Ivanna and I studied this section together today. This is a beautiful thing that we can study the Word of God together. This text speaks to those who are married and unmarried. For us the Spirit spoke to us about preparing for marriage and the seriousness of the commitment to marriage.
The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. (1 Corinthians 7:3, 4 NIV)
That is some serious commitment. That looks so little like marriages today where when things get hard people divorce. This marriage that models Christ and his bride the church the body of Christ is a loving sacrificial act where each dies to themselves and serves the other even when we don't want to.
Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
(1 Corinthians 7:8, 9 NIV)
Paul is one of those who are able and called to live celibate lives. These verses and later in this chapter need to be carefully considered and not taken to either extreme. We should not hastily jump into marriage without wisdom and consideration to avoid burning with passion. Yet also marriage is a beautiful thing and great for some. Either way in marriage or singleness/celibacy we can serve The Lord. For myself I hope to pursue marriage God willing, and I believe marriage will be good for my own discipleship and it can be a beautiful partnership in the gospel with our spouse.
To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife. To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or the sister is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife? (1 Corinthians 7:10-13, 15, 16 NIV)
Wow the call of marriage is serious. Yet this is the way it was intended from the very beginning as Jesus reminded us:
“It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,” Jesus replied. “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” (Mark 10:5-9 NIV)
Marriage is a lifelong serious commitment without a back door or prenuptials. It is one of the most serious and challenging places of discipleship where our faith and character in Christ is tested and grown constantly. And yet it is one the greatest and most beautiful gifts! But as we learn from Jesus in luke 10 even marriage is not eternal and we must not put our hopes there. Our vows don't say either until divorce or forever. Marriage is neither extreme: it is lifelong and yet not eternal.
Lord bless many married believers with strength and joy to persist despite the worldly culture of divorce. I pray for myself in your timing and planning that I would be a man of God worthy of marriage. And yet I know even in marriage I will continue to sin and need to depend on you and live a lifestyle of repentance. Set my hopes on you Christ and yet I also ask for a wife to follow you with in this life and to bring your kingdom together! I pray you would help me to honor you Lord and my potential future wife now with my body and my heart. For I am full of sin and in need of a savior to redeem and purify me. And it breaks my heart my sin and how it affects myself, a possible future wife and God.
Lord save me!
Amen
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