Paul Affirms Marriage
1
Corinthians 7:1-9 Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is
good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication,
let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. Let
the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife
unto the husband. 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. 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. But I speak this by permission, and
not of commandment. 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.
I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide
even as I. But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to
marry than to burn. KJV
Paul has lovingly confronted and rebuked the
Corinthian believers boasting in their spiritual gifts while turning their eyes
away from one of their own living openly in a sexually immoral relationship of
sleeping with his own father’s wife. Paul has declared to them the
responsibility each member of Christ Mystical Body has to Him of yielding ourselves
to God the Holy Spirit and allow His Love and Power to work “in us” and “through
us” that we would live such a different life in this world of sin and woe that
distinguishes us from the non-believer in every area of human life and
especially our sexual conduct and behavior. Paul clearly defined for them and
for us our responsibility by the Spirit’s Power to “flee sexual immorality” on
every occasion the enemy of our souls brings us face to face with one of his
human instruments of temptation. Paul now references a letter written to him by
these believers in Corinth with apparent questions from them to him about these
very issues of sexual relationships for believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul knew from where these believers were found “in sin” by our Lord Jesus
Christ and he reiterated and reaffirmed that reality earlier on in this letter
with the words written in 1 Corinthians
6:9-11.
Paul understands that these people lived their
entire lives prior to their encounter with our Lord Jesus Christ in the open
indulgence of every sort of sexual conduct or lifestyle imaginable and he knew
it would require him to be in prayer much for them (as he prayed for the
believers in Ephesus, Ephesians 3:14-21).
Paul also wanted to reaffirm what he surely had already taught them during the year
and a half he remained in Corinth teaching them the Scripture (Acts 18:11). Paul begins his response
with these words, “Now concerning the
things about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman” (1
Corinthians 7:1). Certainly Paul was aware that most of, if not all of the
Corinthian believers would never be capable of meeting that standard, but he
felt compelled to make it known to them for the sake of some who also may have
received such a gift of grace from our Lord. However, Paul immediately affirms
the covenant of marriage as the only avenue where sexual intercourse or
relationship is honored and blessed by God the Father. Marriage is the “will of
God” where fornication is not the “will of God” and Paul affirms this by
saying, “Nevertheless, because of sexual
immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own
husband” (1 Corinthians 7:2).
Paul declares that it is each person’s
responsibility to submit to one another and give away their bodies freely to
one another in sexual intimacy or intercourse as often and as frequent as each
one desires seeing that neither one as Paul puts it “hath not power over their
own bodies” (1 Corinthians 7:4). The
English phrase “hath not power” Paul uses is translated by the Greek word exousiazo which means control or to
exercise authority upon or to be under the power of something or someone. This
is the same word Paul used earlier in this epistle or letter in 1 Corinthians 6:12 when he said, “All things are lawful unto me, but all
things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be
brought under the power of any.” Paul declares that the husband has power/authority
over the wife’s body and likewise the wife has power/authority over the husband’s
body. This truth is not even considered to be rational, certainly not
reasonable, and definitely not right in this year 2013 with the acceptance of
all manner of evil sexual behavior as that which is good or morally excellent or
morally virtuous and it takes me back to these words spoken by the Prophet
Isaiah, “Woe to those who call evil
good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness;
Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise
in their own eyes And clever in their own sight! Woe to those who are heroes in
drinking wine And valiant men in mixing strong drink, Who justify the wicked
for a bribe, And take away the rights of the ones who are in the right! Therefore,
as a tongue of fire consumes stubble And dry grass collapses into the flame, So
their root will become like rot and their blossom blow away as dust; For they
have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts And despised the word of the Holy
One of Israel” (Isaiah 5:20-24).
Paul declares that neither the husband or the wife
are to keep back from the other their bodies in pleasing one another sexually
except when both mutually agree to abstain from marital sexual intimacy for the
purpose of fasting and praying to God the Father, which only serves to
strengthen their personal relationships with Him and the more intimate each one
is with the Father the more intimate they will be with one another in every
capacity, even their sexual love making. Paul being once married himself
(during the years he was a Pharisee and unsaved) understands the demands of
that relationship and knows how the tempter satan uses times of prolonged absence
of physical intimacy between husband and wife to tempt them into adultery. Paul
does not tell us what happened to his wife but he is now so thankful and
grateful to our Lord Jesus Christ that he has been granted the grace gift of celibacy
and again knowing the daily demands in a marriage wished that everyone was
granted the gift of celibacy just as he has been by our Lord Jesus, but Paul
knows that this is only his wishful thinking and not the “will of God” that all
men be celibate.
Therefore, Paul now concludes with these words of
wisdom to those who “come to Christ” as a single man or woman or those who are
widowed and that is to remain in that calling, if our Lord Jesus Christ grants
His Grace Gift of celibacy, but if they are not so gifted and “burn” or to be
inflamed with uncontrollable passion or sexual desire, then the man should seek
a Christian wife and the woman should seek a Christian husband. Paul says it in
this way, “But if they cannot contain,
let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn” (1 Corinthians 7:9).
Paul uses the English phrase “they cannot contain” and it is translated by the
Greek word egkrateuomai which means to
exercise self-restraint or self-control or to be strong in a thing or masterful
over one’s diet or chastity (abstaining from sexual relationships). Paul tells
us in his letter to the Galatians that this power flows from God’s Love to us
and in us through the Holy Spirit, as it is written, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against
such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23).
“The Apostle first addresses the unmarried, 1 Corinthians 7:1, etc. He
speaks elsewhere reverently of marriage, Ephesians
5:23. Forbidding to marry is in his judgment a symptom of apostasy, 1 Timothy 4:1-3. His recommendations
here were evidently due to the special circumstances of that difficult and
perilous time. The loftiest conception of marriage is the wedding of two souls,
each of which, has found its affinity; the Apostle is treating here the only
conception of marriage entertained by these recent converts from paganism. He
deals with them on their own level, with the determination of ultimately
leading them to view marriage from Christ’s standpoint. It is often well to
fast from lawful things, that we may surrender ourselves more absolutely to the
Spirit of God.” F. B. Meyer
“It is a mark of true goodness to wish all men as
happy as ourselves. But it did not answer the intentions of divine Providence
as well for all men to have as much command of this appetite as Paul had. It
was a gift vouchsafed to such persons as Infinite Wisdom thought proper: Every
one hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner and another after that.
Natural constitutions vary; and, where there may not be much difference in the
constitution, different degrees of grace are vouchsafed, which may give some a
greater victory over natural inclination than others. Note, The gifts of God,
both in nature and grace, are variously distributed. Some have them after this
manner and some after that. Paul could wish all men were as himself, but all
men cannot receive such a saying, save those to whom it is given, Matthew 19:11.” Matthew Henry
“Marriage is the only place where God the Father
actually looks on with love and joyfully blesses it because He ordained the
marriage bed and even made sexual intimacy between husband and wife
pleasurable.” Clifford D. Tate, Sr.
If you do not
know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your
heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus,
I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You
shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead
proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my
sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my
life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...
Sincerely in Christ,
Clifford D. Tate, Sr.
Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…
Sincerely in Christ,
Clifford D. Tate, Sr.
Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…
