1 Corinthians 7:25-40

(1 Corinthians 7:25-40)

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.  I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be.  Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife.  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. But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none;  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;  And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away.  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:  But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife. 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.  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.  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.  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.  So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better. 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.  But she is happier if she so abide, after my judgment: and I think also that I have the Spirit of God.

 

Corinth was located in a place where sea transportation was very convenient as it bordered the sea from east to west. At the time, Corinth was a thriving commercial city, not only very wealthy, but also a center of culture. Corinth was a commercial city and a port city, so the sex culture of the Corinthians was very promiscuous. Corinthian church members living in such a society must have been influenced by the culture at that time. Paul sent an answer to the problems facing the members of the Corinthian church.

 

Among the recommendations for marriage, this is about virgins and widows. Although society at that time was very prosperous, it was at the center of life that the impending tribulation would soon come to Paul and the members of the church. So, Paul says that while marriage is not a sin, single life is nothing wrong. Paul is telling members of the congregation that when a saint gets married, he thinks too much for his or her spouse and can lead him away from life for the Lord. If the believers can better serve the Lord with their whole mind without being distracted, it is better to live single. In Corinth, which was a port city, not only sexual crimes outside marriage between men and women, but also common problems such as premarital cohabitation, homosexuality, incest, polygamy, divorce, and remarriage were prevalent. It was necessary to be more reverent in order to live as a Christian in the midst of a promiscuous world.

 

In addition, Paul recommends a single life with a heart that remembers the sufferings of the flesh that will be faced by the persecutions caused by the impending tribulation, and hopes to be protected from the burdens and sufferings that will arise from marriage. Continuing, Paul reports that while the time to work for the Lord is short, the end of the world is near. These words are not only based on the Lord's Second Coming, but explain the circumstances of the early church, where the freedom to testify of the gospel was limited due to terrible persecution.

Also, Paul recommends remarrying widows in the same faith, although remarriage is not a sin. But further, Paul recommends that it is more blessed to just stay than to remarry. Paul's view of marriage is that it is pleasing to the Lord that Christians, whether married or living single, should be concerned. Whether married or single, bound by lust, he has lost his devotion to God. This means that all Christians, whether married or single, must be sanctified with an attitude of devotion to God.

 

Today, the world we live in is a secularized world just like Corinth, where Paul lived. It is important not to entrust yourself to the flow of the secularized times and to live a holy life that does not disturb your heart only to please the Lord. Like the Lord, who began our public life by refraining from refraining, Paul tells us that we must live by refraining from refraining as a Christian.