Called

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Intro: Called

Preaching the Word: 1 Corinthians—The Word of the Cross Chapter 13: On Calling (1 Corinthians 7:17–24)

“What does Christ have to do with my vocation?” “How does the gospel shape my sense and practice of calling?” The question of calling is incredibly important for modern people. Christian or not, most people will likely spend the majority of their waking hours working. Between the years of twenty-five to sixty-five years of age, an average person will spend about 96,000 hours at work. Therefore, it is essential to step back and ask: What am I doing? Why am I doing it? How am I doing it? Who am I doing it for? What is my motivation for work? What are the guiding principles for work? Is my work largely self-serving or other-serving?

Preaching the Word: 1 Corinthians—The Word of the Cross Chapter 13: On Calling (1 Corinthians 7:17–24)

Much like there is no “Mr. Perfect” in marriage, there is no perfect vocation or calling. Work is not meant to provide ultimate fulfillment.

Preaching the Word: 1 Corinthians—The Word of the Cross Chapter 13: On Calling (1 Corinthians 7:17–24)

On the one hand, his view is not overly spiritual: he highlights the call to live ordinary, faithful lives in whatever vocational field we find ourselves. On the other hand, his view is not underspiritual: he suggests that ordinary callings are invested with immense value because of the end to which they point.

Transition:
Context:
READ
Called to contentment (TO CARRY CHRIST TO YOUR SPHERE OF INFLUENCE) v.17-24
Some of our best missionaries were doing it here before they went to do it somewhere else
The Letters to the Corinthians Serving God Where God Has Set Us (1 Corinthians 7:17–24)

PAUL lays down one of the first rules of Christianity: ‘Be a Christian where you are.’

Preaching the Word: 1 Corinthians—The Word of the Cross The Reason for Living as We Were Called

According to Paul, every Christian has two callings. The first calling is a fundamental identity calling (a vertical calling): every time the word calling or a form of it shows up in this passage (with one exception, in verse 17), it is in reference to the Christian’s fundamental identity calling. God’s saving grace is spoken of as a “call” in verses 18, 20, 21, 22, 24. This is the unshifting, foundational core calling for the Christian. This identity is the wellspring out of which everything else flows. This is where believers are intended to derive their identity, fulfillment, security, comfort, and hope. This call is primarily vertical because it has everything to do with how one relates to God.

Preaching the Word: 1 Corinthians—The Word of the Cross The Reason for Living as We Were Called

Then there is the supplemental vocational calling (a horizontal calling). This calling is mentioned in verse 17: “Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him.” This is a secondary call. Though there are elements of enjoyment, excellence, and contribution to the common good, this secondary call is not designed to function as a source of identity, fulfillment, or security. This call is primarily horizontal. While God cares deeply about it, it has everything to do with how one relates to the world at large.

Preaching the Word: 1 Corinthians—The Word of the Cross The Reason for Living as We Were Called

What is the reason for living as we were called? A vertically derived identity gives horizontal freedom.

Preaching the Word: 1 Corinthians—The Word of the Cross The Difficulty of Living as We Were Called

The Bible nowhere condones slavery and consistently sets up social conditions under which slavery will inevitably fail (1 Timothy 1:10).

Preaching the Word: 1 Corinthians—The Word of the Cross The Difficulty of Living as We Were Called

The modern understanding of slavery is largely about hard labor; in the ancient world it covered all vocational levels. A slave could run a business, be a teacher, or even manage a household, etc. Slaves in Corinth would not have been laborers. Modern slavery was about forced labor; in the ancient world that labor was optional. Many would sell themselves into slavery for economic and social advantages. Modern slavery was race-based; in the ancient world, slavery was non-race-based. Anyone could become a slave. Modern slavery was permanent, whereas in the ancient world it was temporary. Slaves were able to purchase their own freedom. Ancient slavery was oftentimes (but not always) much more like indentured servitude than the oppressive, coercive, forced slavery we see today.

7:17–24 Discontent was prevalent among these new believers in the Corinthian church. As noted up to this point (vv. 1–16), some wanted to change their marital status, some were slaves who wanted to be free, and some used their freedom in Christ to rationalize sinning. In a general response to that, this passage plainly repeats the basic principle that Christians should willingly accept the marital condition and social situations into which God has placed them and be content to serve Him there until He leads them elsewhere.

7:17 For the first of 3 times (vv. 20, 24), Paul states the principle of contentment which is required of all Christians.

7:18 called. As always in the epistles, this term refers to God’s effectual call that saves (see note on Rom. 8:30).

This requires a level of contentment which in and of itself is a miracle in todays day and age.
The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament 7:17–24—Be Content with Present Circumstances

Greek philosophers, especially Stoics, emphasized accepting one’s situation. But whereas Stoics identified the God who directed their lives with Fate, Paul trusts God as a loving Father.

The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament 7:17–24—Be Content with Present Circumstances

Greeks exercised in the nude, and both Greeks and Romans regarded circumcision as a mutilation. For several centuries some Jews, ashamed of their circumcision in the predominantly Greek culture, had opted for a minor surgical operation that could pull the remains of their foreskin forward and make them appear uncircumcised.

Preaching the Word: 1 Corinthians—The Word of the Cross Chapter 13: On Calling (1 Corinthians 7:17–24)

If anything is clear from the preceding passages, it is that Christianity has far-reaching implications for all of life.

Second, God uses our ordinary routines and relationships to bring about his redemptive purposes in a fallen world. Marriage, for example, brings about three such purposes. First, it provides appropriate means of sexual fulfillment, and therefore of avoiding temptation and sin (vv. 2, 5, 9, 36). Second, it makes young children “holy” by bringing them into covenant relationship with God through the belief of at least one parent—whose belief apparently can cover the unholiness of an unbelieving spouse in terms of the child’s covenant status before God (v. 14; cf. Acts 2:39; 16:31). Third, marriage sometimes leads to the salvation of unbelieving spouses (1 Cor. 7:16).

7:18–19. The external operation of circumcision or the obliteration of the same (cf. [apocryphal] 1 Maccabees 1:15–16) was a matter of little importance compared with keeping God’s commands, which for Paul meant being controlled by the Spirit (cf. Rom. 2:25–29).

EVERY job is a service performed for Jesus
(REALLY CHRISTIAN STRIP CLUB OWNER AS IN LOUISVILLE? OR CHRISTIAN GANGSTER) SOME THINGS ARE REJECTED SOME REDEEMED SOME RECIEVED

7:20–23. Likewise, a Christian’s vocational situation is a matter of little consequence (if status can be changed, well and good; if not, it is not a matter for worry). What matters is that every Christian should realize he is Christ’s slave and needs to render obedience to Him. Every vocation then becomes Christian service performed for the Master (cf. Eph. 6:5–8).

If Christian slaves have the opportunity to become free, they should become free. Slaves in the Roman Empire could be set free by their owners, e.g., as a reward for years of hard work or as a result of payment offered by the slave; manumission was selective, however; there were no guarantees. The freedmen, i.e., the slaves who were manumitted, acquired the family name of their former master if the latter was a Roman citizen; they continued to provide benefits to their “patron.”

Christianity was not meant to be a cultural thing, it is meant to be a revolutionary thing...

circumcised … uncircumcised. With Judaizers demanding all Gentile believers in Christ to be circumcised (Gal. 5:1–6), and with some Christian Jews wanting to disassociate with Judaism and thus having a surgery to become circumcised (as addressed in rabbinic literature), Paul needed to clarify the issue by saying that neither was necessary. Figuratively, the idea is that when a Jew became a Christian, he was not to give up his racial and cultural identity in order to appear like a Gentile. Likewise, a Gentile was not to become culturally like a Jew (v. 19). Culture, social order, external ceremony have no bearing on spiritual life. What matters is faith and obedience.

The New American Commentary: 1 Corinthians (3) The Guiding Principle for Decision-Making: Remain as You Are (7:17–24)

The phrase, “remain as you are,” occurs three times in this section (7:17, 20, 24) and corresponds to the apostle’s advice in other places in the chapter.

The New American Commentary: 1 Corinthians (3) The Guiding Principle for Decision-Making: Remain as You Are (7:17–24)

The main point of 7:17–24 is that conversion, while altering moral and spiritual life, does not necessarily alter status in life.

The New American Commentary: 1 Corinthians (3) The Guiding Principle for Decision-Making: Remain as You Are (7:17–24)

Paul illustrates the principle by way of two leading identity markers in the ancient world: religious (circumcision/uncircumcision) and social (freedman/slave). Since Paul commands this in all the churches (7:17; see also 4:17; 14:33), the principle of remaining in God’s calling is a central tenet of his theology of the Christian life rather than a response only to the local situation in Corinth.

The New American Commentary: 1 Corinthians (3) The Guiding Principle for Decision-Making: Remain as You Are (7:17–24)

Morris captures the gist of Paul’s thought: “All of life is God’s. We should serve God where we are until he calls elsewhere.”

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 10: Romans through Galatians 2. Christian Obligation to Live According to God’s Call (7:17–24)

In extension of the principle that God has called his people to live in peace (v. 15), Paul teaches that the Christian should live contentedly in any station of life in which God places him.

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 10: Romans through Galatians 2. Christian Obligation to Live According to God’s Call (7:17–24)

It may well be that Paul’s teaching that all Christians are equal (Gal 3:28), that all things material should be viewed as relatively insignificant in the light of eternal spiritual realities (2 Cor 4:18), and that the second coming of Christ will bring in a complete and new order of divine rule (1 Cor 15:23–28) had made the Christians restless and somewhat discontented with their lot in life. This place in life is what God has “assigned” and called (keklēken and memeriken) them to. God’s people can and must live as Christians, whatever the social economic, and religious level of society they are in. Their conditions do not affect their relationship and service to Jesus Christ,—whether they are married to a believer or, after having been saved, to an unbeliever; whether they are saved as Jews or Gentiles; or whether they are saved as slaves or freedmen.

“Do not be in a hurry to change the external circumstances of your life simply because you have become a Christian.”

“Retain” (v. 17) is “walk about.” “The place in life that the Lord assigned” refers to one’s marital, socioeconomic, or physical circumstances. “To which God has called him,” is a misleading translation; the Greek actually reads, “as God called him.” In other words, the entire verse implies that in whatever state we are when we come to the Lord, we should function faithfully in that state without immediately seeking to change it.

For a description of the motivation for and nature of this procedure, see Robert G. Hall, “Epispasm: Circumcision in Reverse,” BibRev 8.4 (1992): 52–57. Roman gymnasia were centers of athletic competition, and Roman baths (much like “hot tubs” in our recreational centers) were regularly used for discussing business and politics. Men remained nude in both settings, and Jews would be immediately recognizable. The operation of epispasm involved pulling the loose skin of the shaft of the penis up over the tip and suturing the wounds so that it would attach itself as a kind of substitute foreskin.

footnote above

Verses 18–19 illustrate this principle with the example of circumcision versus uncircumcision. Judaizers sought to force Gentile Christians to be circumcised (Acts 15:1), while many Jews who sought acceptance in the Greco-Roman world underwent a minor surgical procedure to make them selves appear to be uncircumcised.

Here Paul contrasts the experiences of Roman slaves and freedmen. Neither state makes serving the Lord inherently easier than the other, and there are spiritual senses in which literal slaves are free in Christ and literal freedmen slaves to Christ.

Unlike slaves in the American South, many were able to buy their own freedom; and many who could, chose not to, preferring instead the security of their patrons to the vagaries of freedom.

If Paul were pro-abolition, why did he not come out and say so more directly? Part of the answer is because he, like Jesus, was concerned primarily with fashioning a countercultural community of disciples who did not directly challenge the state but modeled better lifestyles for a watching world.

From Philippians 4:10–19, we may also apply these principles to the level of wealth or poverty in which we find ourselves.

These verses directly challenge our contemporary individualism, which teaches people never to rest content with the status they have already attained but always to seek more money, power, influence, and control over their lives.

About the only jobs that Christians cannot honorably and productively continue in after conversion are those which are inherently immoral—prostitution, pimping, racketeering, organized crime, drug dealing, and the like.

The Letters to the Corinthians Serving God Where God Has Set Us (1 Corinthians 7:17–24)

Here, there is a picture in Paul’s mind. In the ancient world, it was possible for a slave at a great effort to purchase his own freedom. This was how he did it. In the little spare time he had, he took odd jobs to earn some money, however little. His master had the right to claim commission even on these poor earnings. But the slave would deposit everything he could earn in this way in the temple of some god. When—it might be after several years—he had his complete purchase price laid up in the temple, he would take his master there, the priest would hand over the money, and then symbolically the slave became the property of the god and therefore free of all human bondage. That is what Paul is thinking of. Christians have been purchased by Christ; and therefore, no matter what their human status may be, they are free of all slavery to others because they are the property of Christ.

The Letters to the Corinthians Serving God Where God Has Set Us (1 Corinthians 7:17–24)

Paul insists that Christianity does not make people kick over the traces and become complaining and discontented with things as they are; it makes them, wherever they are, carry themselves as the slaves of Christ. Even the most lowly form of work is done no longer for other people but for Christ.

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Six: Be Wise about … Christian Marriage (1 Corinthians 7)

The church was perhaps the only assembly in the Roman Empire where slaves and freemen, men and women, rich and poor, could fellowship on an equal basis (Gal. 3:28). However, this new equality also brought with it some misunderstandings and problems; and some of these Paul dealt with in 1 Corinthians 7:17–24.

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Six: Be Wise about … Christian Marriage (1 Corinthians 7)

We are prone to think that a change in circumstances is always the answer to a problem. But the problem is usually within us and not around us. The heart of every problem is the problem in the heart.

1 Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary F. Lead the Life God Assigns (7:17–24)

Paul turns from marriage to the wider question of living contentedly in whatever state God has set us. He relates this on the one hand to the equipment and call God gives us, and on the other to circumcision and to slavery, the great religious and social distinctions which divided the world of his day

1 Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary F. Lead the Life God Assigns (7:17–24)

Each has its own importance in the service of God. The slave, for example, can show how the believer can serve God under the limits imposed by slavery (as the free man cannot), while the free can show how to submit himself to voluntary service to God. Paul’s point is that one can serve God in a variety of places and it is not necessary to leave one’s station in life simply because one is converted.

Walk, I could illustrate with a walk, in a walk you make steady progress… every step is moving forward… this is not complacency, but there is contentment...
1 Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary F. Lead the Life God Assigns (7:17–24)

Barrett points out that throughout this paragraph Paul ‘is not thinking primarily of a vocation to which a man is called, but of the condition in which a man is when the converting call of God comes to him’. Most modern translations paraphrase ‘so let him walk’ (AV), but we should not miss the point that walking is a favourite metaphor with Paul for the living of the Christian life with its idea of steady progress.

v.20
1 Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary F. Lead the Life God Assigns (7:17–24)

Remain is present imperative, with the thought of continuance.

Preaching the Word: 1 Corinthians—The Word of the Cross The Reason for Living as We Were Called

“The average worker today stays at each of his or her jobs for 4.4 years, according to the most recent available data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, but the expected tenure of the workforce’s youngest employees is about half that. Ninety-one percent of Millennials (born between 1977–1997) expect to stay in a job for less than three years.… That means they would have 15–20 jobs over the course of their working lives!”

Preaching the Word: 1 Corinthians—The Word of the Cross The Reason for Living as We Were Called

Boomers learned to find their security, comfort, and identity in work that often left them unfulfilled. They passed on to Millennials the idea that work provides security, comfort, and identity, but they added the idea that work should provide ultimate fulfillment and satisfaction as well. The result is a generation of individuals who are seeking their identity and fulfillment in their work, but who lack the kind of steadfast commitment that might actually afford them some level of proper satisfaction in their work.

What matters is the keeping of the commandments of God. Obedience is the only mark of faithfulness the Lord recognizes. Obedience is sometimes costly, but it is always possible. We can be obedient anywhere and in any circumstance. The issue is internal.

In the Roman empire of Paul’s time, perhaps fifty percent of the population were slaves. But unlike most slaves throughout history, the slave of that day often was better educated, more skilled, and more literate and cultured than the average free person. A large percentage of the doctors, teachers, accountants, and other professionals were slaves.

2. Called to an eternal perspective v.25-31

Paul also argues that the real problem they face in their present world situation is the proper expenditure of their time and energies. He is desirous that they devote their energies to the service of the Lord, and this they can do better if they are unmarried (vv. 32–34).

The New American Commentary: 1 Corinthians (4) Concerning the Virgins (7:25–40)

7:29–31 To this point in the letter Paul’s end-time outlook has proven to be a significant component of his instruction to the Corinthians. Similarly, in 7:29–31, Paul puts the question of whether or not to marry, along with other activities that characterize the whole of life, into proper eschatological focus. The key to understanding the five paradoxical assertions of 7:29b–31a lies in the parallel statements that frame the unit: “the time is short” (7:29) and “this world in its present form is passing away” (7:31).

The New American Commentary: 1 Corinthians (4) Concerning the Virgins (7:25–40)

The language of 7:29b–31a cannot be pressed literally as if Paul advocates that those having wives should live literally as though not having a wife, and so forth. This would go against everything argued in 7:1–5, 10–16. Rather, Paul uses such language with the objective to change the way the Corinthians view earthly things.

The New American Commentary: 1 Corinthians (4) Concerning the Virgins (7:25–40)

Robertson and Plummer paraphrase Paul’s intention as something like, “But though I counsel none to change their state, I do counsel all to change their attitude towards all earthly things.” As important as earthly concerns may be, believers should never allow such concerns to overshadow eternal realities.

The New American Commentary: 1 Corinthians (4) Concerning the Virgins (7:25–40)

The character of the present age alters the believer’s relationship to the world and demands the reordering of priorities. Romans 13:11–14 provides expanded commentary on Paul’s meaning in 1 Cor 7:29. Believers should “understand the time” and be vigilant “because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light” (Rom 13:11–12). Similarly, in Eph 5:15–16 Paul admonishes to “be very careful how you live,” and to make “the most of every opportunity because the days are evil.”

The New American Commentary: 1 Corinthians (4) Concerning the Virgins (7:25–40)

In 7:29b–31a Paul lists five examples that drive home the point that believers should live in light of the reality that the present structures of this world are passing away.

The New American Commentary: 1 Corinthians (4) Concerning the Virgins (7:25–40)

Even though marriage is by divine appointment, it is a temporary arrangement (Mark 12:19–25) that dissolves at death (Rom 7:2; 1 Cor 7:39). In context, even though Paul addresses “those who have wives,” the focus of the exhortation is to those contemplating marriage, and he counsels that the decision to marry or not to marry should take into account eschatological realities. In the four additional examples, Paul touches on other areas of life that affect everyone, whether single or married. Paul is not oblivious to the ups and downs of life when he urges those who mourn to live as if they did not and those who are happy to live as if they were not. In context, he is simply saying that sadness and joy are not decisive for the Christian; there is something of far greater significance. In the fourth and fifth examples Paul casts eschatological light on worldly possessions. Buying and selling is a part of life, but one’s life does not consist in what he or she owns (Luke 12:15). As Garland states, “The mandate to buy presupposes that Paul does not intend for Christians to withdraw from the world (cf. 5:10). They may continue to do business, but they must watch lest they become consumed by their consuming.” James 4:13–17 warns of the same thing. To those who are overly preoccupied with plans to carry on business and make a profit James bluntly states, “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (Jas 4:14). Paul’s final example, “those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them,” employs a play on words in the Greek, reading literally, “those who make use of the world as not making full use.” The term “to make full use” appears again in 9:18 where Paul presents himself as an example of one who had full apostolic rights but did not make full use of those rights.

The New American Commentary: 1 Corinthians (4) Concerning the Virgins (7:25–40)

The second occurrence of the formulaic peri de in 7:25 (cf. 7:1), translated “Now about,” signals a shift of topic, presumably indicating another issue raised by the Corinthians in their letter to Paul.

The New American Commentary: 1 Corinthians (4) Concerning the Virgins (7:25–40)

What is the “present crisis” noted in 7:26? How does Paul’s eschatological outlook condition his response (7:29–31)? Why does Paul mention widows again in 7:39–40 since he has already addressed this group in 7:8–9? One thing is clear; Paul is consistent in 7:25–40 in the application of the principle, “Remain as you are,” that has served as his theological guidepost for the entire chapter.

7:29 time is short. Human life is brief (cf. James 4:14; 1 Pet. 1:24). as though they had none. This does not teach that marriage is no longer binding or treated with seriousness (cf. Eph. 5:22–33; Col. 3:18, 19), nor should there be any physical deprivation (vv. 3–5); but Paul is teaching that marriage should not at all reduce one’s devotion to the Lord and service to Him (cf. Col. 3:2). He means to keep the eternal priority (see v. 31).

7:31 use … not misusing. This refers to the normal commercial materialism and pleasures that govern in the world. Believers are not to be swept up in earthly enterprises so that heavenly matters become secondary. form. This refers to a manner of life, a fashion, or way of doing things.

The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament 7:25–38—Advice Especially to Virgins

In the language of ancient divorce contracts, “do not seek to be released” (NASB) means “do not seek a divorce” (NIV). “Released from a wife” (NASB; not simply “unmarried”—NIV) can mean “divorced” or “widowed,” and in the immediate passage must at least include the former (its meaning in the preceding line). Paul discourages both remarriages (v. 27) and first marriages of virgins for reasons given in the context, but he permits both.

7:28 marry, you have not sinned. Marriage is a fully legitimate and godly option for both the divorced (on biblical grounds; see note on v. 15) and virgins. trouble in the flesh. “Trouble” means lit. “pressed together, or under pressure.”

The New American Commentary: 1 Corinthians (4) Concerning the Virgins (7:25–40)

Some think the reference to the “present crisis” is to troubles preceding the second advent. The term appears in Luke 21:23 with reference to the last days along with the statement, “How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!” Mark 13:17–20 speaks of the same thing and mentions a shortening of days (cf. 1 Cor 7:29). The eschatological language of 7:29–31 lends support to this view.

The New American Commentary: 1 Corinthians (4) Concerning the Virgins (7:25–40)

However one understands the phrase, it is important to note that Paul’s instructions are conditioned by some pressing constraint. There are presently unusually difficult circumstances in Corinth, and for the time being remaining single is, in his judgment, advisable. Otherwise, his judgment might differ.

Paul knows that after Christ’s first coming, his second coming could take place very soon (“the time is short”—v. 29a). This does not mean that Paul had set any dates or necessarily expected the Lord to return within his lifetime. Rather he, like the rest of the New Testament writers, recognized what C. E. B. Cranfield has phrased so aptly, that

the Parousia is near … not in the sense that it must necessarily occur within a few months or years, but in the sense that it may occur at any moment and in the sense that, since the decisive event of history has already taken place in the ministry, death, resurrection and ascension of Christ, all subsequent history is a kind of epilogue, necessarily in a real sense short, even though it may last a very long time.

All Christians should therefore sense an urgency to serving the Lord, caused by the uncertainty of the time of the end, after which point it will no longer be possible to win any more people to Christ or to disciple them to maturity.

For all of us, single or married, if the end of the world truly could come in our lifetime, we should have an urgency about the Lord’s work that contemporary Christians seldom reflect. And even if the Lord delays his coming, sudden death claims too many lives for any of us ever to assume complacently that we have a certain number of years or decades left to serve God more leisurely.

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Six: Be Wise about … Christian Marriage (1 Corinthians 7)

Second, face the responsibilities honestly (vv. 32–35). The emphasis in this paragraph is on the word care, which means “to be anxious, to be pulled in different directions.”

30. So with other things. Mourners tend to be engrossed in their mourning. Those that rejoice are taken up with their happiness. Purchasers concentrate on their new possessions. In the prevailing distress and the shortened time all will be jolted out of their normal attitudes. Believers should accordingly not be preoccupied with their earthly circumstances; they should be detached from them all.

There is nothing solid and lasting in this world system; it is its nature to pass away. It is folly for believers to act as though its values were permanent.

Preachers throughout history have used the you never see a hearse pulling a uhaul… I think it is great until I saw this picture on social media (PICTURE)

Remember, in the ancient world an ultimate premium was placed on marriage, especially for women. And that’s because your family was not only your economic security, but your meaning in life too. A woman without a family during this time would have been a social outcast, her singleness the sign of her social failure. Some of us still feel this today, don’t we? We feel a stigma has been placed on our singleness; we’re frustrated because people always assume there’s something wrong with us if we’re alone, and sometimes we even begin to believe that ourselves

Form (schēma) means “fashion, manner of life, way of doing things, or mode of existence.” The mode of the world is impermanence; it is passing away.

None of the five areas about which Paul warns is inherently bad. Marriage, sorrow, rejoicing, possessions, and pleasure all have a proper place in the Christian life. In fact, each is a part of God’s provision for life here. Asceticism not only is not taught in Scripture, it is forbidden (Col. 2:18, 23; 1 Tim. 4:3). But human relationships, emotions, possessions, and pleasures become sinful when they dominate thought and behavior, and especially when they detract us from the Lord’s work.

We are to hold marriage in the highest honor (Heb. 13:4), to “rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep” (Rom. 12:15), and not despise earthly possessions. Our “heavenly Father knows that [we] need all these things” (Matt. 6:32). But we should not overvalue those things, knowing that they are passing away.

3. Called to undivided devotion v.32-40

32–35 Paul goes on to argue that if they want marriage, they must realize that it brings extra cares.

ME: Why guys start dressing different once they get married...
The Bible Knowledge Commentary 3. Marriage and Ministry (7:25–38)

The basic principle Paul had been setting forth (viz., to continue in one’s present position) was then applied to those who had never married. Apparently this was in response to a question put to him. Paul urged them to remain single, for three reasons: (a) an impending time of distress for Christians (vv. 26–28), (b) the imminent return of Christ (vv. 29–31), and (c) the opportunity for undistracted service for Christ (vv. 32–35).

The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament 7:39–40—Widows and Remarriage

7:39. On “bound” and “free,” see 7:15, 27; in discussions of divorce and widowhood “free” always meant “free to remarry.” (Different Greek words are used for “bound” in 7:15 and for “free” in 7:27, but these are synonyms; variation was a standard rhetorical technique and appears throughout the New Testament.)

7:32–35. Paul’s third reason was a development of the second. The single state has potentially fewer encumbrances and distractions than the married state, so it more easily facilitates a spirit of undivided devotion to the Lord. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warned His followers against letting concern for the material aspects of this life distract them from devotion to God (Matt. 6:25–34). The poor widow (Mark 12:44) gave all her material sustenance to God as an act of singular devotion. A married man or woman with a needful concern for the well-being of his family would have been less likely to do that. The situation illustrates Paul’s point that the single life with its greater simplicity in obligations allows a potentially greater commitment of time, resources, and self to the Lord than would be possible for a married person dutifully carrying out the marital and familial obligations attached to that state.

7:18 called. As always in the epistles, this term refers to God’s effectual call that saves (see note on Rom. 8:30).

Verse 35 supplies the most crucial clue in the whole chapter for determining when marriage is or is not appropriate. Whichever state enables one to “live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord” is preferable. Paul does not wish to “restrict” his audience (literally, “throw a noose around” them), one way or the other.

“Could I be equally useful to the Lord if married, or would it inevitably curtail my usefulness to him?”

Many Christian preachers, from John Wesley to contemporary workaholics, would have been better off unmarried rather than going through the agony of watching their marriages fall apart after years of neglect. William Carey’s marvelous missionary career remains somewhat tarnished because of the sacrifices he demanded of his wife, Dorothy, who eventually lost her mind. Some of this heartache could surely have been avoided if couples unprepared to count the cost simply had not married in the first place.

Many couples today can honestly attest that by the criterion of verse 35 they are better off married. Spouses can engage in team ministry, bring complementary gifts to a mutual task, and support and encourage one another (cf. Eccl. 4:12).

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Six: Be Wise about … Christian Marriage (1 Corinthians 7)

It is a fact of history that both John Wesley and George Whitefield might have been better off had they remained single—Wesley’s wife finally left him, and Whitefield traveled so much that his wife was often alone for long periods of time.

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Six: Be Wise about … Christian Marriage (1 Corinthians 7)

God has put “walls” around marriage, not to make it a prison, but to make it a safe fortress. The person who considers marriage a prison should not get married. When two people are lovingly and joyfully committed to each other—and to their Lord—the experience of marriage is one of enrichment and enlargement. They grow together and discover the richness of serving the Lord as a “team” in their home and church.

35. The apostle insists that he has the best interests of the Corinthians at heart. He is seeking what is for their own good (‘benefit’ or ‘advantage’). Not to restrict you employs a metaphor from hunting, ‘not to throw a lasso over you’. Paul is not trying to capture and constrain them. He wants that which makes for ‘good order’ (euschēmon, ‘of good shape’) and which provides for constancy (euparedron). There need be no intermission in the service offered by the unmarried, no distraction of any sort.

1 Corinthians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Chapter 19: Reasons for Remaining Single (7:25–40)

Spirituality is based on obedience to God.

But singleness has fewer hindrances and more advantages. It is easier for a single person to be single-minded in the things of the Lord. The married Christian has no choice. His interests must be divided. He cannot be faithful to the Lord if he is unfaithful to his family. “If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Tim. 5:8).

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