1 Cor. 6:12-13 - All Things Lawful

12 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.
13 Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body.

We Do Not Commit More Sin in Order to Receive More Forgiveness

V. 12 - “All things are lawful for me” - Some people link this verse to the list in verses 9-10 above. I don’t think so. This phrase is used by Paul twice in this verse. Most commentators think this is from the Corinthians stating that now they are forgiven of all their sin, so anything they do is acceptable. They probably may have said this when they were upbraded for living licentiously. Paul refutes this saying twice - “not all things are profitable” and “I will not be mastered by anything”. 

How could adultery be ‘lawful’ as a Christian? How could any of these sinful practices by ‘lawful’? To be lawful would be behavior that is acceptable to the Lord and does not require forgiveness. I understand that Christians are forgiven their sin. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection took care of that.

Forgiveness is not license for licentiousness! We do not commit more sin in order to receive more forgiveness. Deliberately committing sin, especially those on the list above, must seriously throw doubts on your belief and faith in Christ as Lord and Savior. I cannot pass judgment on the efficacy of your faith in Christ. I do not know your relationship with Him. However, if you do not follow His teaching and commands, your commitment may be in question. This is between you and God.

“but not all things are profitable” - Just as a starting point, anything forbidden in the Ten Commandments would not be ‘lawful’, it is sin - therefore ‘not profitable’. Many of the things we do in life are not on a list of acceptable or unacceptable activities. But some may cause distress, anger, or harm to another person. Those are ‘not profitable’.

There is no list for these things. We must be led by the Holy Spirit to recognize when we are drifting away. I suspect we do not get a flash of light, a majestic being standing before us saying in stentorian tones, “Don’t do that!” (That may and could happen, but I am sure it is rare.)
God deals with our conscience, we feel ‘not right’ doing this. Accepting that leading, that nudge can sharpen our tuning to His leading. Likewise, rejecting the guidance of the Holy Spirt can de-tune our conscience. That makes it harder for us to repent of the sin, turn away from it, accept the forgiveness, and choose to go a different way when the situation crops up again.

“I will not be mastered by anything.” - Rejecting the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit is ‘not profitable’. The Holy Spirit has been promised and given to us so that we may follow Christ in our daily lives. We are not towed through life like a car attached to a wrecker, or a rail car attached to a freight train. Our daily life is not to be passive, but an active relationship with Jesus and the Holy Spirit - they do not force us to follow.

We may do wrong as we go through life. We do not need to be addicted to sin. We do not need to commit a sin again when the Lord has indicated it is ‘not profitable’. “Tell them, ‘As I live -- this is the declaration of the Lord GOD -- I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked person should turn from his way and live. Repent, repent of your evil ways! Why will you die...’ “ (Eze. 33:11) Do not be deceived. This way of Christ’s is not hard. He himself has said, “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matt. 11:30)

V. 13 - “God will do away with both of them” - We are physical beings. As long as we remain alive, we will need food to keep our bodies going. At some point, either when we die or when Christ returns, the body will no longer need food. (See: Note 1, below) How does this connect with the “lawful... profitable” discussion in verse 12? All food is available to me. But eating too much, gaining weight, etc., is not profitable. I am responsible to take care of my body. It is profitable for me to stay healthy.

“Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body” - Does this seem like a huge logical jump? We (humans) like to compartmentalize, trying to believe that two different activities in our lives are not connected. Paul has led us from the subject of Christians defrauding one another (see: 1 Cor. 6:1-8), to unrighteousness (vss. 6:9-11), to immorality (vss. 6:12-13).
These are not disparate subjects, but all part of one message: Christians are to live differently than non-Christians. God has saved you. You are His own. No longer should you allow yourself, spirit and body, to be used for immoral purposes - whether immoral interpersonal relationships (6:1-8), or immoral behaviors and activities (6:9-11), or personal immorality (6:12-13).

Why? Because you are the Lord’s; you are Jesus’ own people.

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Note 1: This brings up an interesting dilemma. Our spiritual bodies do not need food because God is eliminating the physical body. So, in the new earth and city (Rev. 20 & 21) there are trees along the river which flows from the city, and the trees bear fruit. I always assumed the fruit was for food. “Eating” is not mentioned much in the book Revelations, so why the fruit? It probably is important, and interesting.

 

1 Corinthians 7:36-38 - More on Marriage and Family

36 But if any man thinks that he is acting unbecomingly toward his virgin daughter, if she is past her youth, and if it must be so, let him do what he wishes, he does not sin; let her marry.
37 But he who stands firm in his heart, being under no constraint, but has authority over his own will, and has decided this in his own heart, to keep his own virgin daughter, he will do well.
38 So then both he who gives his own virgin daughter in marriage does well, and he who does not give her in marriage will do better. 

Virgin Daughters

V. 36 - “But if any man thinks that he is acting unbecomingly toward his virgin daughter” - This may not be prurient. Paul recommends that no one get married, in order to serve the Lord unencumbered. In this case, the man is already married and has a daughter. The problem is the daughter is unmarried, and hanging around the house. When we see the words ‘acting unbecomingly’, our minds immediately jump to incestuous behavior.  I do not think this about fathers being tempted to do immoral things with his daughter. As she gets older, the chances of her getting married decrease. My best guess: the daughter is in love and wants to marry. If the father acts harshly, refusing to let his daughter marry, he is being overly strict or cruel, i.e., ‘acting unbecomingly’.

“let her marry” - Rather than force her into spinsterhood... It is not a sin to be married! It would be wrong to deny your daughter the chance for marriage and happiness because you (the father) insist she remain a virgin in order to serve the Lord as you believe needs to be done. If she wants to remain unmarried, it should be her decision - just as only she can believe and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior! You cannot believe for your child. (Oh, how I can attest to that! How I pray for my children, and long for them make the decision for Christ!)

V. 37 - “But he who stands firm in his heart, being under no constraint, but has authority over his own will” - Basically, if the father is confident that Christ is leading him in this direction, or is not wavering in this matter... There are no hard and fast rules in these matters.
This whole discussion is odd to our way of thinking. We do not run our families with same authority hierarchy as in those ancient cultures. Women did not run the families, the father had absolute control - not over just the women, but the children, boys and girls. (See note 1) Whether it was Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, or David

V. 38 - “both he who gives his own virgin daughter in marriage, and he who does not give her” - Again, no hard-and-fast rules here. Pray and take the matter to the Lord, and as He leads you, follow.

I don’t know if the the term “virgin daughter” is significant, other than if your daughter had already married and was now single (through divorce or loss) she was no longer under the father’s authority umbrella. The father could only give advice. I do not think this was addressing a family situation in which a daughter was no longer a “virgin daughter”, because she was having pre-marital sex. An unmarried daughter having pre-marital sex may be disowned and banned from the family (that’s my reading of the situation, I could be wrong).

“does well” - If you follow the Lord’s leading, and have prayerfully considered the situation your are doing all the Lord requires. He does not want us to strike out on our own, but to talk with Him to get the guidance needed to make proper decisions.

Personally, I believe that if Paul was talking about fathers having purient thoughts or actions towards their daughters, he would be appalled and would have written accordingly. Doing such things would have set Paul's hair on fire! He would have chastised them and warned them to flee from that sin. He would have prayed that the fathers would cease and desist (stop now, and stop doing it!). Advising them to let their daughters marry is a pretty mild reaction to an evil like having sex with your daughter!
Then, I decided to compare various translations of verse 7:36. I was surprised that several translations treat the "virgin" as the woman the man plans to marry. Which puts a slightly different twist to the verse.  So Paul, if writing about a man contemplating sexual encounters with his bride-to-be, would advise them to get married so nothing untoward happens.

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Note 1: There are many examples of women entrepreneurs in the Bible, and I do not mean the prostitutes. In Proverbs, there are verses in which the industrious woman works and invests, and becomes wealthy. She even travels to other countries to buy goods for her business. In Acts, some of the most influential contributors to the church’s early growth were successful business women. Some are mentioned in the apostles’ letters. Women were not restricted to doing only what a man tells her to do. I do not see women as powerless in the Christian households, mere pawns dominated by the men. It appears that women got more respect in the Christian milieu than in the pagan family settings around them. The concept that a woman could accept and believe in Christ as Lord and Savior on her own, by her own will and understanding was a major step in religions. No longer were women just an adjunct of their husbands’ wishes and beliefs. They did not need permission to believe in Christ!

1 Corinthians 7:25-35 - Demands of Marriage

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.
26 I think then that this is good in view of the present distress, that it is good for a man to remain as he is.
27 Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be released. Are you released from a wife? Do not seek a wife.
28 But if you marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Yet such will have trouble in this life, and I am trying to spare you.
29 But this I say, brethren, the time has been shortened, so that from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none;
30 and those who weep, as though they did not weep; and those who rejoice, as though they did not rejoice; and those who buy, as though they did not possess;
31 and those who use the world, as though they did not make full use of it; for the form of this world is passing away.
32 But I want you to be free from concern. One who is unmarried is concerned about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord;
33 but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife,
34 and his interests are divided. The woman who is unmarried, and the virgin, is concerned about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how she may please her husband.
35 This I say for your own benefit; not to put a restraint upon you, but to promote what is appropriate and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord. 

Good Advice

V. 25 - “Now concerning virgins I have no command of the Lord” - Paul’s comments for the next few verses are not commands from the Lord, but best advice as he sees it, at least. This section of the letter is advice to men, women, married and unmarried, and virgins. 

“who by the mercy of the Lord is trustworthy” - Paul is not bragging here. If the Lord can trust Paul with the message of salvation, then Paul must be trustworthy. Paul is an apostle, called by Jesus Christ personally. (See: Acts 9:1-31) He did not earn this, it was by the grace and mercy of Christ. (See: 1 Tim. 1:15-16)  

V. 26 - “it is good for a man to remain as he is” - In view of the turmoil the church and church members were going through - the persecution of Christians in the world at that time -  Paul’s advice is to make no big changes in your life. (See v. 24, above.) These Corinthians have become Christians, and as a result they are being persecuted by the authorities, especially the Jews. The Jews were not in power in very many cities, but they were more than willing to create trouble for believers. They had no trouble lying when making accusations. Look at what they said about Jesus at his ‘trial’. The Jewish leaders, scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, and priests knew what would spin-up the local governments. They would accuse Christians of being insurrectionists, rebels bent upon over-throwing the Roman rule. That accusation always got the local government's attention - because nobody wanted the Romans to come into quell the uprising. The Romans were brutal when they felt they needed to restore order.  

I don’t think this advice is aimed at men only - “good for a man” - but for believers in general.  

V. 27 - “Are you bound to a wife?” and “Are you released from a wife?” - Are you married to an unbeliever? Don’t get a divorce.  

Did your unbelieving wife divorce or leave you because of your new faith? If you have been left, don’t get remarried, or don’t marry a believer. Paul is not anti-marriage. He is focused, driven to be an apostle. He knows that a wife or a husband will require some of your attention.  

V. 28 - “But if you marry, you have not sinned” - Get married if you feel the need. It is not a sin, nor violates any commandment from the Lord. God instituted marriage, How could it be wrong?  

“Yet such will have trouble in this life, and I am trying to spare you” - Paul knows that your attention will be split between your spouse and Christ. 

V. 29-31 - “the time has been shortened” - I think Paul looked at the world around him, the persecution the church was suffering, the evil that was being done - and figured the Lord would be returning any moment. Paul was obviously wrong, but I feel the same way now. Look at the evil being perpetrated: abortion - millions of babies killed. Consider the insane “woke culture” and “cancel culture” - absolutely asinine decisions being made almost daily. People trying to erase history because it doesn’t meet the ‘woke’ paradigm - so no one will be able to learn from history. There cities and states seriously considering ways to de-legitimize Christianity, to make it illegal. “The end is near” has a ring of truth in it. We may be as wrong as Paul was about the timing, but can understand his feeling.  

“those who have wives... those who weep... and those who rejoice... and those who buy... and those who use the world...” - Don’t make any long term plans. Paul lists five (5) examples of things we do in life that take up our time and energy. I don’t think he is telling us not to do these - to become hermits living in a cave, looking out over the horizon for the signs of Christ's return. Live your life, day-to-day, knowing that Chris can come at any moment. Don’t let your plans for your life replace Christ as the center of your life.  

V. 32 - “I want you to be free from concern” - Don’t let your daily life be the center of your life. That is hard to say, let alone live up to.  

“One who is unmarried” - All of the concerns and attention can be directed at the work of the Lord. 

V. 33-34 - “one who is married... his interests are divided” - If you are married, do not neglect your wife. You are responsible to love and care for her. It is not a bad thing to be married, and therefore not able to give full attention to the Lord, just a fact of life.  

“The woman who is unmarried, and the virgin” - Just as with the bachelor, the single, unmarried woman can focus her service on Christ. Again, being married is not a sin, and being single does not mean automatic sainthood. 

“She may be holy in body and spirit” - That is the goal of every believer, married or not. Peter put it quite clearly,”but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written: “You shall be holy for I AM Holy.” (1 Pet. 1:15-16) 

“ one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how she may please her husband.“ - If you are married, do not neglect your husband. You are responsible to love and care for him. It is not a bad thing to be married, and therefore not able to give full attention to the Lord, just a fact of life. 

V. 35 - “This I say for your own benefit; not to put a restraint upon you” - Paul is not trying to “cramp your style.” He is reminding us that it is the Lord Christ whom we serve. He is worthy of our worship and dedication. 

“to promote what is appropriate and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord.” - That’s the aim of this instruction from Paul.

 

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1 Corinthians 7:17-24 - As You Were

17 Only, as the Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each, in this manner let him walk. And so I direct in all the churches.
18 Was any man called when he was already circumcised? He is not to become uncircumcised. Has anyone been called in uncircumcision? He is not to be circumcised.
19 Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matters is the keeping of the commandments of God.
20 Each man must remain in that condition in which he was called.
21 Were you called while a slave? Do not worry about it; but if you are able also to become free, rather do that.
22 For he who was called in the Lord while a slave, is the Lord’s freedman; likewise he who was called while free, is Christ’s slave.
23 You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.
24 Brethren, each one is to remain with God in that condition in which he was called.

You Were Bought With A Price

V. 17 - “Only, as the Lord has assigned to each one” - It is possible this verse should be included in the previous section regarding marriage. I think this verse applies equally to the subject to be discussed here. Each of us had a life before we met Jesus, before we accepted and believed in Him.

“in this manner let him walk“ - That is, if you were married when you were saved, stay married. If you were single when saved, stay single.
Paul is not teaching that each of us is assigned a particular job or life - you were not born to be an ax murderer, nor a super-villain. You are who you are and where you are in life based on the choices you have made. You can accept or reject God’s guidance. Your decisions have led to where you are now. You have a new life in Christ; you do not need to stay in that life, living in sin. If you have been a criminal up to the point you accepted Jesus Christ, do not continue on that evil path. You can use the skills you have obtained to help others rather than hurt and destroy.

Do not give up what you have been doing (unless it is sinful and hurts or destroys others). If you were a school teacher, continue to teach. If you were a brick mason, lay it on. But, don't continue to steal or lie, or hurt people.

V. 18 - “Was any man called when he was already circumcised? ... Has anyone been called in uncircumcision?” - Don’t try to change the past, eliminate what has been done. (I have no idea how you would undo a circumcision!) However, with respect to Jews and Gentiles: when you ‘met Christ’, and believed in Him as Lord and Savior - those designations no longer are relevant. Being a Jew gains you nothing; it is the Lord Christ who has given His life as a sacrifice for your sin. Jewish-ness has not saved you. Being a Gentile has not condemned you; God loves you and sent His Son to save you. We are called to not live in the past. Jesus is our Savior, and our new life. 

In the United States at this time, we are experiencing what called “cancel culture”. Some people are trying to wipe clean the history books. They claim to be “woke”! They want to erase from history books, from the public square, from society in general, things done in the past. As if tearing down a statue of Robert E. Lee will eliminate what was done in the slave-states prior to the Civil War. They want to tear down to the ground and build anew. This was the aim of the Jacobin movement during the French Revolution. The old, bad thoughts and practices will be torn down and replaced with new, good thoughts. By the way, we will destroy you and your home and business if you don’t comply. Our past actions may not be laudatory, but we cannot be confined by them. We can learn, and change - through the leading of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Destroying the records of the past prevents us from learning what was evil and what was good. 

Paul is instructing you to accept the new life and purpose Jesus has given you. Use it to build upon, and improve your life and those around you. You are saved! You can say, “I once was lost. Now I am saved!” Jesus has given you the opportunity to share the Gospel that others may come to know Him also. This is not tearing down, destroying in order to rebuild. It is a chance to start anew, living for Jesus. There is a difference between the two ways of living - destroy/rebuild vs. new life in Christ. (See 2 Cor 5:17) One method tries to eliminate from memory what has gone before, the other knows we can learn from that time and thank God that He has given us a chance of new life in Christ. Thank God! Jesus has saved me from my sin. I know what I have done, and be sensitive so as to not fall back into it again.

V. 19 - “Circumcision is nothing” - What an astounding statement, considering it comes from a devout Jew, a Pharisee! This emphasizes what Paul has stated previously that it does not matter what you were, only what you are now. You are a child of God. You are a believer in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. You have been changed. You have new commandments from Jesus. Follow them.

V. 20 - “Each man must remain in that condition” - The NASB notes that “condition” can also be translated “called”. The big message here is that Jesus Christ has saved you, and is now sending you out in the world from which you came to be his messenger to that world. If you were a Jew when you accepted Christ, now you are a Christian Jew. If you were an engineer, now you are a Christian engineer. The engineering doesn't change; you have since you are now in Christ. Go be an engineer, giving glory to God and Jesus, letting your faith in Him be known. The physical parameters of the universe remain the same. Your spiritual condition has changed.

A caveat that comes to mind is that if your way of life, or making a living violates God’s moral laws - that way of life must change. If you were a bank robber, and are now saved - you must give up robbing banks. If you were are prostitute - Christ in your life dictates a career change.

All other things - job, ethnicity, family, country, education, etc., - are not important when compared to salvation offered to you.

V. 21 - “Were you called while a slave?” - Would you give up life eternal with Jesus to be able to cling to something here on earth. Being a slave of another man does not prevent you from having Jesus Christ in your life. All this you see around you is of little importance compared to knowing Jesus. Being a slave is not good. We all want to be free. Being a slave is not important for salvation to be yours.

On the other hand, if your master/owner grants you freedom, jump on it! This is a hard concept for us to grasp. Slavery has such a horrible history, especially here in the United States. I suspect that the slavery here was no worse than slave conditions anywhere or anytime. The juxtaposition of ‘freedom’ here in the U.S. with slavery being the opposite of freedom makes it seem more odious. I am not denigrating the horribleness of slavery. Other cultures and times accepted slavery as a way of life. These places and people did not champion FREEDOM! Our country broke free from England and claimed all people to be free. Yet, we allowed slavery to exist. It took a war, and thousands upon thousands of deaths to establish in fact what we espoused in words. Although slavery was officially banished, some of the thoughts and ways of slavery persisted, and oppression of the blacks was tolerated.

V. 22 - “For he who was called in the Lord” - It does not matter if you were a slave or not. Now you are Christ’s own. You are free in Christ. You are now free from sin, that is the penalty of sin as well as the coercion of sin in the life. (See: Luk. 4:18; John 8:32, 36; Rom. 6:20, 8:2, 8:21; 1 Cor. 9:1; Gal. 4:7, 5:1; Heb. 2:15) Free from sin, but beholden to Christ who saves you from your sin. You are not your own, you are Christ’s. He has paid the price - death on the cross for you. (See: Rom. 6:20; John 8:34, 15:15; 1 Cor. 12:27, 15:23; 2 Cor. 10:7)

It does not matter where you are from, what you were before. There is no difference between us when we are in Christ. We have all been purchased from sin by Christ. We could not do this ourselves. We do not have the power to overcome sin on our own. So now we are all the same - we are His own. (See: 1 Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:11)

V. 23 - “You were bought with a price” - Christ’s life, death, burial, and resurrection.

“Do not become slaves of men.” - We are required to do what Jesus Christ tells us to do. When men begin making rules on what you have to do to be saved, these rules almost always have the effect of taking us further away from Jesus. When we follow their lead, we become their followers and not the Lord’s.
Jesus died for your sin, the pastor did not, nor the priest, bishop, pope, nor any of the deacons or elders. When any of these start piling on requirements (maybe not all at once) they begin to ‘own’ you.

V. 24 - “Each one is to remain with God in that condition in which he was called.” - Don’t make any big moves. (You’ve already made one - you accepted Christ as Lord and Savior. Can’t get much bigger than that.)

1 Corinthians 7:10-17 - Married to an Unbeliever

10 But to the married I give instructions, not I, but the Lord, that the wife should not leave her husband
11 (but if she does leave, she must remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband should not divorce his wife.
12 But to the rest I say, not the Lord, that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he must not divorce her.
13 And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away.
14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband; for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy.
15 Yet if the unbelieving one leaves, let him leave; the brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us to peace.
16 For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?
17 Only, as the Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each, in this manner let him walk. And so I direct in all the churches.

Ma-Widge!

(See note 1)

V. 10 - “But to the married I give instructions, not I, but the Lord” - Paul continues the discussion of believers and marriage. You already know his opinion that it is better to be single and serve the Lord, but if temptation toward sexual immorality becomes a problem for the single Christian, then marriage is the solution (staying faithful to the spouse in that marriage is a significant part of the solution). The rest of the this chapter is about living married.

Previously (v. 6) Paul indicated his instructions were in the form of good advice. He is not telling people to stay single no-matter-what, nor is he telling everyone to get married.

“the wife should not leave her husband” - I suspect the question was posed to Paul: Now that I am a Christian and am the Lord’s should I leave my spouse? Being dedicated to the Lord, should husbands and wives separate in order to wholly serve Jesus Christ? See the discussion for 1 Cor. 7:5, above. As I said there, this dilemma may be the result of misunderstanding Christ’s teaching about marriage in heaven.

The reason this is a command not a suggestion is that Jesus clearly indicated God did not approve of divorce, (See: Matt. 5:31; 19:3-12; Mark 10:2-12).

V. 11 - “but if she does leave, she must remain unmarried” - A parenthetical insert.

“the husband should not divorce his wife” - A continuation of the command in verse 10. It is not clear to me if this command is aimed at couples where both are believers. It seems aimed at believer/non-believer marriages. It would be easy to think it is for believing couples since Paul addresses “unequally yoked” marriages in the next few verses. However, why would “believing couples” feel the need to divorce because of their faith?

V. 12-13 - “But to the rest I say, not the Lord” - Let me assume the commands in verses 10-11 are to “believer/non-believer” marriages. First, a believer is not to divorce a believing spouse (if at all possible). Especially there should be no divorce because of theological or religious reasons.

But to the rest... Remember, Christians are a minority in the world in the first century A.D. (This is probably between 35-60 A.D.) Most people in Greece have no idea what the church of Jesus Christ is all about. It is likely that a woman will have heard the Good News and given her life to Christ, but her husband has not. Ditto for a man to have heard, but the wife not so. This could create relationship problems in a household.

“if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever” - Just because you have accepted Christ as savior, that is no reason to divorce your wife who has not yet believed. If she wishes to stay with you, let it be so. Remember, Paul sees this is a command from the Lord.

V. 13 - “a woman who has an unbelieving husband” - Just because you have accepted Christ as savior, that is no reason to divorce your husband who has not yet believed. If he wishes to stay with you, let it be so. Remember, Paul sees this is a command from the Lord.

V. 14 - “the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife” - Wowsers! The wife is a child of God. (1 John 3:1) The unbelieving husband is not. This does not mean the husband is saved. “Sanctification”: The dominant meaning is separation from the secular and sinful, and setting apart for a sacred purpose. In the OT, things, places, times, people were sanctified, i.e., consecrated to holy purposes - usually only in a ceremonial and legal sense, to remind the Jews of the need for spiritual cleansing and the grace of God. In the NT, people are called to consecrate themselves to God, that is the inward cleansing work of God and Holy Spirit. We cannot be in God’s life if we are not holy (“sanctified”); we cannot live with Him in eternity if we are not pure and holy. Christ’s sacrifice did that for we who believe and accept Him as Lord and Savior.

Marriage is not a ‘man-made’ artifact. It is instituted by God. (Gen. 2:21-24) A possible meaning of this verse is the unbelieving husband should not be considered as a heathen by the church members; i.e., because the woman is saved the husband is to be treated with some respect. This sounds a little goofy, because Christians should not treat the unsaved with disdain. How can we possibly expect someone to turn to Christ if we treat that person like dirt because they are not saved?

“the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband” - The same line of reasoning applies to an unbelieving wife of a Christian man. The married couple are now set apart for each other - i.e., sanctified. I do not believe this means the unbelieving spouse is ‘saved’ - cleansed from sin and part of Christ’s body, and body of believers.

“for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy” - And I have no idea how children of Christians are ‘holy’ - again they are not saved by Christ until they commit to belief and acceptance of Him as Lord. ( I need to discuss this with a pastor... )
Ezra 9:2 indicates the children of Israel were a “holy race” - obviously that does not mean they were sinless and holy as the Lord is holy! They had been set apart to be God’s own people, and witness to the world the power and majesty of God the Father. They were to stay set apart, but they intermingled with the heathen nations who rejected God. As a result they became anathema to the Lord. Well, maybe that is a bit too strong. God was very upset with them, and disciplined them, but was not so angry as to wipe them out completely.

So maybe this verse indicates that children of Christian parents are set apart from the rest of the world in that God’s care and love He has for their parents gets reflected upon the children. They have ‘advantages’ the other children do not.

V. 15 - “Yet if the unbelieving one leaves, let him leave” - If the unbelieving spouse decides they ‘just can’t take any more of this’, and so decides to divorce or separate themselves, Paul says let them go.

“Not under bondage in such cases” - The believing husband or wife is under no obligation to stay married in this circumstance. I do not know if this statement negates verse 11 above, i.e., the wife should not remarry if the unbelieving husband wants out of the marriage, and vice versa. I suspect it does not. If the non-believing spouse walks out or demands a divorce, don’t fight it, let them go in peace. Because, “God has called us to peace.”

V. 16 - “For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband?” - Showing love and compassion to the unbelieving spouse may convince them ‘there might be something to this new found faith in Jesus’. Being a loving witness for Christ may soften their hearts so they will come to Christ and also see Him as Savior and Lord!

V. 17 - “Only, as the Lord has assigned to each one” - It is possible this verse should be included in the previous section regarding marriage. Each of us had a life before we met Jesus, before we accepted and believed in Him.

“in this manner let him walk“ - That is, if you were married when you were saved stay married. If you were single when saved, stay single. Paul is not teaching that each of us is assigned a particular job or life - you were not born to be an ax murderer, nor a super-villain. You are who you are and where you are in life based on the choices you have made. You can accept or reject God’s guidance. Either way will lead to where you are now. If you have been a criminal up to the point you accepted Jesus Christ, do not continue on that evil path. You can use the skills you have obtained to help others rather than hurt and destroy.

Do not give up what you have been doing (unless it is sinful and hurts or destroys others).

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Note 1: (Reference: the movie: Princess Bride )
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1 Corinthians 7:7-9 - If Possible

7 Yet I wish that all men were even as I myself am. However, each man has his own gift from God, one in this manner, and another in that.
8 But I say to the unmarried and to widows that it is good for them if they remain even as I.
9 But if they do not have self-control, let them marry; for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

Each Man Has His One Gift From God

V. 7 - “I wish that all men were even as I myself am” - From this it appears that Paul was celibate, a confirmed bachelor. His whole life was dedicated to serving the Lord - first as a zealous Pharisee, and later, finally, as a zealous apostle and teacher of the Word of Salvation in Jesus Christ our Lord. I don’t think Paul thought it was good for every person to be single and celibate. He thought it would be good for every person to be so dedicated to service for Christ that they would not need to be married.

“However, each man has his own gift from God” - This is not ‘One-Size-Fits-All’. He did not denigrate those who are married and believe in Christ. God has a wonderful plan for your life. Live that plan for Him.

V. 8 - “But I say to the unmarried” - If you can, stay single (whether unmarried or widowed) so that your work for the Lord will be unhindered by family responsibilities. Paul is not downgrading the needs of your families. He knows that when you have a family the needs - wife, husband, children, house and home - will consume part of your attention and time. These cannot be denied or ignored. As a result your attention to the work of the Lord has competition from your family. So, in Paul’s opinion - coming from a hardworking apostle - it would be better for the church if you all were single-mindedly working just like him.

V. 9 - “if they do not have self-control” - same advice as in verses 3-6, above. Immorality - sexual sin whether single or married - is unacceptable.

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1 Cor 7:1-6 - Chap. 7 - Introduction to Married Life

Chap. 7 - Outline
7:1-6 - Marry or Immorality - your choice
7:7-9 - If Possible
7:10-16 - Married to an Unbeliever
7:17-24 - As You Were
7:25-35 - Demands of Marriage
7:36-38 - Virgin Daughters
7:39-40 - Widows and Re-Marriage

Introduction:

The church in Corinth wrote to Paul for advice or guidance. What were their questions? Perhaps the Corinthian church wrote concerning marriage - were Christians to marry, or should they stay single, or if married should they separate - but it most likely was not about the subjects discussed in the early part of this letter. The following list briefly shows the subjects chapters 7-16 cover.

ch. 7 - primarily deals with marriage;
ch. 8 - ‘liberty’, or using your freedom in Christ correctly;
chs. 9-11- expound on Paul’s ministry to them;
ch. 12 - the church as a organization or body of Christ;
ch. 13 - love;
ch. 14 - prophecy and tongues;
ch. 15 - Christ’s resurrection, and
ch. 16 - closing thoughts.

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1 Corinthians 7:1-6 -Marriage

1 Now concerning the things about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman.
2 But because of immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband.
3 The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband.
4 The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.
5 Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
6 But this I say by way of concession, not of command.

Who Has Control?

V. 1 - “Now concerning the things about which you wrote” - Paul begins to answer questions presented to him from the Corinthian church. We must infer from the letter what the questions Paul was being asked...

“it is good for a man not to touch a woman” - I do not think Paul was teaching isolation of men from women. (This is not rehashing Mosaic law: like dealing with a leper, or touching a woman during her menstrual cycle, or touching a dead body (See: Lev. 11:31, 32; 13:45; 14:2, 3; 15:19, 25,33; 21:1, 11; 22:4; Num. 5:2; 6:6.) Paul was warning against romantic or sexual involvement. Both men and women can be distracted from the Lord during a romantic encounter with the opposite sex. This is fleshed out more clearly in the following verses.

V. 2 - “because of immoralities” - Men and women are attracted to each other. This is the way God designed us (See: Gen. 2:18-25). There is nothing immoral or sinful about this mutual attraction. The problem is not in the attraction, but in the way humans meddle or pervert the plan. It is not a surprise that sex is a big business - pornography, prostitution, etc. - or that non-criminal sexual acts are prevalent in every society. It is difficult to write about this without sounding prudish, or stodgy, or puritanical. I do not mean that males simply talking with females turn into slavering louts, or that the females become harlots luring the males into sin. Paul is saying it is difficult to be single-minded, focused on the Lord’s work in some situations.

“each man is to have his own wife” - The solution: get married! Paul is teaching/preaching monogamy. We can see from the OT scripture that it was not uncommon for a man to have several wives and/or concubines - AT THE SAME TIME! 

“each woman is to have her own husband” - The solution: get married! I haven't noticed that a woman would have several husbands - at the same time - in scripture.

And I think these were not unusual situations all over the ancient world. My personal understanding is that God intended a one-man-one-woman relationship, or marriage. And like so many things we touch, it (marriage) gets marred by our sin. This discussion is not connected to divorce or remarrying.

V. 3 - “The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife and likewise also the wife to her husband” - Sexual intercourse within a marriage is neither immoral or sinful. It is as God intended. I am not sure that I see that as a “duty” that has to be done, a “chore” or “task” that must be checked off as completed. A husband shows his love to his wife by this intimate act. The wife shows her love by providing the way to keep the man’s mind from wandering into sinful thoughts or relations. Their love for each other supports them and keeps them from sexual sin.

V. 4 - “The wife does not have authority over her own body... the husband does not have authority over his own body” - This is not an authoritarian, master-slave relationship. This is to be a mutual surrendering of self to another. Our society seems to treat sex as a simple physical function - see almost any movie or TV show. (Two people meet in a bar and are strangers; the next thing you know they’ve hopped into bed for sex, hop out of bed and go about their business as if nothing special has occurred.) We try to pretend that sex is merely satisfying a physical attraction or need. We try to pretend it is not what God has intended for us.

V. 5 - “Stop depriving one another” - Addressing a problem that may have come about between married couples. This may be a result of misunderstanding Jesus’ teaching, or a misunderstanding of what it means to be spiritual and a member of the body of Christ while here on earth.

In the first instance, we know Jesus Christ taught that when the kingdom of God is fully realized there will be no marriage between man and woman. (See: Matt. 22:30; Mk. 12:23; Lk 20:34-35) Does that mean there should be no marriage now here on earth before the Lord returns in power and glory? I do not think that is what Jesus is teaching. We will be His and there will be no need for marriage in His kingdom. More than that i cannot guess.

In the second instance, I suspect that people were drawing the conclusion that since we are now in Christ and Christ is in us, we should not be having sex, subjecting Christ to those physical, emotional and spiritual activities. In other words, ‘defiling’ the body of Christ with our bodies. This is taking the teaching from chapter six (1 Cor.6:15) and applying it to the marriage bed. Sexual immorality with a harlot is not in the same category as sexual intercourse with your spouse. Unmarried sex with a harlot is a sin. Sex with your lawfully wedded spouse is not. Plain and simple.

“and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control“ - If you cannot control your urges, those sexual desires lead you into sin. Sexual desire is extremely strong. I do not think it is only emotional, but far deeper because it is the way life is extended. All animals and humans (Humans are not animals, even though we eat, breathe, live, die, and procreate as animals do - we are more! God has made us so). Know that sex is important for life to go on. It doesn’t mean you will die if you don’t have sex, but the human race will die out if we don’t. Rather than trying to tamp down those natural urges, get married and enjoy them with your spouse. Rather than give in to the sexual desires and do it any time with any one, get married and avoid the sin, and the penalty of sin.

V. 6 - “But this I say by way of concession, not of command” - Paul is not telling them they must get married and must have marital intercourse. It is better for them to be married and satisfy their desires within that marriage than stay single and fall into sin. We are not ignoring that it is possible to be married and yet sin outside of marriage. He knows that sexual sin is less likely when needs are being met within the marriage.

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