March 22, 2015
Morning Service

I Cor. 7:1-11

 

         The Apostle Paul established this congregation in Corinth on his first visit of his second missionary trip.  ( Acts 18 ) around 52AD.  This is when he also wrote I & II Thess.  Because many of the Jews had been expelled from Rome, they settled in Corinth.  This brought about Judaizer teachers in the church.  Also, Apollos, who was a very eloquent speaker, his preaching satisfied the hunger of those seeking knowledge of Greek philosophy, instead of the simplicity that was in Christ crucified.  This prompted the Apostle to write two letters to Corinth correcting problems that had arisen in the church.  St. Clement, and early church Father also wrote a letter to Corinth, after Paul’s death.  We are looking at these problems, and we see that many of the same problems exist in the church today.  So these letters will help us know how to deal with many different situations that arise in the church today. 

         We have already addressed false teaching, preacher religion, fornication, going to heathen law against a brother, and today we will look at teachings on marriage.  I Cor. 7. 

 

1Co 7:1-40  Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. 

·         Touching here means sexual relationship.  A little later on we will see why he makes this statement.

(2)  Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.  (3)  Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.  (4)  The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. 

·         Sexual relationship in a marriage is very important.  However, it is not what a marriage should be built on.  The three most destructive things in a marriage is 1.  A lack of God in the marriage, 2.  Sexual relationships, 3.  Money problems.  This is my opinion only, but I think it is pretty close.

·         Paul tells us here that it is up to each of us to satisfy the sexual needs of our partners in marriage.  As important as this is, sometimes it is difficult to accomplish.  Reasons for this:

1.  Sickness;  2.  Arguments, which genders anger; 3.  Lack of privacy;  There are different reasons for this, and each must be overcome, and cast aside out of our marriage.

(5)  Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.  (6)  But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment. 

·         Satisfying your partners needs are an ongoing aspect of marriage.

·         Paul says except it be with consent.  This indicates a communication between spouses.  And this is something that a marriage cannot do without.  Communication.

·         You agree to stop this intimacy for a while to draw closer to God through prayer, and fasting.

·         But then come together before satan tempts you for your abstinence.

·         Paul says there are no commandments that teach this.  But, it is what I teach.

(7)  For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that.  (8)  I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.  (9)  But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn. 

·         If someone can live a celibate life they are of most people blest.  But this may not be your gift from God.

·         It is clear that imposing this on members of the clergy have caused many sad moments in the lives of the ones affected, and disgrace to the church of the living God.  Paul said this in another place:  1Ti 4:1-3  Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;  (2)  Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;  (3)  Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

·         Do you see the importance of this statement?  Forbidding to marry is considered departing from the faith, and giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.  Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron.

·         And the people who do this are steeped in false teaching, mostly teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.  God help us to see the truth.

(10)  And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband:  (11)  But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife. 

·         Paul tells us here that this is not only a command of his, but also of the Lord. 

The Lord Jesus teaches us concerning marriage, and divorce in chapter 5 & 19 of Matt.

Mat 5:31-32  It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:  (32)  But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

Mat 19:3-6  The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it

lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?  (4)  And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,  (5)  And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?  (6)  Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

They went on to say;  Mat 19:7-9  They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? 

·         Now the Pharisees bring Moses into the equation:  Deu 24:1  When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.

However, here is where the rightly dividing of the Word comes in.  Anytime there appears to be a difference in what Moses taught, and what Jesus taught, we take Jesus’s teaching.   SO JESUS SAYS TO THEM.

(8)  He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.  (9)  And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.

There are a lot of people in Christianity that feel really guilty about being divorced, and remarried, and it is because of this Scripture.  Divorce is wrong, it is a sin, and we as Christians should do everything we possibly can not to let it happen in our marriage.

However, it happens to many families that are Christians.  There are many examples of really dedicated Christians that this happens too.  Each circumstance is different, and must be dealt with differently. 

The main thing that I want you to understand is that God does not want you to continue in feeling guilty concerning this event in your life.  He sees that you are continuing to seek a life with Him, and He is more than willing to forgive you of this sin.  Two Scriptures:

·         Mat 12:31  Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.

·         1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The last is showing God that we want a continual relationship with Him.  In this same portion of Scripture John says, “if we say we have not sinned we make Him  a liar.”  We all sin and come short of the glory of God.  The important thing is that it hurts us when we sin against man, and our God.

ALMIGHTY GOD, FORGIVE US OUR SINS AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO SIN AGAINST US.