1 Corinthians 7:25-31

1 Corinthians 7:25-31

And regarding the unmarried, I do not have a command from the Lord.  But I give a considered opinion as having been shown mercy to be faithful.  Therefore I reason this is a good state because of this impending distress: that it is good for a man to be this way.  Are you under the authority of a wife?  Do not seek divorce!  Are you released from a wife?  Do not seek a wife!  But even if you should marry, you did not sin.  And if an unmarried woman should marry, she did not sin.  And people such as these will have affliction for the flesh – and I would spare you.  And I imply this, brothers: the time is having been drawn to a close.  In what time remains, in order that the ones who have wives as though they should not be having, and those who weep as while not weeping, and the ones who rejoice as while not rejoicing, and the ones who buy as while not having possession, and the ones who have dealings with the world as while not being fully occupied with it.  For the nature of this present world is ceasing to exist.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Paul speaks to the whole congregation in Corinth in these verses, although he is specifically addressing the unmarried.  Let’s set the bigger scene.  We know that wherever Paul went he found rejection – and usually chains in a jail.  There was much about worshipping a monotheistic God that was unacceptable to a polytheistic society.  The fact that Christians could not offer tribute to the Roman Emperor and call him a “god” often brought them under political oppression.  As Christianity began to spread in the Roman culture, pressure began to increase.  Turmoil and persecution began to be more and more common.  What this meant is that there would be tough days ahead for the people who truly wanted to be devoted to God.  People would be arrested.  People would die.  Relationships would find separation and hardship as loved ones are separated through arrest or even death.  This is the greater context into which Paul is writing his advice.  This is why Paul says that the time has been drawing to a close.

Do you experience much persecution for your faith?  What do you think that answer says about your implementation of faith with respect to the culture around you?

Second Thought:

Because of this, Paul tells us at the end of this passage how to live in this world.  Generically speaking, Paul tells us that it is okay to go through life, but we shouldn’t go through life forming too many attachments to the things of this world.  Our focus shouldn’t be on whether or not we are married.  We shouldn’t allow ourselves to get too upset or too excited.  We shouldn’t allow ourselves to get attached to the things we can buy and possess.  First of all, our focus should be primarily on God and His calling.  Secondly, we need to realize that the things of this world are fleeting and temporary.

Is your focus on God?  Do you ever let yourself get too sad or too happy because of the things of this world?  Do you ever get caught up in what you can buy and possess?  How can these things ultimately lead us away from God?

Third Thought:

Through all of this context we can now turn back to the beginning verses of this section.  Paul encourages people to remain as they are.  He’s not saying at all that it is wrong to get married.  After all, he says that directly in the text: a person who marries has not sinned!  Rather, he is trying to give general advice to a people entering a time of great persecution.  Imagine seeing your spouse taken from you and executed because of their faith.  Imagine living with that loss the rest of your life.  It is from this pain that Paul is trying to spare people.  This is why Paul says that his words at the beginning of this section are his own, not a command from the Lord.  There is nothing wrong with getting married – God has ordained such an action.  But in times of trial, creating earthly ties also increases the potential amount of our suffering, too.  It’s not wrong, but it may imply a more profound level of suffering.

What do you think of Paul’s advice here?  Do you think it is right for him to remind people that this particular set of advice is from him, not from God?  When is relationship worth the extra amount of suffering that may come when the relationship is severed for one reason or another?

Passage for Tomorrow: 1 Corinthians 7:32-40