Take your Bibles with me and turn to 1 Corinthians 7. 1 Corinthians 7.

This whole chapter is about marriage. Questions about marriage. The church at Corinth wrote Paul a letter asking him some questions. Basically, they came out of such an immoral culture that they started to view marriage as something bad.

Apparently, they had another problem too. Apparently there was persecution happening in Corinth. It was starting to get "hot" there for Christians.

So this led to questions like:

• Should Christians even be married?
• Is it ok for Christians to have marital relations?
• Should Christian men divorce their unchristian spouse?
• Should people even be getting married right now?

And we've dealt with all of these questions already. But we are going to come back to that last one "Should Christians even be getting married right now?" Because I believe that is what the last part of this chapter is talking about.

Now, I'm of the opinion that most of the end of chapter 7, relates to the specific situation that the Corinthian Christians were facing, and that the advice would be slightly different were Paul to give it to Christian people who live today.

There were several things about the Corinthian situation that are not true today:

First, there was some kind of very serious distress going on in the city. I tend to think it was widespread persecution, and we know that in less than ten years, the Roman persecution under Nero would really get started. Perhaps some mix of that entered into Paul's advice about marriage.

Think about it this way. Let's say you are a Christian in a place like North Korea, where following Christ means going to prison and being killed. Your first responsibility is going to be to be faithful to Christ. Shouldn't that enter into your thinking if you are considering getting married or encouraging your kids to get married?

The second major difference is that marriages were mostly arranged by the parents. It was not like it is today in America, where getting married is purely a personal decision. A girl had to get her parents permission, and there may have been a dowry involved.

So those two facts, the fact of distress and the fact of parental authority over marriage really change how this passage is read, but I believe that there is some clear teaching in these verses for us - even if we don't have to worry about major distress right now and even if that kind of parental authority over marriage feels about as ancient as the dinosaurs.

Let's read the text and get into that teaching.

[!bible] 1 Corinthians 7:25-40 - KJV 25. Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful. 26. I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be. 27. Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife. 28. But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you. 29. But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none; 30. And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; 31. And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away. 32. But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord: 33. But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife. 34. There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband. 35. And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction. 36. But if any man think that he behaveth himself uncomely toward his virgin, if she pass the flower of her age, and need so require, let him do what he will, he sinneth not: let them marry. 37. Nevertheless he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well. 38. So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better. 39. The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord. 40. But she is happier if she so abide, after my judgment: and I think also that I have the Spirit of God.

So, here is what I think is going on in these verses. I think the key to understanding the passage is found in verse 26, where Paul mentions "this present distress."

I'm not sure what the present distress was. We don't really know. Some people think it was some kind of local economic event. Some think it was persecution. Some think it was an earthquake or something.

Here is what we do know - the early church faced persecution, I mean, read the book of Acts - Paul seems to sleep in jails more than hotels. And the church would continue to face persecution. This book was written about ten years before Nero started really turning up the heat on Christians.

And another factor probably was that people really expected Christ to come back at any time. We live in a day today where we are still expecting Christ's return, but its been 2000 years, so our anticipation has been tamped down a bit. That wasn't the case in this first generation after Christ. They expected Christ's return any day.

And so I think in light of whatever was happening and whatever was coming down the pike, people had some serious questions about marriage. There are four of them in this passage.

Paul answers those four questions with four different principles. Most of the problems that brought about these questions are not problems we face today. We live in a very different world with a very different culture and Christianity is entrenched and recognized.

But the four principles Paul answers with are still very much applicable for us - so its really helpful for us to think through this passage.

So I'm going to give you four time-bound problems, and four timeless principles.

Let's pray and we'll ask God for understanding as we look at this.

prayer

So I want to start our message by looking at...

Four time-bound problems

These are the four things Paul was addressing here:

First, there were singles who were trying to decide whether it was a good idea to get married.

Paul calls them "virgins" and "the unmarried." Their biggest problem was "given everything that is going on, should I stay single, or should I get married?"

Paul deals with that in verses 25-27. Essentially, he tells them to try to stay as they are, but that they aren't sinning if they get married. We'll come back to this.

The second problem was there were married people who were considering leaving their families. Paul mentions this in verse 27.

I mean, I think we all know what God would say to this, but we can also understand how these new Christians who are facing terrible distress would have questions. Is it better for me to not be married if persecution is coming? If Jesus is coming back, shouldn't I just split up with my wife now?

The third problem related to this "present distress" is there seems to be Fathers who didn't want their daughters to get married. That's what I believe verses 36-38 are about. I believe "his virgin" in these verses is talking about an unmarried daughter.

They looked at the landscape and the world around them, they thought about Christ coming back and they thought "I don't think I should have my daughters get married in this."

Now, there is another view of these verses that this is talking about a man and his fiancee, who have decided to hold off on getting married because of all that is going on. Scholars are split about 50/50 - but I personally think the traditional Father/Daughter interpretation makes the most sense.

The fourth problem is in the last two verses, and it is for widows. Should widows get remarried?

Now, when you think about widows - you probably think about older ladies. But in my parents' church there is a lady I went to school with who is my age who has been a widow now for nearly ten years - her husband died of cancer, leaving her with two young children. That kind of thing still happens today and but with all of the dangers in the ancient world and the shorter life expectancy, it would have been much more common then.

So these are the four problems Paul is dealing with here. In light of everything in the world, in light of the present distress:

• Should singles get married?
• Should couples separate?
• Should father's marry off their daughters?
• Should widows remarry?

And Paul answers these questions with...

Four timeless principles

These problems might not be things that we deal with today, but these principles are still helpful to us. The first principle is...

1. It is good to stay in the state you currently are in and be content. (26-27)

If you remember, that was the whole thrust of last week. Bloom where you are planted. Stay in the state God saved you in.

In verses 26-27, Paul is just applying that to whether or not singles should get married.

[!bible] 1 Corinthians 7:26-27 - KJV 26. I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be. 27. Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife.

What's Paul saying? If you are single, given all that is going on, it's probably best to stay single. If you are married, you need to stay married. Be content with where God has you.

Paul is going to make it clear that it's not bad to get married. It's not sin. Singleness isn't for everyone. But His advice is just to be content where you are now.

Listen, marriage is a wonderful thing. Marriage is a great blessing - but marriage isn't going to solve your problems. Some of you are tempted to think "If I could just marry Mrs. Right - then all my problems would go away." That's not how it works. You get Mrs. Right's problems too.

Some people maybe have the opposite problem. They are already married and it isn't going well and they think, if I could just get rid of this wife, and have some freedom, then all my problems would go away.

In both cases, you need to remember that most of your problems wear your shoes and they are going to follow you whereever you go. So the best course of action, if you can stand it, is to stay where you are. Serve God where you are.

Now, I'm not sure Paul would argue for singleness so strongly outside of "this present distress." We are not longer in "this present distress." Marriage is a good and wonderful thing, a natural thing, it was God who said "it is not good for man to be alone, I will make a help meet for him."

But the principle abides - your focus should be on serving God here and now. Not on getting to some other situation.

This isn't just a principle about marriage. Some of you think "If I could just get another job. Or if I could just move out of lousy Illinois. Or if I could just get into a bigger house." You can insert your own thing there.

God wants us content and focused on serving Him wherever we are.

[!bible] Philippians 4:11 - KJV 11. Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

Bloom where you are planted. Serve God now. If you can't serve God and worship Him now, you won't do it when you are married, or moved or whatever you dream about.

So that is the first principle. The second timeless principle Paul gives us is this...

2. We should do everything with a heavenly perspective, realizing that this world is temporary. (29-31)

Look at verses 29-31 again:

[!bible] 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 - KJV 29. But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none; 30. And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; 31. And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away.

Paul is reminding us here that "the time is short." This world is not permanent. There is coming a day and it is coming soon when we will be 'ever with the Lord.'

And so we shouldn't get entangled with the world. That's what "abusing it" means in verse 31. It means to "overuse" or "be consumed by using."

We have this world to use, but we can't lose track of the goal. We can't get too attached to this world. We are believers and we are to live with heaven in view.

And whatever we have in this world, be it out marriage (which is wonderful) or our emotions, or our posessions - they cannot become the main thing. They can't make us take our eye off the ball - which is God and His work.

So we need to live with eternity in view.

Can I tell you a little secret - when you live with eternity in view, it makes the here and now better.

• It makes your marriage and family better.
• It makes your relationships more meaningful.
• It makes your possessions even better because you own and use them and they do not own you.
• It makes this world, even though its' God's temporary creation, something we can enjoy with clear eyes.

Because it is temporary. Time is short.

So whatever we are doing, whether we are getting married or switching jobs or whatever - we should do it in light of God and His work on this earth.

So...

1. It is good to stay in the state you currently are in and be content. (26-27)
2. We should do everything with a heavenly perspective, realizing that this world is temporary. (29-31)

The third timeless principle Paul gives us in these verses is...

3. Whatever state you are in, your primary focus should be on serving the Lord, and any binding decision you make should take that into account. (32-35)

In verses 32-35 Paul deals with this idea of people getting married. Remember, they had this present distress to worry about. They had some pressing circumstances. They didn't know when Jesus was coming back.

And Paul's answer was if you must get married, then get married - but understand that marriage might bring added distractions to serving the Lord.

Let's read the verses:

[!bible] 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 - KJV 32. But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord: 33. But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife. 34. There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband. 35. And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction.

Paul is talking about carefulness. Carefulness are things that distract us from God's mission for us. Paul's goal is that we can attend to the Lord without distraction which is "comely" or beautiful.

There are just more responsabilities you have when you are married and have a family. There are more cares. Taking care of your wife. Providing for your family. You need to think about how those things could potentially hinder your service to God.

Let's use an extreme example: Let's say I'm a man who wants to plant churches for God in a muslim country, and I know that I may very well be beaten or beheaded for my service to God. That is something I can handle.

But what if they take my wife, what if they take my daughters and threaten them?

That kind of thing was a real possibility for these first century Christians and something they had to think about. There first responsibility was to be faithful to God and if they were unmarried, they had to take it into account would being married hinder them from faithfulness in any way?

Now, if you are married, then your family is your responsibility. It's a glorious responsibility. But there are things I wouldn't do today because I have a wife and five kids depending on me. There are places I wouldn't go that maybe a single person could go.

So how do we apply this principle? I think we need to remember that we belong to the Lord. Our first duty is to Him. And whenever we are about to make a big decision - moving, marriage, college, a new career, whatever - we need to think about how it might affect our ability to serve God.

4. If you are marrying "in the Lord", there are no bad decisions, only good and best.

This fourth principle comes from the last part of our passage. Let's look at verses 36-40:

[!bible] 1 Corinthians 7:36-40 - KJV 36. But if any man think that he behaveth himself uncomely toward his virgin, if she pass the flower of her age, and need so require, let him do what he will, he sinneth not: let them marry. 37. Nevertheless he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well. 38. So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better. 39. The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord. 40. But she is happier if she so abide, after my judgment: and I think also that I have the Spirit of God.

Notice what Paul says in verse 38: "he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better."

Paul isn't saying one choice is right and the other is wrong. He's saying both are good - one is just better for the circumstances they were facing.

The same thing with the widow in verses 39-40. She can remarry - Paul says she's free to do so. But she'll be happier if she doesn't. Not because remarriage is wrong, but because staying single is better for her situation.

Here's the key phrase in verse 39: "only in the Lord." As long as you're making decisions within God's will, as a believer marrying another believer, seeking to honor God - you're not going to make a "wrong" choice.

This takes so much pressure off of us. We spend so much time worrying "What if I marry the wrong person?" or "What if I make the wrong choice?" Paul is saying - if you're walking with God and marrying in the Lord, you can't mess this up. There are good choices and better choices, but no wrong choices.

Conclusion

So let me wrap this up. We've looked at four time-bound problems that the Corinthians faced, and four timeless principles that still apply to us today:

1. It is good to stay in the state you currently are in and be content.
2. We should do everything with a heavenly perspective, realizing that this world is temporary.
3. Whatever state you are in, your primary focus should be on serving the Lord.
4. If you are marrying "in the Lord", there are no bad decisions, only good and best.

Whether you're single, married, or somewhere in between - these principles can guide you. Be content where God has you. Live with eternity in view. Keep serving God your first priority. And trust that when you're walking with Him, He'll guide you into good decisions.

The Corinthians were facing persecution and distress we can hardly imagine. But Paul's wisdom transcends their circumstances. God wants us to live faithfully wherever He has placed us, with our eyes on Him and our hearts set on serving His kingdom.

Let's pray.