LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for June 27: What Should I Do?

In today’s passage of scripture, Paul addresses some of Corinthian’s practical questions about marriage, divorce and being single. He encourages the Corinthians to make wise decisions.

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In premarital counseling, our pastor passed on some advice to us that his grandmother gave him on his wedding day. He said, “Marriage is work and for it to be good, you have to work at it all the time.”

At the time, our pastor’s advice sounded quite unromantic, way too practical for an engaged couple to absorb, but after 13 years of marriage, I understand what he meant. As Marriage pioneer, David Mace once said, “Marriage is the deepest and potentially the most gratifying of all human relationships, but it is also one of the most demanding.” Good marriages take effort and ongoing commitment.

In today’s passage of scripture, Paul addresses some of Corinthian’s practical questions about marriage, divorce and being single. He encourages the Corinthians to make wise decisions. This lesson is about being faithful to God in marriage or as a single person. The emphasis is on when to get married, to stay married or to stay single. This lesson encourages adults to follow God’s plan for their lives with regard to marriage and life as a single person.

For Paul, the issue of whether or not Christians should divorce is settled by Jesus. Jesus says regarding marriage, “Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate” (Mark 10:9). Jesus makes it clear that divorce is never God’s good intent for his children. Paul reiterates Jesus teaching in the opening verses of this passage, but he also acknowledges that Jesus instructions have to be adapted for new situations. Jesus never addresses the questions that the Corinthians raise.

They want to know what to do if they are married to an unbeliever. Should they get a divorce or stay married? If their unbelieving spouse wants to remain married, Paul says, “Stay with them!” Paul believes that the Christ living within each Christian is more powerful than the unbelievers doubt or ungodliness.

Hopefully, the aroma of Christ that emanates from the Christian spouse will entice their unbelieving partner to believe. Surprisingly, though Paul relaxes Jesus’ prohibition against divorce when it comes to a situation that is out of the Christians control. If the unbelieving spouse is bent on divorce, Paul says, “…let it be so” (1 Corinthians 7:17b). Paul acknowledges that sometimes no other option remains.

In this passage, Paul reiterates one point several times. He says, “Each of you should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to you, just as God has called you” (1 Corinthians 7:17). In other words, if Christ calls you to marriage, be faithful to your spouse. If Christ calls you to be single, be faithful to Christ as a single person. In their culture, as today, there is a lot of pressure to get married. Paul wants them to use their head and make wise decisions. He encourages them not to allow others to pressure them into getting married or divorced. He reminds them that their priority is to follow Christ and be faithful to the Lord in whatever circumstances they are in.

From this passage and others, we understand that divorce is not God’s intention and most divorced people readily admit that dissolving a marriage is a painful process. Yet, when we think about the prevalence of divorce in our culture, it us leaves feeling defeated. We wonder if it is possible for the church to impact the divorce rate.

Recently, I learned about the work of Marriage Savers, founded by Mike and Harriet McManus. This organization gives me hope that the church can make a difference. Marriage Savers trains congregations to help couples prepare for lifelong marriages, strengthen existing marriages and restore troubled marriages.
One church where the Marriage Saver principals have been put into practice is First Baptist Church of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Since 1997, First Baptist has equipped 64 couples for marriage and only two of them have divorced. One Marriage Saver principal First Baptist uses with these couples is requiring that they get premarital counseling.


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A recent study found that premarital counseling, if it involves multiple sessions, reduces the likelihood of divorce by 50%. Just by requiring quality premarital counseling, churches can potentially reduce the divorce rate in their community. First Baptist also utilizes a program to enrich existing marriages that has attracted 700 couples from 15 churches over several years. The church also has a strong mentoring ministry to save couples whose marriages are in crisis. They use what Marriage Savers call "back-from-the-brink couples."

These are couples whose own marriages once nearly failed, to mentor couples who are currently in crisis. In six years, 22 marriages threatened by divorce have been mentored; all but two of these marriages have been restored.
In this passage of scripture, Paul addresses the practical side of marriage. He says that God’s purpose is that marriages remain intact and that couples live in peace with one another. Yet, all of us know couples who are divorced or are on the verge of ending their marriage.

For too long churches have let couples struggle alone. It is time for the church to step up and help create health marriages. The Corinthians turn to Paul for advice about their marriages, the world is still looking for help.

 


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