Sullivan church of Christ – Sullivan, MO
Date: September 18, 2005


MARRY – ONLY IN THE LORD (Part 1)
Ben Justice

In the first six chapters of I Corinthians, Paul addressed various and sundry
problems that existed within the church at Corinth.  He addressed division,
carnality, a brother involved in fornication, a brother going to law with another
brother, and other problems.

When we come to chapter 7, Paul shifts his emphasis.  He begins to respond to
various questions the Corinthians had written unto him.  I Cor. 7:1 states, “Now
concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: . . .”  This passage makes it clear
that the Corinthians had written to Paul asking him questions about certain
subjects.  Now, we don’t have the actual letter or the actual questions of the
Corinthians.  However, we can have a pretty good idea what the questions were
by the way Paul answered them in the First Corinthian letter.  Beginning in v. 1
and continuing through v. 24, Paul addressed their questions concerning
marriage.

Verse 25 begins by stating, “Now concerning virgins . . .”  Beginning at this
passage and continuing through v. 40, Paul addressed questions relative to
virgins and widows.

I Cor. 8:1 says, “Now as touching things offered unto idols, . . .”  I Cor. 12:1 says,
“Now concerning spiritual gifts, . . .”  The key word is “now.”  It shows that Paul is
shifting gears to address other questions the Corinthians had raised.  Some of
the questions concerning marriage may have been:

1.)  What about sexual relations outside of marriage?
2.)  What about husband and wife responsibilities toward one another?
3.)  What about those who are single and who are contemplating getting married?
4.)  What about mixed marriages?

A basic outline of I Corinthians 7 would be:

I.  Instructions concerning the proper place for sexual relations — v. 1-2
II.  Instructions concerning husband and wife responsibilities — v. 3-6
III.  Instructions concerning the unmarried and widows — v. 7-9
IV.  Instructions concerning the married — v. 10-16
V.  Instructions concerning becoming a Christian and cultural situations — v. 17-
24
VI.  Instructions to virgins — v. 25-38
VII.  Instructions to widows who desire to remarry — v. 39-40

I Cor. 7:39 states, “The wife is bound by the law as long as he husband liveth; but if
her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the
Lord.”  It is our intention to examine this passage, particularly the latter part of
it, wherein Paul commanded widows who desired to marry again that they marry
“only in the Lord.”  Before we study this, it would do us well to consider the
context.  Remember, Paul had been addressing questions relative to marriage
that the Corinthians had asked.

In v. 1-2, Paul taught the Corinthians that fornication is sinful and that to avoid
fornication, “let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own
husband.”

In v. 3-6, Paul taught husband and wife responsibilities toward one another.  
Specifically, Paul addressed sexual relations within the marriage bond and the
responsibility that husband and wife had in this regard.

As we come to v. 7-9, Paul addressed the unmarried and widows.  Due to the
“present distress” (v. 26), Paul’s desire was that “all men were even as I myself,”
that is, “unmarried.”  Paul was unmarried (I Cor. 9:5).  In v. 9, Paul stated, “But if
they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.”  The
expression “cannot contain” refers to “self-control.”  If they don’t have the gift (v.
7) of self-control, then let them marry.  The reason is given: “for it is better to
marry than to burn.”  “Burn” does not refer to hell, as is sometimes alleged, but
to passion and desire.

Paul then turns his attention to the married in v. 10-16.  These verses can be
divided into two parts:

1.)  V. 10-11: Paul deals with what the Lord specifically addressed in his personal
ministry.  This is God’s General Law on Marriage.
2.)  V. 12-16: Paul deals with specific cases that the Lord did not specifically deal
with in his personal ministry.  These verses can also be broken down into two
parts:

(a)  V. 12-14: Paul deals with a believer married to a non-believer, in which they
are content to dwell with one another.
(b)  V. 15-16: Paul deals with a believer married to a non-believer, in which the
non-believer is not content to dwell with the believer.

Verse 10 states, “And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the
wife depart from her husband:”  While the things stated by Paul in v. 5 and v. 7-9
were optional, what he says about God’s General Law of Marriage is not optional;
it is a command.  When Paul says, “And unto the married,” he includes all of the
married.  This would include believers married to believers, believers married to
unbelievers, and unbelievers married to unbelievers.  There is no justification for
making “the married” to read only some of the married.  What is the command?  
“Let not the wife depart from her husband.”  The word “depart” is from the Greek
word chorizo, and basically means “to separate.”  The word that actually refers to
“divorce” is apoluo.  This word is used in Matt. 19:3, 7, 9 and is translated “put
away” meaning “divorce.”  Paul is not discussing divorce but a separation — a
departing. What Paul declared in v. 10 is in complete harmony with Jesus'
statement in Matt. 19:6 — “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put
asunder (from “chorizo”).”

In v. 11, Paul stated, “But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be
reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.”  Paul
contemplates the wife leaving her husband.  Here Paul is not discussing or
dealing with the one ground for putting away, with right of remarriage given to
the innocent party — that one ground being “fornication” (Matt. 19:9).  If “depart”
in v. 11 means “divorce,” then it creates some problems:

1.)  There could be a divorce for every cause, because no specific cause is given.  
Thus, it would clearly contradict what Jesus said in Matt. 19:9, because Jesus
said that only upon the grounds of fornication can one obtain a divorce.  Paul
simply states, “If she departs.”
2.)  “Fornication” is nowhere mentioned in this verse or context.
3.)  “Adultery” is nowhere mentioned in this verse or context.

Note that Paul says she is to “remain unmarried.”  In other words, she is not to
seek to contract another marriage with another man.  The reason being is
because she is still married to her husband.  To seek another marriage would be
to commit adultery (Matt. 19:9).

There is another option: Paul said, “or be reconciled to her husband.”  This is
conclusive proof that the wife is still married in the eyes of God.  God calls the
man “her husband.”  The only way he can still be her husband is if she is
married to him.  The word “reconciled” proves that Paul is speaking not of a
legitimate divorce, but simply a separation.  There can no reconciliation if there
has been a legitimate divorce.  There would have to be a marriage in that
situation.  Concerning the word “reconciled,” Vine states that it is used “of a
woman returning to her husband” (W.E. Vine, Vine’s Complete Expository
Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, Pg. 478-479).

Paul adds at the end of v. 11, “and let not the husband put away his wife.”  The
phrase “put away” is the same English phrase as found in Matt. 19:3 — “Is it
lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?”  However, in Matt. 19:3, the
Greek word is apoluo, meaning “divorce.”  Here, in v. 11, the word is not apoluo
but rather aphiemi, a completely different word meaning “to leave.”  It is, “let not
the husband leave his wife” (see ASV).

Again, v. 10-11 deals with God’s General Law of Marriage.  These scriptures
teach the Biblical truism of “one man for one woman for life.”  As we come to v.
12ff, Paul moves from the general to the specific, in which he deals with specific
cases the Corinthians had inquired about.  These are specific cases relating to
the General Law.  The specific cases would be:

1.)  What if a Christian man is married to a non-Christian wife?  What about this
situation?  Paul deals with this specific situation in v. 12.
2.)  What if a Christian woman is married to a non-Christian husband?  What
about this situation?  Paul deals with this specific situation in v. 13.

[Next week, we will study more carefully these specific cases.]