MAY 3, 2020
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ABOUT MARRIAGE (PART I)
INTRODUCTION:
1. Paul now begins to address some questions which they had proposed to him in a letter. Apparently there were four specific questions to which he will respond one at a time. (Compare Ch. 7:25; 8:1; 12:1)
2. The first of these questions had to do with celibacy and marriage. As for what prompted the questions, we may form a reasonable assumption. There had sprung up among them some who were of an antinomian spirit, who, perhaps by perverting Paul’s own teachings, had made Christian liberty a cloak for lasciviousness. This sad fact was addressed in our previous lesson. Others, perhaps in their opposition to such laxity, had taken the position disparaging marriage as involving an inevitable stain. This thinking may have been influenced by the prevalence of the Essenes, a Jewish ascetic sect that believed that celibacy was a purer state than marriage. Plus, there was the influence of Gnosticism which held that all matter was inherently evil, and therefore ascetic Gnostics sought to eliminate every carnal impulse altogether. The antinomian Gnostic went to the opposite extreme, arguing that the spirit and the flesh were so utterly independent of each other that what the flesh did was of no consequence.
3. Here is Paul’s answer to the Corinthian’s question about Christianity and marriage.
I. THOUGH IN PARTICULAR SITUATIONS MARRIAGE MAY NOT BE EXPEDIENT, AS A GENERAL RULE EVERY MAN IS TO HAVE HIS OWN WIFE, AND EVERY WOMAN HER OWN HUSBAND. (VERSES 1, 2)
A. PAUL’S STATEMENT, “IT IS GOOD FOR A MAN NOT TO MARRY,” MUST BE QUALIFIED BY LANGUAGE AND CONTEXT. (VERSE 1)
1. The word here that is rendered “good,” as in other places, means expedient or profitable. (Matt. 17:4; 18:9; I Cor. 9:15) It might have been rendered “better,” but not in the sense of making the person better, or more holy, as some have wrested it to mean.
2. In the following verse, he stresses the very opposite danger.
3. In Verse 26, the Apostle expressly states that it was the peculiar circumstances of trial and difficulty in which the Christians of that day were placed that was the ground of his statement.
4. Paul is neither contradicting the word of the Creator, or his own words in other places. (Gen. 2:18; Heb. 13:4) He used marriage to illustrate the relation between Christ and His church. (Eph. 5:22-25)
5. As a general rule, marriage is necessary for the full development of the character of the individual, and absolutely essential to the virtue and wellbeing of society.
6. When marriage is depreciated, it, without fail, is attended by the most injurious consequences to the church and to the world.
7. The Apostle is here saying, “Considering your peculiar circumstances, it is expedient for you not to marry.”
B. WHATEVER EXCEPTIONS THERE MAY BE, AS A GENERAL RULE MARRIAGE IS BEST FOR ALL. (VERSE 2)
1. The increase of cares and responsibilities connected with marriage make it expedient for those to remain single who need to be free from such added concerns.
2. This, however, does not alter the great Law of God, that it is not good for man to be alone. Celibacy is to be the exception, not the rule. Every man does not have this “gift,” (Verse 7) and therefore to avoid fornication, marriage is God’s proper gift to them.
3. The marriage state is by divine wisdom prescribed for preventing fornication, which includes all sorts of forbidden sexual activity. Living together without being married is now commonly accepted in our society. They scoff and say, “Who needs a piece of paper to make it legal?” The marriage covenant is more than a notarized piece of paper; it is a sacred contract, between two people whose intention it is to honor God in the holy state of matrimony.
II. THE MUTUAL OBLIGATIONS OF HUSBAND AND WIFE TO THE MARRIAGE COVENANT. (VRS. 3-5)
A. IN MARRIAGE, MUTUAL CONJUGAL DUTIES ARE ASSUMED. (VERSES 3, 4)
1. Each is to consider the disposition and exigency of the other. “…due benevolence.” (Verse 3) Thus, they would not “defraud” each other.
2. Each of the two parties in marriage has delivered to the other the power over his or her body.
a) Adultery is therefore a breach of the marriage covenant.
b) Polygamy is clearly a breach of the marriage covenant.
B. SEPARATION IS PERMITTED, IF IT BE BY MUTUAL CONSENT, AND FOR HOLY PURPOSE, BUT ONLY FOR A TIME. (VERSE 5)
1. There was apparently in the church the idea held by some that celibacy was a holier state than marriage. This was due perhaps to the influence mentioned before. It naturally led to the conclusion that married people ought to separate, and this separation was regarded as evidence of eminent spirituality.
2. The Apostle Paul, even though he had the gift of celibacy, had wisdom to see that this practice would open the door to Satan’s temptation.
3. His advice to them was that in order to avoid Satan’s temptation they should regulate their times of separations as follows:
a) The separation must be my mutual consent.
b) The separation must be temporary.
c) The separation must be for some religious (or otherwise good) purpose. Times of deep humiliation and intense prayer may require abstinence from lawful pleasures.
d) They must come together again after the designated time for separation.
e) They must know their limitations, and not allow Satan an occasion to get an advantage.
III. WHETHER TO MARRY OR NOT TO MARRY, EACH ONE MUST ACT ACCORDING TO THE GRACE OF GOD GIVEN TO HIM. (VERSES 6-9) What he had said either in reference to marriage, or temporary separation, was good advice according to the wisdom given to him, but each one must ultimately determine what he will do according to his ability.
A. MARRIAGE, WITH ITS PRIVILEGES AND OBLIGATIONS, WAS PERMITTED BUT NOT COMMANDED. (VERSE 6)
1. When Paul said, “I speak this by permission, not of commandment,” he was not saying that he was permitted, though not commanded to give this advice. He is rather saying that these Christians were to take his words as granting them permission, but not as obligating them by way of commandment.
2. The permission given, though it may apply to the advice in general (Verses 2-5), seems to primarily apply to Verse 5. “Let every man have his own wife, and every woman her own husband.” Some see it as applying to the advice in general, but especially to Verse 5. The next verse however seems to lend support to the first view.
B. ULTIMATELY, WHETHER THESE CHRISTIANS SHOULD MARRY OR REMAINS SINGLE WAS A MATTER TO BE DECIDED INDIVIDUALLY BASED ON ONE’S PERSONAL CONSTITUTION. (VERSES 7-9)
1. Considering The times of persecution, which were certain to become worse, Paul admitted the expediency of all remaining single like himself. (Verse 7a)
2. Nevertheless, the Apostle understood that his own continence was a gift of God. (Verse 6b) Not all had this ability. “Every one hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that.”
3. Natural constitutions vary, and even where similar, different degrees of grace are vouchsafed.
4. Paul saw the single life as preferable under the present circumstances (Verse 8) but only if one had the proper gift. “It is better to marry than to burn.” (Verse 9)
5. Again, it needs to be stressed that Paul is not recommending celibacy as being a more holy state than marriage. Clearly, for one to enter such a life without the proper gift of God could well prove to be the very opposite. (See Matt. 19:10-12)
IV. TO THE MARRIED, THE OBLIGATION IS TO REMAIN MARRIED. (VERSES 10, 11) What Paul here has to say respecting those who were already married is in perfect agreement with what Christ Himself had before taught. (Matt. 5:32) In the verses that follow, he will deal with some matters about which Christ did not discourse. Had He done so, there would doubtless have been perfect agreement between Himself and His divinely inspired Apostle on these issues as well.
A. CONCERNING DIVORCE, CHRIST HAD ALREADY TAUGHT THAT THE MARRIAGE BOND COULD NOT BE DISSOLVED AT THE OPTION OF THE PARTIES. “Let not the wife depart from her husband.” (Verse 10b) “Let not the husband put away his wife.” (Verse 11b)
1. The marriage bond cannot be broken by any human authority, because it is, in virtue of the Law of God, a covenant for life between one man and one woman.
2. Aside from the two exceptions given by our Lord and His inspired Apostle, what God has joined together shall not be put asunder. Adultery annuls it because it is a breach of the specific contract involved in marriage. So also does willful desertion, as the Apostle teaches in the following verses.
3. This is the Christian doctrine concerning divorce, founded on the nature of marriage and on the clear teachings of our Lord. (Matt. 5:32; 19:3-9; Mark 10:2-12; Luke 16:18)
4. According to this doctrine, nothing but adultery or willful desertion is a legitimate ground for divorce, because Scripture allows for no other grounds. Human laws make many things an occasion for divorce, but not so the Scriptures.
B. IN CASE A WOMAN SHOULD DEPART FROM HER HUSBAND, SHE HAS BUT TWO CHOICES. (VERSE 11)
1. In case a woman has actually departed from her husband for reasons other than the two exceptions given above, she must either:
a) Remain unmarried, or
b) Be reconciled to her husband.
2. There are undoubtedly cases which may justify a woman leaving her husband, which do not justify divorce.
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