Studies in 1 Corinthians - Marriage & God's Calling

OK, this is gonna be a little out of order in terms of verse analysis, but I'm going to group my post into 2 sections based on the 2 main topics (well, actually one is a subdivision of the other). The first is a passage right smack-dab in the middle of chapter 7 (v.17-24), talking about the principle of contentment in the church and God's calling for Christians. The second discusses the principles of marriage, and is the beginning of Paul's discourse on various questions raised by the Corinthians.


The Principle of Contentment & God's Calling (v. 17-24)

"Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him."
- 1 Cor. 7:17

Paul touches on the Jew/Gentile rift going on in the church. Jewish Christians want their Gentile brothers to become circumcised, a painful and unnecessary procedure; Paul tells his brothers that it does not matter whether they are Jew or Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised; all that matters is faith and obedience to Jesus Christ.

Paul also talks about slavery, a topic that many current critics of Christianity seem to target. In actuality, freedom is not a God-given right (however insensitive that may sound). If we work our hardest in whatever God has called us to do, we honor Him and bring Him glory (Col. 3:23-24). As John MacArthur puts it in his commentary, "in the ways that truly count, no man is freer than a Christian. No bondage is as terrible as that of sin, from which Christ frees the believer." Those who are called to be slaves are free in the Lord, and those who are free are slaves to Christ. We should remember that we were brought with a price - the blood of Jesus Christ - and that we belong to Christ, not the ways of man.

In summary, we should do our best in whatever situation God has placed us in; He has a plan for us, but we must trust in Him to lead us where we need to go, when we need to go there. Until then, Col. 3:23-24 :)


Principles of Marriage (v.1-16,25-40)

The reason Paul brings the topic of marriage up is because of the Corinthians' concern with sexual sin; they wrote in a letter to him that "It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman" (v.1) because of the corruption and various sins involved with marriage in their society (fornication, adultery, homosexuality, polygamy, concubinage). However, Paul counters that, while on the whole it would be better for Christians to be single and celibate, it is not a hard and fast rule that applies to the entire church body (v.37-38,40). Furthermore, he rebukes the Corinthians for advocating divorce as a means to become single.

Paul then discourses on various principles that either God, or Paul influenced by the Holy Spirit (v.12a,40b), has set forth about marriage. I will try to condense them below, with reference verses listed at the end:

1. Marriage is in no way inferior to singleness or wrong; God ordained marriage as a beautiful thing and the only proper situation for sexual fulfillment (Paul only refers to it like this to emphasize its relevance to the topic - a more extensive discussion of marriage can be found in Ephesians 5). v.6-7

2. If one cannot control his/her passions, he/she should marry, "For it is better to marry than to burn with passion." (v.9) If a believer has this passion but denies it, it will only prevent him from leading a happy life and serving the Lord effectively - his passion will literally consume, burn him and cause him to stumble. However, this is not to say that there should be over-hastiness in getting married; Song of Solomon advises us three different times (2:7, 3:5, 8:4), "Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires," which is the basis for my personal philosophy of only dating with the purpose of getting married (but that's a totally different story). v.2,9,36

3. Married believers should not deprive each other of satisfaction, because even this is a sin (to deny God's purpose for marriage is disobedience to Him); the covenant of marriage gives us the right to our spouse's bodies for our fulfillment. The only reason that spouses should deprive each other is if there is a mutual agreement to do so for a short time (for intercession and prayer), but they should reunite quickly after ending their fast so that Satan has no opportunity to tempt them into sexual immorality. v.2-5

4. Married believers should not divorce; if they do, they should remain unmarried (except in the case of adultery for the wronged spouse) or be reconciled. If a believer is married to a nonbeliever who desires divorce, he/she should let it go; the believer is then free to marry another believer, for they are not bound to each other. Paul mentions this because some Christians in this situation believe that their marriage is an opportunity for evangelism, but he gently rebukes them by reminding them that it is ultimately God who will decide their salvation. v.10-17,39

5. A believer, regardless of their marital status, must always hold God's eternal kingdom as their first priority. Paul advises that they should not be concerned with worldly things (as married couples inevitably will be, seeking to please their spouse), but should devote themselves fully to the Lord and serving Him. He also says that married believers should behave as if they are not; this is not so as to degrade marriage, but rather to remind Christians of their ultimate purpose. v.29-35

Note: Paul also tells the betrothed believers in the Corinthian church to remain single for the time being. He says this in reference to the Roman persecution of Christians at the time; being married would only create added distress and make it harder on a believer already trying to evade persecution. v.25-28


Verses to Remember

"if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion." 1 Cor. 7:9

"To the married... the wife should not separate from her husband (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife." 1 Cor. 7:10-11

"Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him." 1 Cor. 7:17

"For he who was called in the Lord as a slave is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a slave of Christ. You were brought with a price; do not become slaves of men." 1 Cor. 7:23-24


Closing Remarks

This passage came at a very interesting time for me. When I came to Evangel Bible Church, I was caught off-guard by the attitude towards marriage. Though I shared the mentality that dating should be reserved for people ready and purposed for marriage, I definitely did not understand the full reason behind it or the blessing of singlehood. Marriage has been on by mind lately, especially with the recent engagement of a brother in Christ (congratulations to him and his fiance, by the way), as well as all the relationships that seem to be popping up in college. As Paul writes, "if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry." However, I also learned "not [to] arouse or awaken love until it so desires." I believe that God has destined me for marriage (though I'm much calmer now than the hopeless romantic I once was), but I believe that He will bring her to me at the right time; until then, I can only be the best single man that I can, because that is where God has placed me at this point in my life.


God bless,

Joe Mak
Colossians 3:23-24