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.
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.
***
No comments:
Post a Comment