1 CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 7:17-39:
“Instructions On Marriage & Divorce, No2”
By
1.
INTRO:
1.1.
In our last study we looked at how Paul began to answer the questions
which the Corinthians had written to him in a letter. These questions concerned marriage, divorce, re-marriage, family,
etc.
1.1.1. We saw that the church in
Corinth was really a messed up group.
The culture in which the church existed was so polluted that there were
many things which most who became Christians would struggle with for years
after coming to know Christ.
1.1.1.1.There were probably some in
the church who had been married as many times as 20, there was immorality in
the lives of some of the people in the church, some in the church were married
to an unbelieving spouse, and there were people of various extremes in the
church
1.1.1.2.We saw that the Greek
philosophy of Gnosticism had corrupted the church because of it’s belief that a
person’s body was totally evil and sinful.
This teaching produced two extremes:
1.1.1.2.1.Some believed that since
your body was totally sinful that there was no hope for a person to be holy,
and thus you could commit any sin that you wanted to commit and it was
perfectly acceptable
1.1.1.2.2.Others believed that a
person must separate themselves completely from any kind of bodily pleasure and
even from society itself, as much as is possible. This teaching led to asceticism in the church, people wanting to
be cloistered away from all civilization
1.1.1.2.2.1.In the church, these people
were advocating that a husband and wife should have no sexual relations since
the body was so inherently sinful
1.1.2. We saw that the other thing
that affected Paul’s teachings in chapter 7, as he attempted to answer the
Church’s questions concerning marriage and divorce, is that Paul believed that
the Lord was going to be returning very soon.
Thus, Paul’s teaching majored on the practicalities of life in view of
Christ’s soon return
1.2.
In our study today we are going to continue on with Paul’s answers to
the questions which the Corinthian church had written to him about concerning
marriage and divorce
1.2.1. Paul tells the people to
remain in the state in which they were called
1.2.2. Paul then gives some further
reasons for why he thought that it would be best not to marry
1.2.2.1.He tells them that in light
‘of the present distress’ that it would be better not to marry, but that if
they had not been given the gift of celibacy, then they should plan on marrying
someday
1.2.2.2.He tells them that the
person who is married has to live to please his or her spouse, and therefore
wholehearted devotion to the Lord is not possible for them
1.2.2.3.In our day today, we are
living in exciting times, for I believe that it is apparent that we are living
right on the brink of the Lord’s return to rapture the church. Because of this time in which we are living,
I think that each of us ought to really take the thought to heart that perhaps
more so than at any other time in the history of man, it is important that we
Christians try to maintain undistracted devotion to the Lord
1.2.2.3.1.There are people all around
us who have so little time left to receive Christ into their life, and thus we
ought to try to make the best use of our time in reaching out
1.2.2.3.2.But, even more so than
sharing our faith in Christ and reaching out to the lost of this world, I
believe that it is important that each of us place as our highest priority just
sitting at the feet of Jesus and worshipping Him and learning from Him
2.
VS 7:17-20 - “7:17
Only, as the Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each, in
this manner let him walk. And thus I
direct in all the churches. Was any man
called already circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Has anyone been called in
uncircumcision? Let him not be
circumcised. Circumcision is nothing,
and uncircumcision is nothing, but what
matters is the keeping of the commandments of God. 7:20
Let each man remain in that condition in which he was called.” - Paul
tells the Corinthians to stay in the state that they were in when they came to
Christ
2.1.
In
these verses we can see that Paul’s teaching implies many things.
2.1.1. Paul tells the Corinthians
in these verses that God’s purposes in working in people’s lives through
effecting their salvation is to create internal changes within them, not to
change their station or status in society or to reform the society around
them.
2.1.1.1.Social programs do not change
peoples’ hearts, therefore even if the church were to significantly improve the
condition of people’s lives, those same people would eventually end up in the
same place or worse than they are today without the change of their heart which
salvation brings.
2.1.1.2.The only really effective
way of changing a society is by the preaching of the gospel and the teaching of
God’s word. Then, as people come to
know God and walk with Him, they will lead others to salvation and thus a
society will be changed.
2.1.2. Paul tells the Corinthians
that it is better for them to simply stay in the station or societal status
that they are in, and while there be heavenly minded and have a witness to
those around them.
2.1.3. Paul is also saying that it
is OK in God’s sight to be a Christian even though you have a lowly status in
society.
2.2.
Paul
tells the Corinthians that in reality what really and ultimately matters in
life is obeying the Lord’s will for their life, not whether or not they were or
weren’t circumcised.
2.2.1. Paul tells the Romans in Rom.
2:28-29 that what really matters in a person’s life in the first place is
the circumcision that is of the heart, “28
A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision
merely outward and physical. 29 No, a
man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the
heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not from
men, but from God”.
2.3.
Christ
had the opportunity on numerous occasions to counsel people from various walks
of life to change their station in life.
2.3.1. He could have told soldiers
that it was not God’s will for them to serve a king or a nation or to go to
war, yet He didn’t.
2.3.2. He could have told poor
people that they did not need to remain in a low societal station, but He
didn’t.
2.3.3. He could have told slaves to
leave their masters and flee to freedom, but He didn’t.
2.3.4. He could have told people
that they were subjects only of Jehovah, therefore they should not pay taxes to
their worldy rulers, yet He told them to “Render unto Caesar what is
Caesar’s”.
2.3.5. Jesus, as well as all of the
apostles, were consistent in telling people that it was good for them to remain
in their societal station and status.
2.4.
Paul
tells the Corinthians that if they had come to the Lord as Gentiles, that they
did not need to be circumcised in the tradition of the Jews. Likewise, Paul tells the Jewish believers
that they should not have the surgical procedure of reversing their
circumcision so that they could become uncircumcised.
2.5.
We
Christians today need to realize that in most cases it will be in our best
interests to stay in the societal station in which we are in when we become
Christians.
2.5.1. We certainly do not need to
become wealthy in order for God to use our lives.
2.5.2. We do not need to have an
advanced college degree.
2.5.3. In fact in almost every
instance, Christians do not need to embrace another culture in order to grow in
their relationship with Christ and be used by Him.
2.5.4. After becoming a Christian,
we will likewise be used most effectively in the lives of those who are in the
same societal station or status as we are in.
2.5.5. We need to stay where we are
until the Lord leads us out of the place or station which we are in!
2.6.
If
we are in a job that isn’t inherently sinful, such as say prostitution, then we
can still serve the Lord in that job, even though the job may have its own
difficulties. For instance, lets say
that a guy becomes a Christian while a bar tender, he shouldn’t necessarily go
and immediately quit that job because he has become a Christian, though for
some of course temptations in that job would be too great for them to be able
to handle. Rather, he can probably best
be used by the Lord as a witness initially right in that very place where he is
working, with those who know him best.
When the Lord leads him out of that Job, then he should leave, but only
then.
2.6.1. This does not mean that it
will be wrong if we take advantage of opportunities in our lives to improve our
making a living, especially if we are husbands and fathers. In fact Paul says that one of the primary
responsibilities for a husband and father is to provide for his own family.
2.7.
We
can serve and sacrifice to the Lord to our hearts content, but if we aren’t
obedient to the things He has shown us to do, God will not be pleased with our
service and sacrifice.
2.8.
One
thing that I have observed with new Christians is that it is often the case
that not too long after committing their life to Christ they suddenly think
that they have to make some big change.
I think of the friend that I had over 25 years ago who came to Christ
and then after a couple of months of growing in Christ she was reading a trade
magazine and suddenly felt that she was supposed to fulfill this desire she had
had for years to move to Idaho and work on a chicken farm. I thought this was a crazy thing for her to
do, especially now that she had found a good church environment where she was
able to grow. She didn’t even really
know what the people were like who were hiring for this job. Well, despite my urging she ended up moving
to this farm and taking up this career.
However, this move was just Satan’s ploy to draw her back to himself. After she got there she discovered that the
people were part of the Mormon church, and they eventually lured her into the
church, and being a new Christian she didn’t have the discernment to know that
she was in a cult. Then, after a year
passed she left the farm and moved away after she became disillusioned with the
church, however by now she was so confused she now didn’t know what she
believed. Ever since that time she has
done nothing but flounder around, and she has never gotten grounded in her
faith in Christ.
2.9.
Many
Christians are constantly going from one church and/or community to another,
and thus they never are able to grow real spiritual roots. My pastor once gave us this illustration in
his teaching. He said that if you
wanted to take some plant and put it in your backyard, there would be no way
that it could ever grow roots and then be able to take in the nourishment that
it needs and grow strong if you were constantly digging it up and placing it
somewhere else in your backyard. In the
same way, we Christians need to stay put in the church that the Lord has placed
us in, that is, if it is a good balanced Bible teaching church. We need that stability and environment and
those friends if we are going to be able to grow up in our faith as Christians.
3.
VS 7:21-24 - “7:21
Were you called while a slave?
Do not worry about it; but if
you are able also to become free, rather do that. For he who was called in the Lord while a slave, is the Lord’s
freedman; likewise he who was called while
free, is Christ’s slave. You were
bought with a price; do not become
slaves of men.” - Paul tells the Corinthians that they should stay as a slave if
God called them while they were a slave
3.1.
There
are some callings and conditions which are inherently sinful such as
prostitution and criminal activity, but in most cases there is nothing that is
inherently evil with a person’s profession.
In fact, even as a slave of another man one may be a very effective
witness for Christ.
3.2.
Paul
does say that if a Christian who is a slave has the legal and legitimate
opportunity to buy his freedom, then he should seek to do so since He will
better serve his real Master, the Lord, if he is a free man.
3.3.
Paul
reminds the Corinthians that they already belong to the Lord, for they were
bought with a price. Therefore, if they
have a legitimate and reasonable opportunity to obtain their freedom, they
would be better off if they obtained it.
3.4.
We
Christians should never think that any profession not inherently linked to a
sinful activity is too low of a profession for us. Instead of our testimony being soiled through a low status, it
may even be advanced if we will submit to God and be Christ-like in our
conduct. God can use us in a powerful
way, wherever we may be, if we will just submit ourselves to Him.
3.5.
We
Christians must never lose sight of the fact that we are to be a God-pleaser in
all we do in our lives. We must not let
ourselves become men-pleasers or be enslaved to men, unless we have been called
to salvation while already a slave.
Even so, we all have one Master, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings,
and we should in all things be subject and submissive to His will in our lives!
3.5.1. Is Christ the Lord of your life
today? Is He the one calling the shots
each day of your life? If not, then get
off the throne of your life and let Him be your Lord as well as your Savior. He is a jealous God and will not settle for
anything less from you, so you might just as well surrender to Him now!!!
4.
VS 7:25 - “7:25
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.” - Paul
tells the Corinthians that what he is going to tell them next is his opinion,
not a direct commandment from the Lord
4.1.
Though
Paul does not have a word spoken directly from Jesus’ mouth concerning these
next things he is going to teach, none the less, he is speaking under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, for he says that his opinion is the opinion of
one who is trustworthy to reveal God’s will in the matter.
4.2.
Do
not forget that we must infer from what Paul is saying that when he wrote the
rest of the things that he wrote to churches that unless he says otherwise, his
words came directly from commandment from Jesus.
5.
VS 7:26-27 - “7:26
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.
Are you bound to a wife? Do not
seek to be released. Are you released
from a wife? Do not seek a wife.” - Paul
tells the Corinthians that because of the ‘present distress’ that it would be
best for virgins and those presently not married to stay single
5.1.
Paul
seemed to sense from the Lord and the present persecutions that the Christians
were experiencing that the Christians in the day in which he was writing the
letter to the Corinthians were about to come under a massive amount of
persecution.
5.1.1. Jesus had prophetically
spoken about this on a few occasions.
5.1.2. In fact, within 10 years of
the writing of this letter ten successive Roman emperors took up an extremely
cruel and thorough persecution of Christians that lasted for about three
hundred years. There were thousands of
martyrs who died of horrible torturing and mutilations.
5.2.
In
view of this distress which Paul knew was shortly to come upon Christians, Paul
told the Corinthians that it would be better for them to remain unmarried if
they were not presently married.
5.2.1. It is always much easier to
escape or endure times of persecution if a person is not married.
5.3.
As
I mentioned at the outset, Paul also believed that the Lord was going to return
very soon, so his advice was very pragmatic with the view that establishing
lasting ties in this world would not be as profitable as remaining single and serving
the Lord with wholehearted devotion.
5.4.
Paul
believed that marriage was for life, so he never counseled believers to seek a
divorce from their spouse. If they were
married they were to remain married and carry out their marital
responsibilities as best as they could.
5.5.
If
we Christians have decided that the Lord has not given us the gift of celibacy,
and therefore that He has a plan for us to be married, then we need to realize
that if we do marry, marriage is for life.
Who we marry is the most important decision that we will make in our
entire life. If the devil can get us to
marry someone who will hinder or persecute us in our Christian life, he knows
that he has us just where he wants us.
5.5.1. We must be sure that we
marry the person that the Lord has for us to marry, as that decision will
effect everything that we do for the rest of our life.
5.5.2. We should not just look at
the external looks of people we would consider dating, but look at their
commitment to Christ and their character.
5.5.3. We should seek someone who
will be a ministry partner with us for life.
5.5.4. We need to look for someone
who will help us to be more like Christ and encourage us to fulfill the calling
that the Lord has for us.
5.6.
If
Christ has called us to be single and serve Him, then we need to believe that
He will more than compensate us with blessings for not having a mate in our
life, for this is inferred in what Jesus promised to His disciples in Matt.
19:29, “29 And everyone who has
left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields
for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life”.
6.
VS 7:28 - “7:28
But if you should marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin should marry, she has not sinned. Yet such will have trouble in this life, and
I am trying to spare you.” - Paul tells the Corinthians that if they choose to marry they
have not sinned
6.1.
Paul’s
says to those who would marry that it is good also to be married and serve the
Lord; it is not a sin if any should
marry. Neither being single nor being
married is better, it is best to be just where the Lord wants you to be.
6.2.
Paul’s
advice in this verse is strictly on the practical level. He tells the Corinthians that in light of
the present distress of persecution beginning to occur, they will have more
troubles in this life if they marry than if they remain single. He says he is only trying to spare them
these troubles.
6.2.1. I mentioned in the last
message that if the church followed Paul’s practical exhortation here and
remained unmarried that it would have been easier on them when the massive
persecution on the church began to occur at the hands of the Romans some ten
years later.
6.3.
In
this world today, we can see that the economies of the nations are on the verge
of collapse, especially the U.S. I
believe that this is happening because the world is soon to enter the
tribulation. Therefore, it might again
be best for us today in the church to prefer singleness to marriage, that is of
course, only if we have the gift of celibacy from the Lord.
7.
VS 7:29-31 - “7:29
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; 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;
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.” - Paul tells the Corinthians that Christ’s return is to happen soon
7.1.
Paul
believed that the Lord was soon to return for the church, and this affected his
advice to the Corinthians, as we see revealed in this verse. He also knew that this life if lived full
term is very short. He tells the
Corinthians that the time was soon coming when they would be before the Lord,
and they would not be able to take the things of this life with them.
7.2.
In
Matt. 22:30, Jesus taught that believers would not be married in heaven,
“30 At the resurrection people will
neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven”. Therefore, Paul in these verses says that in
a day coming shortly, ‘those who have wives would be as though they had none’.
7.3.
In
these verses, Paul contrasts life in heaven with life on this earth:
7.3.1. In this life we all
experience emotions that range from high to low, however in heaven all weeping
shall be taken away, so Paul says that in that day coming, ‘Those who weep, as
though they did not weep’.
7.3.2. In this life, we rejoice
about things that are strictly of a worldly nature, however in heaven the
temporal things of this life will have passed away and not exist, therefore
Paul says of that day, ‘those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice’.
7.3.3. The possessions of this life
we will not take with us into heaven, therefore Paul says, ‘those who buy as
though they did not possess’.
7.3.4. In this life we make use of
the world’s goods, however in heaven we will wish that we concentrated more on
the things that will last for eternity, therefore Paul says of that day, ‘those
who use the world as though they did not make full use of it’.
7.3.5. Paul tells the Corinthians
that ‘the form’ of this world is passing away, which is to say that when Christ
returns, He will reign over this world with His righteous government, and only
those things that bring glory to Him will last for eternity, therefore the
present “worldly” form of this world, its lusts, and its government is going to
pass away.
7.4.
This
life is so short compared to eternity, and I believe strongly that when we
Christians get to heaven that we will wish at least for a brief time (as we
appear before the Bema Judgment Seat of rewards for Christians) that we had
been more single-minded during our stay on earth.
7.4.1. We will look at the things
we have suffered in this life and we will wish that we had obeyed God more
fully during those times and allowed Him to use those times to the maximum for
His purposes. In 2 Cor. 4:17-18, Paul
writes to the Corinthians about how eternal concerns have so much more value
than the fleeting temporal concerns of this life 2 Cor. 4:17-18, “17 For our light and momentary troubles
are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen,
but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is
eternal”.
7.4.1.1.I must remind you that
‘light and momentary troubles’ for Paul referred to beatings, stonings, being
ship-wrecked, persecuted, worrying for the health of the church, etc.
7.4.2. We Christians need to live
for the things that will last for eternity.
It is foolish for us to try to hang on to anything of this world, since
one day it is all going to burn.
7.4.3. I want to ask you a
rhetorical question. If you were to die
today and go to heaven, is there anything that is presently in your life which
you would wish that you had done different in your life this week?
7.4.3.1.I think that most of us
Christians would wish that we had made better use of our time while we were on
earth.
7.4.3.2.I think also that most
Christians would wish that they hadn’t gotten too involved in many worldly
activities that in and of themselves aren’t sinful, they just kept them from
the things that are eternal and therefore more important.
8.
VS 7:32-34 - “7:32
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; but one who is
married is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife,
and his interests are divided. And 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.” - Paul
tells the Corinthians that the one who is married must attend to his spouse’s
needs and thus cannot be as fully focused on pleasing the Lord
8.1.
In
these verses, Paul is giving his main reason for saying that it is better, if
one has the gift of celibacy, to be unmarried: The person who is unmarried can be freed up to be
single-mindedly serving the Lord, ‘Concerned about the things of the Lord, how
he may please the Lord’, as well as being, ‘Holy both in body and spirit’.
8.2.
The
married person must be, ‘Concerned about the things of the world’, and how he
must please his spouse.
8.2.1. A married man must be
concerned about being a good provider for his wife and children, and a married
woman must be concerned about how to meet the emotional and physical needs of
her husband and children and she may have to work outside of the home as well.
9.
VS 7:35 - “7:35
And this I say for your own benefit;
not to put a restraint upon you, but to promote what is seemly, and to secure undistracted devotion to the
Lord.” - Paul tells the Corinthians that his advice to them is given as he
has only their best interests in mind
9.1.
Paul
is telling the Corinthian’s that what he is telling them is not so as to place
them under bondage, but rather it is only for their own benefit. What is for their own benefit is that which
promotes those things that are ‘seemly’, to avoid the appearance of evil, and
to promote ‘undistracted devotion to the Lord’.
9.2.
In
Luke 10:38-42, we read the story of the day that Jesus visited the
sisters, Mary and Martha, and we see in this story that Martha was busy and
even serving Jesus in her busy-ness, yet it was her sister Mary who had
undistracted devotion to Jesus, for she chose to do that which was much more
important, she chose to spend her time sitting at the feet of Jesus, “38 Now
as they were traveling along, He entered a certain village; and a woman named
Martha welcomed Him into her home.39 And she had a sister called Mary, who
moreover was listening to the Lord’s word, seated at His feet.40 But Martha was
distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him, and said, “Lord,
do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then
tell her to help me.”41 But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha,
you are worried and bothered about so many things;42 but only a few things are
necessary, really only one, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not
be taken away from her.””
9.2.1. It is good for Christians to
want to serve the Lord, share their faith to the lost, and help in the church,
but it is so much more important to prioritize our lives so that we make
sitting at the feet of Jesus our highest priority in life.
9.2.2. There is no service for the
Lord that we should ever allow to be a supplement for spending that time
personally with the Lord in our devotional life.
9.3.
Anna
in the New Testament, the old woman who spent her time in the temple praying
and fasting and waiting for the Messiah to return is another example of a woman
who had single-minded devotion to the Lord.
The Lord honored her devotion and she saw with her eyes and held with
her hands the Lord’s very Messiah when Jesus’ parents brought Him in.
10.
VS 7:36-38 - “7:36
But if any man thinks that he is acting unbecomingly toward his virgin daughter, if she should be of full age,
and if she should be of full age, and if it must be so, let him do what he
wishes, he does not sin; let her
marry. But he who stands firm in his
heart, being under no constraint, but has authority over his own will, and has
decided this in his own heart, to keep his own virgin daughter, he will do well.
So then both he who gives his own virgin daughter in marriage does well, and he who does not give her in
marriage, will do better.” - Paul gives the Corinthians advice about whether or not they
should give their virgin daughter in marriage
10.1.
I
want to point out here that in these verses that the word ‘daughter’ is in italics,
and in the scriptures whenever a word is found in italics that means that the
word isn’t actually there in the original language but has appeared there
because the translator thought that adding this word would help in interpreting
the author’s intent. So, in the Green
these verses just say ‘toward his virgin’, not ‘toward his virgin daughter’.
10.2.
These
verses then are a bit problematic because we have to figure out who is the ‘virgin’
being referenced. There are about four
major views about this passage that are worth considering, however they all
have their problems. I will give the
interpretation here that I believe is most likely correct:
10.2.1. In Paul’s day, parents
arranged marriages for their sons and daughters as a matter of custom. Some of the men in the church had decided to
dedicate their daughters to the Lord.
Paul in these verses is answering the Corinthians’ question about
whether or not it was OK to dedicate one’s daughter to the Lord and not arrange
for her to be married.
10.3.
Paul
replies then that if a man’s virgin daughter whom he had dedicated to the Lord
is of full age and desires to be married, that if he is struggling about
whether or not he should allow her to be married, he does not sin if he does
allow her to marry in the Lord.
10.4.
Likewise,
if a man is firm in his conviction to keep his daughter dedicated to serve the
Lord unmarried, and there is no constraint upon him from her desiring to be
married, that he will do well if he keeps his commitment to dedicate his
daughter to serve the Lord as unmarried.
10.5.
Paul
says that in both cases the man will do well and will not have sinned, however
the man who keeps his commitment to have his virgin daughter dedicated to serve
the Lord as unmarried, he will do better.
11.
VS 7:39 - “7:39
A wife is bound as long as her husband lives; but if her husband is dead, she is free to be married to whom she
wishes, only in the Lord. But in my
opinion she is happier if she remains as she is; and I think that I also have the Spirit of God.” - Paul
tells the Corinthians that if a person’s spouse dies that he is free to marry,
only he must only marry another Christian
11.1.
It
appears that in this verse that Paul is answering the question that the
Corinthians asked: “If your spouse dies
are you free to remarry another Christian?”
11.2.
Marriage
is for life, and a husband or a wife is bound in marriage according to the New
Testament scriptures until one of three things happen:
11.2.1. Their present spouse dies
11.2.2. Their present spouse commits
adultery and they believe it will be better for them to divorce
11.2.3. Their present spouse is an
unbeliever and departs not wanting to remain in the bond of marriage with them.
11.3.
Paul
tells the Corinthians that a widow, that is if she has the gift of celibacy,
will live a happier life if she remains unmarried.
11.4.
Paul
writes in verse 40 that though he does not have a direct quote from the Lord
concerning marriage, that nevertheless what he is saying has been under
inspiration from the Lord.
11.5.
Happiness
in life for a Christian does not come from their spouse, but rather it is to
come from their relationship with the Lord.
People will often let us down, and therefore we must not look to people
to make full our life; however, the
Lord will always make full our life if we will keep our eyes focused upon Him.
11.6.
I
have known people who have come up with many different excuses for wanting to
divorce their spouse, however as I mentioned in the last study there are only
two acceptable scripture reasons for divorcing a spouse.
11.6.1. Not feeling like you are “in
love” with your spouse is never an acceptable excuse for a believer to divorce
his or her unbelieving spouse. Marriage
is a commitment “until death do us part”, therefore a married believer must
trust God to give them the love they should have for their spouse, regardless
of what they happen to be feeling.
11.6.2. The people in one church I
know of have excused the sin of divorce for one of their members saying that
the woman’s spouse had committed “spiritual adultery” with her in his heart
(not in the flesh however). I think
that the Lord knows when we are merely playing games with Him, however.
11.6.3. Emotional abuse is not an
acceptable excuse for a believer to divorce his or her believing spouse, and
though I believe that there can be a case where a believer should move out of
the house because of extreme emotional abuse, I think that you better be
absolutely sure that this is what the Lord wants you to do before you do it.
11.6.3.1. First of all, emotional abuse is undefined.
11.6.3.2.Secondly, all marriages
experience emotional abuse at times.
11.6.3.3.Third, when one moves out of
the house both spouses are exposed to extreme temptations to sexual immorality
which if committed can destroy any hope of reconciliation and devastate one’s
Christian walk.