, “Each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband” (7:2).

The downside of singleness, from Paul’s point of view, was that if natural sexual desires were not carefully controlled, single people—particularly those living in the sexually charged environment of Corinth—would be vulnerable to the blandishments of illicit sexual activity. Rather than allow that to happen, they should marry and enjoy mutually satisfying sexual relations.

But marriage is not without its difficulties either. Marriage is particularly difficult when one of the partners becomes a Christian subsequent to the marriage. Rather than working through the difficult tensions that such a situation created, people in Corinth were giving up on their marriages and settling for divorce. Christians who were contemplating taking this way out of difficult marriages were overlooking, or ignoring, the fact that a Christian marriage partner “brings holiness to” her or his marriage, and that the children of such a marriage live under a “godly influence” (7:14).

The Christian, bearing all this in mind, should not divorce. On the other hand, if the unbeliever decides to leave the marriage, the Christian partner “is not required to stay” with that person (7:15).

In marriage matters, modern western society bears striking similarities to ancient Greco-Roman society. So it is not too difficult to make an application of Paul’s teachings and of Christ’s specific commands.

Marriage is good, and in special circumstances, singleness is a blessing. But marriage is not easy. In certain limited circumstances divorce is permissible, but it also creates major problems. So honor marriage, respect singleness, and avoid divorce. And remember, “God wants his children to live in peace” (7:15).

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I Thank You for the gift of marriage, and for the wonderful wife that You blessed me with. It is my prayer that You would open the hearts of all to the sanctity and blessings of Holy Matrimony.

I pray for this in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ!

Amen an Amen

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 7: 1-16

1 Corinthians 7

¹ Now concerning the things whereof all of you wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.

² Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.

³ Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.

⁴ The wife has not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband has not power of his own body, but the wife.

⁵ Defraud all of you not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that all of you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.

⁶ But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment.

⁷ For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man has his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that.

⁸ I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.

⁹ But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.

¹⁰ And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband:

¹¹ But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.

¹² But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother has a wife that believes not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away.

¹³ And the woman which has an husband that believes not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.

¹⁴ For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.

¹⁵ But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God has called us to peace.

¹⁶ For what know you, O wife, whether you shall save your husband? or how know you, O man, whether you shall save your wife?