Patrick: 00:13

Thank you for listening to First Day. I am Patrick Cooley. So let's hop on in here into 1st Corinthians chapter 7. But just by way of reminder, chapter 6 ends with Paul's command to flee from sexual immorality. Christians must do so, he says, because we can no longer claim ownership of ourselves, of our bodies even.

Patrick: 00:41

Because of Jesus' work, we are no longer free to give ourselves over to our lusts and to those things that we crave. Paul is so concerned with the problem of sexual immorality that he continues addressing the topic of human sexuality here in chapter 7. Don't forget that part of Paul's moral instruction begins with his admonishment of the church for it permitting a man who is in a sexual relationship with his stepmother to remain a member. This was back in, this was in chapter 5, which is when all of this started. In fact, not only do they keep allow the guy to stay as a member of the church and participating in it, it seems as if they are proud of this decision.

Patrick: 01:30

Maybe because of this mantra of all things are permissible for me, which is indicative as said last time of, perhaps a false understanding of grace. Something else to note here is that Paul in chapter 6 tells the Corinthians that when a person has sex with a prostitute, that the 2 become 1 in body. But then at the end of the chapter, he says that a person who joins with Christ, they become 1 in spirit. With this, I believe Paul is challenging the Christians to decide what is more important, the flesh and the things thereof or Christ. So it begins in, chapter 7 verse 1.

Patrick: 02:23

Now in response to the matters you wrote about, it is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman. But because sexual immorality is so common, each man should have sexual relations with his wife and each woman should have sexual relations with her husband a husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife and likewise a wife to her husband. A wife does not have the right over her own body, but her husband does. In the same way, a husband does not have the right over his own body, but his wife does. Do not deprive one another except when you agree for a time to devote yourselves to prayer then come together again.

Patrick: 03:16

Otherwise, Satan may tempt you because of your lack of self control. I say this is a concession, not as a command. I wish that all people were were as I am, but each has his own gift from God. 1 person has this gift. Another has that So chapter 7 begins with evidence of that missing letter that I mentioned in the introduction episode to first Corinthians.

Patrick: 03:48

It appears that someone either an individual or a group within the church of Corinth was troubled by the sexually immoral behavior that was occurring and maybe even being celebrated there. Paul considers this letter, however, somewhat overreactive. The opponents of what appears to be the accepted practice in the congregation seek Paul's approval of their belief that the only way Christians should live out their faith is in total abstinence, whether married or not. Yet Paul says, no. They're not correct.

Patrick: 04:29

He begins this chapter. It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman. This is actually a quote from them, from this group. Surprisingly, Paul disagrees with this, even though he himself abstains from having sex. Since sexual immorality is so widespread in Corinth, both in the city at large and I assume even in the church, Paul says that people should have sex only with their spouses.

Patrick: 05:05

Paul knows that for most people, physical lust is a powerful hindrance to to righteousness, excluding himself and those who share in the same spiritual gift as he does, this gift of abstinence. He would prefer that people abstain from sexual congress, but knows that this is unrealistic. In fact, it appears that Paul expects that this urge the sexual urge will always triumph because he knows how powerful sex is sex influence, reaches well beyond the physical both, into the psychological as well as into the spiritual. It is so powerful that Paul instruct spouses to not withhold sex from one another unless mutually agreed upon since most people lack self control. In Judaism, marriage was considered to be a primary mechanism in preventing people from becoming sexually immoral.

Patrick: 06:13

Perhaps this is why Paul tells spouses that their bodies are not their own, but belong to the other spouse. In this sense, their bodies are tools intended to serve a function or to complete a task. If one spouse refuses to have sex with the other, Paul argues, then the spouse who is, to quote doctor evil, all pent up, will surely give into temptation due to the lack of self control. But it's interesting that Paul says this very non judgmentally. It's sort of like expected.

Patrick: 06:51

No. This doesn't sound very romantic. This does not sound like lovemaking. It sounds very practical and very functional, but it will keep Satan out of people's marriages. Paul even extends his advice to widows and widowers.

Patrick: 07:11

It is best not to remarry, but better to remarry rather than to be consumed by erotic desire and given to sexual immorality. In verse, 8, he says, I say to the unmarried and to widows, it is good for them if they remain as I am, but if they do not have self control, they should marry since it is better to marry than to burn with desire. Before we move on, I think that there's important side note to add here and this this is just a small side note. It's something just to kind of chew on. Maybe we'll come back to it at some point in the future or not.

Patrick: 07:52

But, in his comments about sex, at no point here, does Paul state or even imply that spouses should engage in sex solely for the purpose of procreation. This is just something to think about. Paul Paul then, after this here, shifts gears to another topic. But I just want you to just kind of think about it. And here's an interesting note.

Patrick: 08:19

He doesn't say abstain from sex unless you're planning on making babies. Doesn't say that at all. And and I think that's that's that's that is something that is notable and worthy of being packed away for later unpacking. So after this, this these statements on sex, Paul shifts notes. He shifts to, another topic, and this topic is the practice of divorce.

Patrick: 08:50

But he only really seems to completely shift gears here. Bear with me on this. Verse 10, he writes, to the married I give this command, not I, but the Lord. A wife is not to leave her husband, but if she does leave, she must remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband and a husband is not to divorce his wife. Some commentators argue that here, Paul is addressing a specific circumstance since he begins this teaching on divorce with the wife initiating the separation.

Patrick: 09:33

This is in contrast, the the wife initiating divorce. This is in contrast with the tradition which usually concerns itself with husbands initiating divorces from their wives. Although with this in mind, it seems reasonable to assume that Paul is addressing some specific circumstance. The text that we have simply provides no extra information. More likely, I think, Paul is teaching the Corinthians what Jesus had said regarding divorce among believers.

Patrick: 10:11

Keep in mind, the 4 gospels that we have today in our canon had not yet been written. However, it is not only reasonable, but I think probable that there that the early Christians would have had access to a collection of Jesus's sayings and teachings. If not some yet discovered proto gospel. Deuteronomy 24:1 to 4 permits Jewish men to divorce their wives for any number of reasons, but the same is not true for their wives. In the Roman world though, divorce could be initiated by either party.

Patrick: 10:53

Thus, the practice in Corinth would be that wives could divorce their husbands. What does Paul insert this teaching into his letter here is the question that is at hand. Considering that the apostle has just argued the preeminence of marriage as a means of staving off sexual immorality. Would it not be natural for him to remind these nascent Christians that everything they do or don't do is for a higher purpose. Or perhaps he's teaching the Corinthians a more Jesus taught.

Patrick: 11:39

Paul tells them here that although they can divorce under Roman law and cultural practice, maybe they shouldn't seek to do so. Remember verse 612, everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial. In verse 11, Paul extends this teaching on divorce. He does offer grace to the woman who simply cannot stay married, however. And she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her.

Patrick: 12:15

And she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. Also, if any woman has an unbelieving husband and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce her husband for the unbelieving husband is made holy by the wife and the unbelieving wife is made holy by the husband. Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but as it is they are holy. But if the unbeliever leaves, let him leave. A brother or sister is not bound in such cases.

Patrick: 12:49

God has called you to live in peace. Wife, for all you know, you might save your husband. Husband, for all you know, you might save your wife. So Paul expands on Jesus' teachings on divorce and extols the salvific character of marriage yet again. Not only can marriage help prevent a person from falling into unrighteousness through sexual immorality, it can actually help bring unbelievers to salvation.

Patrick: 13:20

Here. Paul most likely has in mind that people that are already married when one or the other spouse comes to a faith in Jesus Christ. This believing spouse may think it wise to divorce his or her husband as a way of putting some distance between the present in Christ and the past in the world, the present in righteousness and the past and unrighteousness, where once they were equally yoked after this conversion, they are no longer. And we'll talk about more of this in second Corinthians. And on first compression, this idea of divorce may seem good, you know, distance yourself from that those things in the past.

Patrick: 14:12

But when I chew on it a little while, things change a little bit. Throughout the old testament, God prohibits marriage between Israel and foreigners. Why you might ask? Wouldn't marriage be a good tool for conversion? Sadly, the history of God's people demonstrates this otherwise.

Patrick: 14:31

Usually, in the old testament, what happens is the former Israel when linked to or married to foreigners, it's Israel that compromises. It's Israel that changes in order to match, the the foreigner to in order to match the unrighteous. Therefore, Paul's command that new believers must not divorce their unbelieving. Spouses would appear in opposition to the tradition of Judaism. Is he trying to set the Corinthians up for a future failure or a compromised faith?

Patrick: 15:09

Of of course, he's not. Just as spouses take upon themselves the responsibility of keeping their partners to remain righteous, here too they are taking responsibility for the final dispensation of their souls. The church and its members embody the gospel now, and it is the temple of the indwelling spirit. Paul has already declared this in this letter. What would it say to those outside of the church if the very people who have been entrusted to be a place where the lost can encounter God don't care enough about their own spouses to stay in their marriages.

Patrick: 15:56

I can hear it now if she doesn't love her husband or he doesn't love his wife enough to stick around. Why would he or she give me a second thought? Sadly, now this whole passage, from, 1st Corinthians 7 is used by some people to to demand that women stay in abusive marriages. But in doing so, those that argue this completely misunderstand Paul's point. You stay in the marriage in order to bring about salvation you stay in the marriage in order to demonstrate to those outside of the faith.

Patrick: 16:42

What the power of faith and forgiveness are when they demand that women stay in abusive relationships or husbands stay in abusive relationships. They ignore the very first thing that he says. This is my opinion and not Jesus's command. Perhaps those who had written Paul and stated that it was good for a man not to touch a woman It said about trying to convince the Corinthians to divorce as a means of escaping Temptation. Perhaps divorce had become a problem in the congregation because of their position.

Patrick: 17:23

Paul writes in verse 16, wife, for all you know, you might save your husband. Husband, for all you know, you might save your wife. You should stay, he says, because with your presence in their lives, there is always hope for them. Thank you for listening to this episode of First Day. I am Patrick Cooley.

Patrick: 17:49

Join me at www.first day.us, and there you can subscribe and you can share. You can link over. And what I what I wanna ask you is if you have found, your Christian faith or your knowledge of the bible strengthened or deepened because of these podcasts, I ask you to, make an effort to just share this podcast with one person that you know who you think might, benefit from a deeper knowledge of scripture and a closer walk with Jesus. So until next time blessings and we will see you soon. Goodbye for now.