Rev. David Holwick ZB
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
August 26, 1990
1 Corinthians 7:1-40
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I. Glimpses of state of marriage in U.S.
A. Desperate Christian single ad.
1) Looking for perfect Christian woman.
2) Canvasing U.S.
B. High marriage rate. 85% ?
C. High divorce rate. 30-50%
II. Importance of 1 Corinthians 7.
A. Basis of much Christian theology on marriage.
1) Catholics - single people are more spiritual than married
ones, so priests must be single.
2) Sex is tainted - original sin in Garden of Eden? (Augustine)
a) Marriage is God's concession to lust.
3) Divorced believers cannot remarry.
B. Traditional interpretation is flawed.
III. Overview.
A. Issue: (ascetic) pressure to dissolve marriage or quit sex.
1) Doesn't deal with whether to marry or not.
B. Key points:
1) Mutuality between the sexes.
2) Both singleness and marriage are gifts of God.
3) Current (bad) conditions favor singleness.
4) Serve God where you are at.
a) Do not seek change for the sake of change.
Main Elements
I. Married couples.
A. Due to immorality (prostitutes?) spouses needed intimacy.
1) "Marry" is literally "not to touch a woman."
a) Physical relations in view. 7:1
b) Supported by "Have" = "have physical relations." 7:2
B. Probably their question, not Paul's position. (critical point)
1) Some Corinthians (mostly women?) thought sex was unspiritual.
a) They did not have relations with spouses.
b) They were leaving their spouses.
2) Illustrated by modern Japanese couple in Chiba, Japan.
Supermarket tabloid, May 1988.
A shy Japanese couple, Sachi and Tomio Hidaka, waited 14 years
to consummate their marriage.
They could barely make eye contact when fully clothed.
Neighbors said they were very much in love, but more in
regard to spirituality and mutual respect.
Sachi wrote in her diary, "Tomio and I are very much afraid
but it's now or never. Tonight is the night."
They had simultaneous heart attacks and died.
It must be true. #178
C. Paul, though single, approved of marriage.
1) Mutuality in marriage. 7:3-5
a) Physical relations aren't "the privilege of the
husband and the duty of the wife."
b) Both belong to each other.
c) There is a duty to be intimate. 7:4
2) Both marriage and singleness are gifts from God. 7:7
a) Single people are not automatically more spiritual.
3) Concession - deprivation for sake of prayer. 7:5-6
a) (Concession is deprivation, not marriage or sex.)
II. Unmarried (widowers) and widows. 7:8
A. Military chaplain in Heidelberg. 7:9
Better to marry than to burn with passion:
"This is the worst possible reason to get married."
(Reflects Paul's limited vision.)
Chaplain not impressed, but as a 17 year-old, I thought it
sounded pretty good.
1) Paul isn't making lust the basis of marriage.
a) Present tense - they are not controlling. Prostitutes?
2) Marriage is alternative to those who are already sinning.
B. Advice: Stay in your (unmarried) status, if possible.
III. Married, contemplating divorce. 7:8-11
A. Jesus' explicit command from Gospels. Matt 5:31-32
1) Don't divorce (separate had same meaning).
2) Applies to both men and women; unusual for ancient world.
B. Concession - if divorced, stay single or reconcile.
1) Hard teaching.
2) Intent is for Christians to be models of reconciliation,
not division.
IV. Mixed marriages. (the rest??) 7:12-16
A. "I, not the Lord." 7:12
1) No explicit teaching from Jesus.
2) Neither is it "only opinion" of Paul.
a) He saw himself as speaking in the Spirit. (7:40)
B. Sanctifying aspects of marriage.
1) Don't divorce unbelieving spouse. 7:12
2) Spouse and children are "sanctified" and "holy." 7:14
a) Normally means saved, but here means open to God.
b) Salvation not guaranteed. 7:16
3) Not bound if they want to leave.
C. "God has called us to live in peace." 7:17
1) Pauline Privilege.
a) Allows remarriage if abandoned?
b) Peace preferable above a bad marriage?
2) Remarriage not in view. "Live in peace" refers to
reconciling, not his concession of separation.
a) God prefers peace of a unified family, which is "holy."
b) Unbelieving spouse is an opportunity, not a
liability.
V. Single believers. 7:25-38
A. Corinthian issue - celibate are spiritually superior.
B. Paul - Good to stay single. (But not for their reasons)
1) Reason 1: difficult times in world. 7:26
2) Reason 2: difficult times in marriage. 7:28
a) Singleness is not spiritually superior, but more
practical in hard times.
b) Marriage adds other concerns. 7:32
(They can also "please God", but it is harder)
c) Not a sin to marry. 7:28
C. Key points:
1) Don't let world determine your existence. 7:29-31
a) Don't be engrossed (not KJV "abused") by world. 7:31
b) This world is passing away.
1> "Live as if they had no wife" - first century bachelor,
not 20th century.
2) Pastoral perspective, not hard "law."
a) "I think" (26)
b) "I want to spare you" (28)
c) "I would like you to be free of concern" (32).
D. Modern dilemma.
1) Catholics require single priests.
2) Protestants expect married ones.
a) Would I have been chosen if single? No way!
VI. Serving God where we are at. 7:17-24
A. Main theme in whole passage.
B. Changing our situation will not make us happier.
1) Only salvation can make us happier.
2) General principle applies to marriage, jobs, churches.
C. God can use you were you are at.
John Wesley, founder of Methodism, had a horrible wife.
Even feminists admit she was a total shrew.
One friend came in his house to see her standing over him with
a handful of his beautiful wavy hair she had just yanked from him.
Wesley said she kept him on his knees [in prayer].
She also kept him on the road.
He traveled 250,000 miles on horse over 40 year period.
He preached 40,000 sermons.
Even bad marriages can serve God's purposes.
Tan #6858
1) God's call transcends our social position.
a) (Or marriage situation)
2) Salvation makes such a change in our relationship with God
that we do not need to seek change in relationships with
people.
3) In all you do, seek to please God. 7:35
Copyright © 2024 by Rev. David Holwick
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