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THE NORTHERN KENTUCKY SEARCHER VOLUME 4, NUMBER 15, APRIL 11, 2004 QUESTIONS ABOUT 1 CORINTHIANS 7 In this final article about 1 Corinthians 7, I want to focus on the last several verses, beginning with verse 25. “Now concerning virgins I have no command of the Lord, but I give an opinion as one who by the mercy of the Lord is trustworthy.” By saying, “now concerning virgins” Paul is indicating that he is about to answer specific questions that had been asked of him. “Virgins” in this case refers contextually to physically mature young women without sexual experience. Verse 25-38 shows that the real question being dealt with was whether or not young daughters should be allowed to marry. Paul stated that he had no commandment of the Lord regarding this matter. This was not to say that his answer would be uninspired, but simply that Jesus had not spoken about this subject while on earth. Paul was going to give his judgment on the matter and he was qualified to do so as a recipient of the Lord’s great mercy. He was a trustworthy and dependable spokesman. Verse 26 helps us to understand a great deal about the last section of chapter 7. It says, “I think then that this good in view of the present distress, that it is good for a man to remain as he is.” The evidence indicates that the “present distress” refers to some of the early persecution of the Christians. It may have been localized in Corinth, but probably by this time a general persecution of Christians was taking place. So Paul was saying that in light of the persecutions it was good for a man to remain, as well as a woman to remain, in the same marital state that he or she was in when called by the gospel. In verse 28 Paul hastened to add that if some do go ahead and marry, they had not sinned by so doing. Paul is clearly stating that even in the present distress marriage was not sinful and it was not to be forbidden. However, if they do marry they can expect more afflictions than those who are single. In later verses he explains why this is so. There would be more to worry about for a married person and a possible conflict of choice to be made between allegiance to Christ and allegiance to earthly family. Verses 29 – 34 are interesting as Paul continues his thought. First of all, what does Paul mean by “the time has been shortened?” The word rendered “time” means a definite, fixed period of time. I believe that contextually the fixed or definite period of time was the present distress. In other words the persecution would not last indefinitely. Paul was saying that in the time of the present distress that remained those who have wives must live as if they did not – meaning that they should learn to live in such a way that if a choice had to be made – due to the present distress – between Christ and family, they would be able to choose Christ. They had to learn to view the attachments of this life as temporary and the possessions of this life as transient . That way, if a choice was demanded, they could readily choose Christ. Paul desired to keep the Corinthians from worrying and fretting over earthly attachments. This is why he has given the advice that he has. An unmarried person does not need to be as concerned for the things of this world. A married man cares deeply for his wife and family. He has concerns a single man does not. He strives to please his wife and that is not wrong – it just presents concerns the single man does not have. An unmarried man would not have the same concerns. The same was true for an unmarried woman. It simply stands to reason that a married woman has more on her mind as far as things of the world are concerned than does a single woman. It would make the choice for Christ, if a choice were called for under the present distress, easier to make. Verses 35 – 38 shows that this is really up to the individuals involved and that Paul has given inspired advice based upon the present distress. Verse 39, which reads, “A wife is bound as long as her husband lives; but if her husband is dead, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord,” is emphasizing once again the permanency of marriage. The exception clause given by the Lord in Matthew 5:32 and 19:9 is not under consideration. In all cases, except where the exception applies, a woman who marries another man while her husband is living is guilty of adultery and the same holds true for a husband. On the other hand, if her husband is dead she has the right to remarry. Personally, I would not perform a marriage ceremony in such a case unless the one the Christian was marrying was also a Christian, based upon my understanding of “only in the Lord.” It is possible that “in the Lord” is a restriction give because of the “present distress”, but I cannot be certain about that. However, in keeping with all he had written, Paul was advising a person in such a situation to remind unmarried, due to the present distress, and he was writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. I hope these few articles have proven to be helpful in understanding some of the more difficult portions of 1 Corinthians 7. I sure enjoyed the study.
Greg Litmer WHO ARE YOU INVITING TO THE GOSPEL MEETING?
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