March 22, 2000
FAMILY BIBLE SERIES:
Paul's emphasis is on
making Christ first priority
___1 Corinthians 6:12-7:16
___By Stacy Conner
___First Baptist Church, Muleshoe
___Imagine for a moment that you entered into a new religious group that has received a revelation from God. The revelation is that coffee is a vice that cannot be tolerated among the faithful.
___Although it is prevalent in our society and everyone drinks coffee, it is now off limits for you.
___Everywhere you turn, in the restaurant, in homes, in gatherings, coffee is there. But you cannot drink it. That would be a real shock to the culture of most Americans. (Although I am still not old enough to enjoy the acquired taste of this popular beverage.)
___Now with the idea of something so prevalent eliminated from your choices, imagine the Corinthian culture. They were a culture immersed in sexual promiscuity and activity.
___It was part of their worship and their chosen lifestyle. It was constantly before them.
___The Christian call to sexual purity was a completely different lifestyle than anything the Corinthians had known. In light of this culture or faith shock, Paul's call for abstinence and living the single life is difficult for the Corinthians to imagine. They were probably claiming sexual desire as a need to marry.
___In light of this argument, Paul grants permission to marry. From our perspective, uncontrollable desire for sexual relations as a reason for marriage seems a little shallow.
___Yet Paul gives this advice. "But because of cases of sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband" (7:2). This advice is repeated for the widowed in 7:9.
___Any pastor, leader or marital counselor passing out this type of advice today would be quickly confronted.
___We hope for higher ideals of love, companionship and mutual submission in marital relationships.
___Admittedly, Paul's view of marriage is less than noble in the sixth and seventh chapters of 1Corinthians. But in his later letter to the Ephesians, Paul speaks of marriage in more noble terms (Ephesians 5:21-6:4).
___In my mind, these 1 Corinthian chapters cannot be interpreted without consideration of 7:29-31.
___Paul is living and teaching with the urgency that Christ may return at any moment (as we all should.) In expectation of Christ's return, we should be concentrating upon living faithfully for Christ. Paul is well aware that family obligations and marital relationships require time and energy (7:33-35). The immediate and imminent return of Christ requires our full attention. Paul's advice is, if you are capable to committing every effort toward the ministry of Christ, do so.
___But if it is important that you marry, it is OK to do so. Paul is not touting celibacy as a requirement for Christian living. But he is holding to the standard that service to God should be the No. 1 priority of every believer.
___Whether single or married, our concern should be to live in faithfulness and purity before the God of our salvation, Jesus Christ.
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