1 Corinthians 7.1-16 - Sermon - 150531PM@TBC

INTRODUCTION

Turn to 1 Corinthians 7 – pause – Let’s pray…

1. Segway:

Let’s start with a short quiz, “Is that in the Bible.”

 "When God closes a door, He opens a window."  This inspiring quote is a variation from a line in the 1965 Julie Andrews film The Sound of Music.
 "Always let your conscience be your guide.” The song from the original Disney Pinocchio movie.

 "Neither a borrower nor a lender be."  This saying originates in the Shakespearean tragedy Hamlet. Polonius, the older counselor of Prince Hamlet's uncle, King Claudius, is in the midst of dispensing advice to the prince when he speaks forth the famous line: "This above all things: to thine own self be true" (Hamlet, 3.1.81). Among his platitudes, he also says, "Neither a borrower nor a lender be" (3.1.78) — another saying occasionally mistaken for Scripture.

 “It is good for a man not touch with a woman.”  1 Corinthians 7:1

2. Context:

Before: 6.13 “The food’s for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy them both.”  No—

15  Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and will be resurrected.  

‎‎16  Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.”                    ^‎‎17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.             

18  Flee sexual immorality. 

3. Next Statement to evaluate:

“It is good for a man not touch (have sexual relations) with a woman.” 

This goes to the opposite extreme of chapter 6.  Can you imagine the tensions between the chapter six hedonistic group and the chapter seven ascetic group?  Some might have been wondering who was right.

After:  How does salvation do to our stations and situations in life?  “Let each one remain in that situation in life in which he was called” (7.20 net^[1])

TS: Paul is going to answer the fallacy of this statement and show some ways…

 Big Idea: Our relationships should be used to promote holiness  and the Gospel.

 I. Concerning the things you wrote (1-6)

A. The Corinthian Statement (1)

Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me:

^“It is good for a man not to touch a woman.”

Touch: 

One view: Paul is saying that being single is a good thing. (comp. w/ 1 Tim. 4:3 giving heed doctrines of demons, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods ...^[2])

Prefered view: This is a Corinthian saying that was an overreaction to the problem of sexual immorality.

“Two reasons stand out for thinking that here Paul quotes a Corinthian slogan, as he did in 1:12; 6:12a, 13a–c, 18b:

he will command sexual intercourse within marriage (7:2–5), so that the statement, “[It’s] good for a man not to touch a woman,” hardly represents his own judgment.

Paul will carefully balance his statements between male and female in 7:2–5, 10–16, 33–34, so that the lack of such a balance in the foregoing statement (“[It’s] good for a man …”) points to a Corinthian slogan.” ^[3]

B. Paul’s Instructions for the Married (2-5)

Calvin comments, ‘the question is not as to the reasons for which marriage has been instituted, but as to the persons for whom it is necessary.’ ^[4]

READ 2-6

² Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. ³ Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, 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 the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.

⁵ Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.  ⁶ But I say this as a concession, not as a commandment.

1. Each has the other (2)

² Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband.

sexual immorality  “…a term for all kinds of sexual immorality, often in the case of men’s having sex with prostitutes…”^[5]

A sin to be avoided.  A reason Jesus died on the cross.

It was not a determined total abstinence, but a God designed marriage that helped guard against sin.

A loving marriage relationship one of the things that help maintain holiness in our personal lives.

2) Each fulfill their duty (3) ³ Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband.

nasb—duty to; kjv--render to his wife the affection; rsv, esv--her conjugal rights; niv84—marital duty; wuest—that which is due her; net—her sexual rights; nlt—her sexual needs;

G3782 - o-fā-lā': that which is owed; metaph. dues: specifically of conjugal duty

Notice the mutuality and equality in the way this verse is worded.

“His verb is the present imperative, which [The original language] indicates the habitual duty.

It is significant that he stresses the importance of giving rather than getting. Marriage is the giving of oneself to another.”^[6]

3) Each does not have authority (4)  ⁴ The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.

It is important to note the tone of 1) giving rather than taking and 2) the mutuality and equality.

“Most [1^st century] non-Christian husbands would have been horrified at the notion that their bodies belonged to their wives.” --Craig Blomberg in NIV Application Commentary

4) Concession to the general rule (5-6) ⁵ Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.  ⁶ But I say this as a concession, not as a commandment.

This is an option not a command.

concession, permission (kjv) G4774 - syggnōmē: lit., "a joint opinion, mind or understanding" (sun, "with," gnome, "an opinion"), "a fellow feeling," hence, "a concession, allowance," is translated "permission," in contrast to "commandment," in 1Cr 7:6. --Vine's

First, if both partners agree.

Second, for the sake of some unusually concentrated period of prayer (some mss. add “and fasting.”)

Third, for a limited time (normal sexual relations should be resumed quickly, so that Satan may not take advantage of their lack of self-control).

Deprive --Paul can call the withholding of the body an act of fraud (apostereite)[7]

 APPLICATION:

“Sexual love is a beautiful tool to build with, not a weapon to fight with.” ^[8]

Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; -- Hebrews 13.4b 

“The satisfaction of our God-given sexual desires within the context of marriage is wholesome and good.”  ----Bob Deffingbaugh in True Spirituality: A Study in 1 Corinthians

TS: Paul’s discussion of marriage can leave singles feeling left out. 

What does Paul say to singles?

 II.  Paul’s Wish for the Single (7-9)

READ 7-9

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

1. “Paul is single, and he likes it that way.”  --Craig Blomberg in NIV Application Commentary

2. It is good to be single.  (In 7:32-40 Paul will give explain benefits of being single, so we don’t need to consider them here.)

3. Being single is not for everybody.  It is fine to want to get married.

Burn--“With passion” is added by most translators to give their understanding of the sense.  It is not in the Greek, but fits the sense of the passage well.  But the verb could be understood of burning in Gehenna (Bruce)^[9] (cf. 6:9–10)

“It is not good that the man should be alone” (Gen. 2:18) is generally true for most people; but some have been called to a life of singleness for one reason or another. Their singleness is not “subspiritual” or “superspiritual.” It all depends on the will of God.^[10]

APPLICATION:

Singles, you should use the advantages of being single for Gospel work.

 (A little more than 1/3 of the adults at TBC are single. (not including minor children) )

We need to respect and intentionally include singles.  Being single is an honorable situation with some real advantages.

TS: 

Given the positive aspects of being single         and

In light of what Paul said in 6:16 about becoming one flesh with an unbeliever

some may wonder if they should stay married.

What does Paul say to the married?

 III. Paul’s Command for Those Married (10-16)

A. Those Married to believers (10-11)

READ 10-11

¹⁰ Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord:

A wife is not to depart from her husband. ¹¹ But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband.

And a husband is not to divorce his wife.

1. Not to depart / divorce

Command (nkjv),   instructions (nasb), charge (esv) G3853 - paraggellō:  lit., "to announce beside" or "to pass on an announcement," hence denotes "to give the word, order, give a charge, command,” --Vine’s

depart

divorce G863 - aphiēmi: to send away; “to send by” or “to cause to go past” both lit. and figure. ^[11]

I command, yet not I but the Lord

This was specifically taught by the Lord Jesus.

TURN TO à Matthew 19.4

³ The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?"

⁴ And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ ⁵ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and ethe two shall become one flesh’? ⁶ So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”

⁷ They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?”

⁸ He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your hwives, but from the beginning it was not so. ⁹ And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.”

¹⁰ His disciples said to Him, “If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry.”^[12]

Paul does not mention the exception Jesus allowed on the grounds of fornication (Matt. 5:32; 19:9).  But he is not writing a systematic treatise on divorce. He is answering specific questions.^[13]

2) If she (he) does…

reconciled G2644 - katallassō: properly denotes "to change, exchange" (especially of money); hence, of persons, "to change from enmity to friendship, to reconcile."

But if she does envisages the possibility that she will disobey the injunction. Or, as Conzelmann thinks, the [Greek verb tense] aorist may refer to an already existing situation. ^[14]

We are to seek reconciliation whenever we are able.

2 Corinthians 5:18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

(APPLICATION) “Divorce” is a word Christian couples should not say to each other. 

“Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” Matthew 19:6

“We are prone to think that a change in circumstances is always the answer to a problem. But the problem is usually within us and not around us. The heart of every problem is the problem in the heart. I have watched couples go through divorce and seek happiness in new circumstances, only to discover that they carried their problems with them. A Christian lawyer once told me, ‘About the only people who profit from divorces are the attorneys!’ ”^[15]

B. Those Married to Unbelievers (12-16)

READ 14-16

¹⁴ For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise kyour children would be unclean, but now they are holy. ¹⁵ But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us lto 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?

But to the rest I, not the Lord, say  --“…whereas in v. 10 he could cite an express command of Christ, here he has no such express command and he makes the situation clear. But that does not mean that what he says lacks authority; he believes that he has the Spirit of God (v. 40). Moffatt points out that Paul’s careful discrimination between a saying of the Lord and his own injunction tells strongly against those who maintain that the early church was in the habit of producing the sayings it needed and then ascribing them to Christ: ‘It is historically of high importance that he did not feel at liberty to create a saying of Jesus, even when, as here, it would have been highly convenient in order to settle a disputed point of Christian behaviour.’ ” ^[16]

1. If the unbelieving spouse willing to stay married, STAY MARRIED (12-13)

¹² But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. ¹³ And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him.

It is an act of disobedience for a Christian knowingly to marry an unsaved person (note “only in the Lord” in 1 Cor. 7:39; 2 Cor. 6:14). But if a person becomes a Christian after marriage, he should not use that as an excuse to break up the marriage just to avoid problems. ^[17]

“There is a great deal of difference between entering into a marriage with an unbeliever—and staying in a marriage where one’s mate is an unbeliever. Paul’s teaching elsewhere speaks to those who have not yet entered into an unequal yoke.” ⁸²  --Bob Deffingbaugh in True Spirituality: A Study in 1 Corinthians

2. If the unbelieving spouse leaves, let them. (15)

 “…the tension introduced by one partner in a marriage suddenly having a new allegiance to Christ at times proved intolerable to the non-Christian partner.” --Craig Blomberg in NIV Application Commentary

Not under bondage  δουλόομαι: (a figurative extension of meaning of δουλόωa ‘to enslave,’ 87.82) to be firmly bound by an obligation or a relationship^[18]

The freedom from the marriage would naturally include freedom to remarry like in 7:40 A wife is bound* to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.

*δέω G1210-deō: to bind tie, fasten

Called us to peace  -- But God has called us in peace (net) 

“Perfect active indicative of καλεω [kaleō], permanent call in the sphere or atmosphere of peace. ^[19]

3. Reasons to stay with an unsaved spouse (14, 16)

a. To sanctify the family

unbelieving husband is sanctified

children holy vs. unclean

The concern about the affect of being one with an unbeliever is probably the concern being answered here.

“The two have become on flesh and the wonder it that in such a case it is not the taint of heathenism but the grace of Christianity which wins the victory.”  --William Barclay

“Just what does Paul mean by the term “sanctification”? This is a matter of considerable discussion. It is generally agreed that Paul is not teaching that the unsaved partner is somehow saved by the faith of the other. Some go to considerable lengths to find scriptural grounds for infant baptism,⁸⁴ a most difficult feat. Paul seems to desire to communicate in general terms that there are spiritual benefits for the one who chooses to remain married to a believing partner, even though this person is unsaved.

The term “sanctify” is often used in a general way, not referring to salvation. In I Timothy 4:5, Paul teaches that foods once prohibited (and still forbidden by some) are “sanctified” by means of the Word of God and prayer (cf. also Acts 10:9-16). In the Old Testament, contact with the “holy” altar rendered the things which touched it holy…”   --Bob Deffingbaugh in

True Spirituality: A Study in 1 Corinthians

b. To seek conversion of your spouse

God wants us to use our family relationships as a bridge to live and share the Gospel.

save your spouse

TURN TO  1 Peter 3:1-6

(Note Peter’s counsel to wives with unsaved husbands in 1 Peter 3:1–6.)^[20]

1 Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, ² when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear.

7 Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.

8 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; ⁹ not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.

 APPLICATION:

Evangelism begins at home with our lives and words.

TS: It is not too far of a stretch for us to also think about those in our extended families and other relationships can be reached with the Gospel.

 Big Idea: Our relationships should be used to promote holiness  and the Gospel.

CONCLUSION:

We have touched on a topic tonight that hits to the core of our closest relationships.  For many of us broken and dysfunctional marriages and homes have brought much pain, heartache, and regret. 

God offers forgiveness and healing. 

We believers, as the arms and hands of Christ, should  reach out to those who are broken and hurting with grace and kindness.

Marriage and singleness are areas where we have profound opportunities to promote holiness and the Gospel. 

Make God grant us the wisdom and grace to make the most of those opportunities.

“The divorce rate peaked in the 1970s and early 1980s and has been declining for the three decades since.  About 70 percent of marriages that began in the 1990s reached their 15th anniversary (excluding those in which a spouse died), up from about 65 percent of those that began in the 1970s and 1980s. Those who married in the 2000s are so far divorcing at even lower rates. If current trends continue, nearly two-thirds of marriages will never involve a divorce, according to data from Justin Wolfers, a University of Michigan economist (who also contributes to The Upshot).”  –Claire Cain Miller, "The Divorce Surge Is Over, but the Myth Lives On", The Upshot / New York Times, DEC. 2, 2014,

 

---

^[1] Biblical Studies Press, The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible (Biblical Studies Press, 2006), 1 Co 7:20.

^[2] The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), 1 Ti 4:1–3.

^[3] Robert H. Gundry, Commentary on the New Testament: Verse-by-Verse Explanations with a Literal Translation (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2010), 649.

 

^[4] Leon Morris, 1 Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 7, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985), 106.  [Calvin John Calvin, The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians, trans. by J. Pringle (Calvin Translation Society, 1848).]

^[5] Robert H. Gundry, Commentary on the New Testament: Verse-by-Verse Explanations with a Literal Translation (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2010), 649.

^[6] Leon Morris, 1 Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 7, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985), 106.

^[7] Leon Morris, 1 Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 7, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985), 106.

^[8] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 591.

Bruce F. F. Bruce, 1 and 2 Corinthians (Marshall, Morgan & Scott, 1982; New Century Bible).

^[9] Leon Morris, 1 Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 7, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985), 108.

^[10] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 590.

^[11] Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich, eds., Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964–), 509.

^e [1 Cor. 6:16; 7:2]

^h Mal. 2:16

^[12] The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Mt 19:4–10.

^[13] Leon Morris, 1 Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 7, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985), 108.

Conzelmann Hans Conzelmann, 1 Corinthians (SCM Press, 1975).

[14] Leon Morris, 1 Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 7, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985), 108.

^[15] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 592.

^k Ezra 9:2; Mal. 2:15

^l Rom. 12:18

Moffatt James Moffatt, The First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians (Hodder & Stoughton, 1943; Moffatt New Testament Commentary).

^[16] Leon Morris, 1 Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 7, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985), 109.

^[17] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 591.

^[18] Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 474.

^[19] A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933), 1 Co 7:15.

^[20] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 591.