Paul now switches from addressing the report of sinfulness in the Corinthian church to answering specific questions from the Corinthian Christians. He’ll address issues related to marriage, divorce, asceticism, navigating life in a pagan culture, spiritual gifts, proper worship, the Lord’s Supper, the resurrection, etc.

Following Christ in 21st Century Corinth – Week 9

presented 7 November 2018

1 Corinthians 7: 1-24

AUDIO

Due to technical difficulties, an audio is not available for this lesson.

Lecture Handout

Handout Week 9

Lesson Notes

Marriage, Sex, and Singleness (1 Corinthians 7: 1-9)

  • Verse 1 – First topic: they said, “it is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman”
    • This saying is translated variously in different translations, but this is probably pretty close to Paul’s intent, there were some figures of speech that complicate translation
    • Note that this isn’t Paul speaking, it’s the Corinthian Christians asking
    • They’re taking the teachings on sexual purity too far, claiming there’s no good or valid expression of sexual behavior
    • This is a false asceticism that Christians aren’t called to – total denial of the body
      • That was a definite philosophical strain in the Greco-Roman world, Stoics and particularly Gnostics went down this road
      • Paul references it in 1 Timothy 4: 1-4 (Ephesus) and Colossians 2: 18-19
  • Verse 2 – General Principle: It’s good to be married (monogamously, not polygamously)
    • Because sexual immorality is such a powerful temptation when we have no way to fulfill sexual desire
    • This is a concession to humanity, as Paul will say later
  • Verses 3-4
    • Expresses a robust ethic of sexuality within marriage and a genuine concern for mutual submission and welfater
    • Without shame or guilt
    • Truly, one aspect of the one-flesh union is the enjoyment of “conjugal rights”
  • Verse 5 – Response to ultra-spiritual folks advocating celibacy within Christian marriage
    • A more recent example are the Shakers in the 18th and 19th century
    • Don’t deprive each other unless: 1) It’s agreed to, 2) It’s limited in duration, and 3) It has a spiritual purpose
    • To prevent temptation by Satan, because of lack of self-control
  • Verse 6 – This isn’t a command! It’s a concession to human weakness
  • Verse 7 – Paul wishes all were like him (presumably meaning single, per verse 8)
    • Each has his own gift of one kind or another
    • In the broader context, this is true of spiritual gifts, but here it’s specifically alluding to a gift of self-control or voluntary celibacy to focus on the work of God
  • Verse 8 – Good to remain single like Paul – if unmarried or widowed
    • Unmarried is a masculine plural; widowed is a feminine plural
    • There’s a good case that he’s speaking to widowers and widows specifically, because he addresses the never married in the latter portion of chapter 7
    • For those who’ve been married, it’s good to remain single – which may be influenced by a certain localized distress we’ll see alluded to next week, perhaps a famine
  • Verse 9 – But marry if you can’t exercise self-control – better to marry than burn with lust

Marriage & Divorces (1 Corinthians 7: 10-16)

Paul now presents a very high view of marriage and divorce, one that echoes Jesus. It is a view that is largely foreign even in American Christian churches, but we need to address it, because it’s right here in Scripture. This isn’t to make anyone uncomfortable who has been through a divorce or remarried, but to say that we, the church, haven’t done a good job of  holding up or instilling God’s vision for marriage into younger Christians as they are contemplating marriage, or to address Christians when they seek remarriage.

  • Verses 10-11 – A command from God, not Paul’s opinion
    • Don’t separate/divorce
    • And if you do, stay single or be reconciled to your spouse
    • Paul is working from the words of Jesus: Luke 16: 18, Matthew 19: 3-12
  • Verses 12-13 – Don’t divorce if your spouse is a believer willing to stay with you
  • Verse 14 – The power of Christian influence on an unbelieving spouse through prayer, example, etc.
    • Paul isn’t saying a believing spouse saves everyone in the house, rather that they represent a powerful influence toward Christ within the family
  • Verses 15-16 – But if the unbeliever leaves you, a Christian has options
    • You’re free to divorce and remarry
      • Don’t hold onto the marriage if the other doesn’t want it just out of hopes of saving them
  • The two acceptable scenarios for divorce and remarriage presented in the New Testament, sexual immorality and desertion, represent fundamental attacks on the nature of the one-flesh union

Living As We’re Called (1 Corinthians 7: 17-24)

  • Verse 17 – Lead the life God has assigned you
    • Don’t obsess about the externals of your life -> Christ calls you to work on your internals first and foremost
    • This is contra to the self-help, self-improvement, your best life now, careerism, etc. of our culture and even many in the church
    • Don’t be in a hurry to jump out of the context in which you came to Christ (unless it’s illegal and immoral), because God likely wants you to minister there for a season
  • Verse 18 – If circumcised, don’t go through a medical procedure to hide that fact
    • If uncircumcised, stay that way, or at least don’t change out of legalism
  • Verse 19 – Because these externals don’t matter – what matters is obedience to God
  • Verse 20 – General Principle: Remain in the condition you were when God called you to salvation
  • Verse 21 – If you were a slave, get your freedom if possible, because being owned by another person is against your identity in Christ, but don’t worry about it excessively
    • Verse 22 – the slave is free in Christ; the free man is a slave to Christ
  • Reminds us that Christ didn’t call us to radical social revolution
    • He called us to radical personal revolution, overthrowing the powers and strongholds of our minds and hearts, not society
    • This isn’t an endorsement of slavery or injustice -> it’s an endorsement of fully submitting your life to Christ so that your personal externals don’t matter in an eternal sense
    • Interestingly, Christ calls us to be concerned more about injustice affecting other people than injustice affecting us personally
  • Verse 23 – As Christians, we were bought with a price: the life, body, and blood of Jesus Christ for our freedom
    • So don’t voluntarily enslave ourselves, either literally or figuratively
  • Verse 24 – So in whatever condition we were in, remain there WITH GOD
    • That last part is key: with God
    • That immediately gives us a ministry context in which to operate
    • We shouldn’t immediately leave our context to join the Christian cloister, rather we should take Christ into our places of employment, education, socialization, etc.

 

Next Week:

1 Corinthians 7: 25-40