I Corinthians 7
Introduction:
Probably the most
difficult part of this chapter is discovering what the question the Corinthians
asked Paul. He doesn’t tell us what
the question is, just the answer.
So we must look at the answer to discover the question.
It is very important
to know that the overall subject of the chapter is worship, not marriage or
sexual relations. Years ago, I have
having problems with this chapter.
I was pastoring at Salem Baptist Church at the time.
I asked your Grandpa Cecil about the meaning of this passage, and one of
the first things he said to me was that the subject to the chapter was worship.
After I thought about it for a while, I discovered that was the truth,
and that thought clarified what the chapter was all about.
In my studies of
this chapter, I think the overall question was something like this:
“Paul, we know you are single and that God has greatly used you to serve
Him and be a blessing to many people.
Marriage, in your case, isn’t good.
But the scripture tells us in Genesis 1:26-28 that God not only created a
man, He also created a woman. He
told the first couple to be fruitful, to multiply and to fill the earth with
people. We take God’s command to
the first couple as also applying to us.
This, of course, means a man must touch a woman, and a woman must touch a
man. But this is completely
physical. We are saved, yet at
times there are feelings of physical necessity that come upon us, and we don’t
know how to handle those feelings. We want to be spiritual in all things, but
don’t understand how we can be both spiritual and physical at the same time.
How can we worship God and at the same time take care of these physical
necessities? Can you help us?”
The chapter seems to
divide itself into three natural divisions.
1.
Verse 1-9 - Is it right or wrong to be married?
2.
Verse 10-24 - If one spouse is saved and the other is lost, should they remain
married?
3.
Verse 25-40 - Should the unmarried (virgins) marry?
The overall subject
of I Corinthians is worship and how the physical things of reproduction apply to
worship. I know some will object to
this subject, but the whole of the Bible is about worshipping God.
Everything we do should be arranged around our worshipping God.
Verse 1
Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to
touch a woman.
It is good for a man
to remain pure in both mind and body, to dedicate himself completely to God all
the days of his life. Life is very
short, and is over before you know it.
Having a wife and children necessarily means your attentions will be
divided from God by them.
Paul isn’t saying
that marriage is bad, because he also said in Hebrews 13:4,
“Marriage is honorable in all and the bed
undefiled...” Paul admits that
it is better in the present distress (this present troubled life, where Satan
rules and sin abounds) to remain unmarried.
Verse 2
Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let
every woman have her own husband.
Nevertheless:
Even though Paul admits it is good and honorable to remain unmarried,
there is nothing wrong with being married in this present troubled life, where
Satan rules and sin abounds. There
are physical necessities of this body, necessities God has placed there for the
propagation of the race, and for enjoyment of each other.
It is not wrong to recognize those necessities and fulfill them in proper
order.
All down through the
years, there have been those “religious” people who claim that celibacy is what
God expects. Some religious organizations have been made celibacy mandatory.
And in those organizations, sexual crimes are on the rampage.
There have been other religious organizations that forced celibacy upon
their congregations to the point there was no children being born, thus those
groups faded away. Other religious
organizations have said they practiced celibacy, only to be discovered that
their physical practices were in secret.
The way to keep the
church pure and the individual lives pure is for every man to have his own wife
and every wife to have her own husband.
They would satisfy each other in cleanliness.
There would be scandal in the church because of sexual improprieties.
Polygamy and divorce are not allowed, even though both are present in the
church. Both polygamy and divorce
are allowed because people were saved in those conditions and they can’t go back
and change what has happened in the past.
This is one reason the ministry has a qualification of having only one
wife. Not one wife at a time, or
many wives all at the same time.
Verse 3
Let the husband render unto the wife due
benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.
The husband and wife
are to care for the physical, mental, and emotional necessities of each other.
Paul doesn’t want married people to think they should disregard their
marriage vows, or that they shouldn’t enjoy the company of their spouse.
There is nothing sacred about a couple who are married, yet live
separately in the same house.
Verse 4
The wife hath not power of her own body,
but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body,
but the wife.
Both the husband and
wife lose the power of their own bodies when they are married.
Verse 5
Defraud ye not one the other, except it
be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer;
and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.
Sometimes it may be
necessary for husband and wife to separate themselves for special purposes, but
this is not the norm. Separation
will only be with the consent of both parties, and it won’t be for very long.
This passage indicates that the husband and wife should be separated from
each other no longer than they would be separated from food.
For most people, this separation from food would last a very short time,
but it is possible to live without food for a week.
Most of us have enough “stored up” to live a week.
: -)
After the time of
separation, it is necessary to come together again, lest Satan get an advantage
of the situation by causing lustful thoughts and actions.
It is plain that Paul believed married people are to satisfy each other,
and there is nothing wrong with so doing.
Verse 6
But I speak this by permission, and not
of commandment.
It is hard to say
whether this verse applies to verse 1-5 or to verse 7-9.
In either case, the advice is good and should be heeded.
There is no contradiction in either case.
It could be that Paul is referring only to verse 5.
It does seem to me that this verse refers more to verses 7-9 than to
verses 1-5.
Paul declares that
he has no Old Testament passage (most of the New Testament wasn’t written) to
confirm these thoughts. What he is
saying, he is saying because it seems good to him.
I do not think this
verse has anything to say about inspiration of the scriptures, as others have
claimed. Paul has been inspired of
God to give his opinion, and he gives it with the complete permission of God.
Verse 7
For I would that all men were even as I
myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and
another after that.