seven principles from 1 Corinthians 7

So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.

1 Corinthians 7:24

I’m wrestling through 1 Corinthians 7 right now and have been for a few months. I’m not sure I’m going to park here much longer, but I do want to continue to spend time understanding what Paul is telling the Corinthian church so that I can determine how much of it applies directly to Christian experiences today. I particularly want to understand it in the light of my recent plunge into widowhood.

The chapter opens with Paul answering a question. The problem in the text is this: We don’t exactly have the wording of the original question that the Corinthian church sent in a letter to Paul. It is clear from the context of the chapter that the question had to do with sex and marriage, and that it affected single people, both those never married, and those that had been widowed. Given the casual sexual attitudes of the Corinthian culture, and the sexual sin the church there had tolerated, Paul may have been and probably was addressing some exceptionally unique situations with his “answers”. In other words, some of it may have been only meant for that one church at that one time. For that reason, I lean toward thinking of the passage with application of very broad principles as the best way to understand it.

Here is my initial attempt of summarizing it with seven principles:

1. God designed sex as very good. It can be twisted (and often is) by our sinful natures. Marriage however is also very good and the only place for sexual exploration (1 Corinthians 7:1-5).

2. Singleness (those never married, widowed, abandoned, or divorced) is not a “bad” state. In other words, creating a distinction in the church of “married people are better than single people” is wrong. A person who remains single AND sexually self-controlled is doing a good thing. Any strong desire for sexual expression however MUST be met in monogamous heterosexual marriage. Any form of sexual gratification as a single person with another person is wrong (1 Corinthians 7:6-9).

3. Marriage is a serious, lifelong commitment. Divorce (though possible and sometimes allowable) is never a great option for anybody (1 Corinthians 7:10-11).

4. Even Christian belief differences should not separate a husband and wife. As much as possible, a believing spouse should love, respect, affirm, and enjoy a marriage to a non-believing spouse for the sake of family and the gospel (1 Corinthians 7:12-16).

5. When a single person contemplates entering marriage they should seriously seek God’s reasons. It is entirely possible that God might want them to stay single (1 Corinthians 7:17-24).

6. Singleness and marriage each have their pros and cons and a wise person realizes the trade offs (1 Corinthians 7:25-38).

7. The widowed particularly are encouraged to explore solo living first, but are free to consider and celebrate remarriage (1 Corinthians 7:39-40).

All these principles are important. I find it interesting that the majority of the seven principles address singleness. I am in a season where these apply to me. If I want to obey God’s Word, I must think through just how principles 2, 5, 6 & 7 are going to affect my present and direct my future. It is a good thing that God’s Word directly addresses this for me. And it is good thing for me to especially contemplate whether my current situation is a temporary condition, or a calling I should surrender to by faith. Thankfully, God’s Word and Spirit will help me confidently settle this… I am certain.