Wedding Woes

If you would please take your
Bibles and turn to First Corinthians chapter 7. First Corinthians
chapter 7. Yes, again, we have been here
a while and we’ll be here for yet a while longer. And so we
arrive here in the midpoint of chapter 7 in what I’ve described
as Paul’s marriage and family seminar. He’s already dealt with
issues related to marriage, singleness, even divorce. But the passage
before us is arguably one of the most unique passages in all
of Paul’s writings. And I say that because he intentionally
flags this section, verses 25 through 40, as his opinion. That’s right, his opinion. And
that makes for some interesting consideration of these verses
and discussion. After all, here are these words
embedded in Holy Scripture, and yet Paul himself characterizes
his words as his opinion. And that raises the question,
what are we to do with these words? How are we to approach
them? But before you think to toss
them aside, to treat them as no more than one man’s musings,
we would do well to consider who it is who spoke them, what
his character and calling was. And we all seek counsel from
time to time. We don’t go to just anybody when
we need counsel. We find a wise friend, a godly
friend, We occasionally need that kind of help. Someone who
knows more than we do. Someone who knows God’s word
or the God of the word more than we do. And we all we all need
counsel from time to time. And all of those things would
describe the Apostle Paul. Someone experienced. Someone
who knows God’s word. Someone who knows the God of
the word. And so we discover that these
aren’t just any man’s words. These are the words of arguably
the greatest apostle, the most traveled and experienced evangelist,
the most prolific writer in the New Testament, the most passionate
and faithful pastor that the church ever knew. And though
he has no words to borrow from the Lord Jesus Christ on the
issue at hand, he is God’s instrument for the church. Not only the
church in Corinth, but Christ’s church anywhere and everywhere.
And he ultimately assures us in this passage that, oh, by
the way, he does have the spirit of God. We find ourselves in
verse 25, we’ll course all the way down through verse 40 if
we could. Now, concerning virgins, I have
no command of the Lord, but I give an opinion as one who, by the
mercy of the Lord, is trustworthy. I think then that this is good
in view of the present distress, that it is good for a man to
remain as he is. Are you bound to a wife? Do not
seek to be released. Are you released from a wife?
Do not seek a wife. But if you marry, you have not
sinned. And if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Yet such
will have trouble in this life. And I am trying to spare you.
But this I say, brethren, the time has been shortened so that
from now on, those who have wives should be as though they had
none. And those who weep as though they did not weep. And those
who rejoice as though they did not rejoice. And those who buy
as though they did not possess. And those who use the world as
though they did not make full use of it. For the form of this
world is passing away. But I want you to be free from
concern. One who is unmarried is concerned
about the things of the Lord. how he may please the Lord. But
one who is married is concerned about the things of the world,
how he may please his wife, and his interests are divided. The
woman who is unmarried and the virgin is concerned about the
things of the Lord, that she may be both holy in both body
and spirit. But the one who is married is
concerned about the things of the world, how she may please
her husband. This I say for your own benefit,
not to put a restraint upon you, but to promote what is appropriate
and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord. But if any man thinks
that he is acting unbecomingly toward his virgin daughter, if
she is past her youth, and if it must be so, let him do what
he wishes. He does not sin, let her marry.
But he who stands firm in his heart, being under no constraint,
but has authority over his own will, and has decided this in
his own heart to keep his own virgin daughter, he will do well.
So then, both he who gives his own virgin daughter in marriage
does well, and he who does not give her in marriage will do
better. A wife is bound to her husband as long as she lives.
But if her husband is dead, she is free to be married to whom
she wishes only in the Lord. But in my opinion, she is happier
if she remains as she is. And I think that I also have
the Spirit of God. Now, I can lay out the landscape
of this lengthy passage for us, how it breaks down, the manner
in which we’ll approach it. in the weeks to come. But I can
tell you we’re not going to get very far today, really just through
point one. See what Paul is doing here at
the end of chapter seven is providing the Corinthian church council
and its counsel to us as well. But his counsel in this chapter
is really made up of numerous components, five in all. I’ve
titled the message this morning Wedding Woes, which should not
be taken as an indicator of disdain for the institution of marriage.
We agree wholeheartedly with Paul’s affirmation of this God
given institution earlier in this chapter, don’t we? Instead,
by the title Wedding Woes, I’m simply trying to capture Paul’s
sentiment here in verses 25 through 40, which speak of a season in
which marriage would largely produce woes or troubles for
the husband and wife. He already tipped his hand to
this issue back in verse eight, remember? glance at that passage,
if you will, where he says, but I say to the unmarried and to
widows that it is good for them to remain even as I that is single. There are inherent challenges
in bringing two sinners together, even in the blessed bonds of
marriage, right? So wedding woes in that sense,
I guess we could better call it marriage woes because Paul’s
concern here is not the ceremony itself. But the years of marriage
that follow a wedding service. What Paul provides here is wisdom
or counsel on the pursuit of marriage. And I see five pieces
of counsel here in this passage. In verses 25 through 28, I would
call it Paul’s principle of abiding and marriage. In verses 29 through
31, I would suggest that it’s Paul’s principle of urgency and
marriage. In verses 32 through 35, I would
characterize it as Paul’s principle of devotion and marriage. In verses 36 through 38, Paul’s
principle of allowance and marriage. And then finally, in verses 39
and 40, Paul’s principle of abiding in marriage. And now you say,
Frasco, I’ve got you. You’re busted because your little
outline mentions abiding twice. You’re right, because so does
Paul. He begins with the concept of
abiding when he says it is good for a man to remain as he is,
and he concludes with abiding when he says she is happier if
she remains as she is. So I call that second section
abiding part two. As I said, we won’t make it very
far this morning, probably not past the first point, but we’ll
lay the groundwork so that we may be able to consider several
points at a time in the future. But first, our first consideration
of wedding woes. Paul’s counsel on the pursuit
of marriage is, first of all, the principle of abiding and
marriage. We see it in verse 25 beginning. Now concerning virgins, I have
no command of the Lord, but I give an opinion as one who, by the
mercy of the Lord, is trustworthy. We’ve already identified this
formula that Paul uses here now concerning. We first saw it back
in verse one of this chapter. Evidently, here’s what happened.
The Corinthians had corresponded with Paul back and forth several
times. They had most recently written
him a letter replete with numerous questions. Questions about their
faith, questions about church, questions about marriage and
singleness and divorce. And after expressing his initial
concerns, his own concerns about the Corinthians, he turns to
begin to answer their varied questions. And he often introduces
them with this little lead-in formula, now concerning. And so we see it again here in
verse 25. And we’ll see it again and again
throughout this epistle. He’s already answered numerous
questions related to marriage, questions about whether to remain
married now that they’re saved, questions about the validity
of singleness, questions about divorce. But as he glances down
at this very diverse list of questions, things that were troubling
this church, he spies out one more marriage-related question. And the question basically has
to do with whether to marry off one’s daughter. It might have
read something like this. This is me. This isn’t Paul. This isn’t some secret access
to the questions that were posed to him. This is what I would
sense the question read like. Paul, with all that’s going on
in our church, All that’s going on in our city, the friction
that we have with unbelievers and the hope of the Lord’s soon
return. Should I really try to marry
off my daughters? That’s my sense of the nature
of the question that was presented to Paul. We don’t know. The question
seems to come almost as a referendum vote on the institution of marriage
itself. And of course, Paul must answer
this question, and he takes it up in verse 25, now concerning. Now concerning virgins. And the
question, which we do not possess in full, likely centered around
the fathers giving away their daughters in marriage, Paul has already dealt, as we’ve
seen, with married women remaining married, and widowed women, and
even divorced women. But what about unmarried daughters
and giving them away? A phrase I never much cared for. I still am waiting for the camels
for my own daughter. What about unmarried daughters? And given the cultural setting,
the answer that Paul provides will ultimately be directed to
the fathers who bore the responsibility to their daughter’s status in
this regard. They were to oversee their dating,
their courtship, ultimately their marriage. Now, most commentators
were quick to point out here that this word virgin is not
necessarily or absolutely limited to females, that is daughters.
But given the context of the remainder of this passage in
which Paul addresses the matter very directly in verses 36 through
38, the context suggests strongly here that Paul is indeed referring
to young maidens, might be an easier word to use, daughters. The Greek word is Parthenon. You likely heard it there, didn’t
you? The Parthenon in Athens, Greece, is that remnant, really,
of a massive temple that was dedicated to the Greek goddess
Athena, who, by the way, according to their legends, was never married. And so we wouldn’t just treat
this word virgin as referring to both unmarried of either gender. The Corinthians question was
likely gender specific. It was about their unmarried
daughters. But the principles presented
here could, and I would say should, easily apply to young men as
well. Just as Paul’s discussion plainly
includes the marital status of men as well. And one other note
about the translation of this word virgin, in our common use
of the word, it has reference to the absolute purity of an
individual. No experience of marital relations
whatsoever. And in that sense, it’s used
even of Mary, the mother of our Lord, the Virgin Mary, as she’s
referred to. And so the word can be used of
ultimate chastity, but I’m not sure that that’s the absolute
use of it here. Paul simply seems to be referring
to unmarried daughters. And I say that because given
our sinful inclinations and tendencies, it’s not like Paul would just
brush aside any young person who had sinned in this regard.
After all, this is the same one who only just said in chapter
six, regarding fornication, idolatry, adultery, homosexuality, thievery,
drunkenness, such were some of you. Our God is a merciful God. Jesus’ atonement and mercy extends
to sinners of all manner, including those who have sinned in this
regard. But as it is here, Paul admits right up front that regarding
the question of marrying off one’s daughter in light of the
times, he has nothing on which to draw from Jesus’ teachings. He says, I have no command of
the Lord. But this need not end the discussion. These believers have sought his
counsel and he’s committed to providing it, but not without
a humble qualification here. And so he says effectively, I
am prepared since I have no command of the Lord to provide you my
opinion on this matter. I’ll give you wise counsel, but
this is not a strict biblical command. And they’ll say that
numerous times throughout this section. Not only is this word
translated here as opinion, a very mild word, right? But the whole
tenor of this section is also very gentle, just as is befitting
advice or counsel. You don’t tell someone what to
do when you’re counseling. You give them wisdom, advice. But someone could easily say,
well, Paul, If you don’t stand on the foundation of Christ or
on His words or commands, what value are your words? And Paul
seems to anticipate that. And the pushback that he’s providing
on his opinion, he addresses head on at the close of verse
25. Would you glance at it? I give
an opinion. but not as counsel from just
anyone, but from one who, by the mercy of the Lord, is trustworthy.”
Let’s deal with the first part of that, the assurance that he
is trustworthy. That word, as you likely already
know, pistos, can be translated either as believing or trustworthy. And there’s no question that
Paul was believing, he was a believer, We saw, read through his dramatic
conversion. But it’s better translated here
as trustworthy. Make no mistake, this trustworthiness,
this credibility, this integrity that Paul had was not a self-secured
character quality. He didn’t develop trustworthiness. It was God-given. Just like his salvation, it was
bestowed by God himself, it was owing no less to the mercy of
the Lord, as he points out here. His dramatic conversion to faith
in Jesus Christ, as well as his equally spectacular call to Christ’s
service, was granted not because of who Paul was, or because of
some potential that God saw in him, but purely by the mercy
of God. And I want you to pause and rest
on that thought because it’s no different for
you and I. In us, every single one of us,
God did not look and see some great potential and say, Boy,
if I could only get that guy God did not choose us or save
us because of us. He saved us in spite of us. He saved us, as Paul explains
to the Ephesians, that God being rich in mercy made us alive together
with Christ. It was only out of his mercy.
God was motivated to save you purely by his mercy. It was no different for Paul.
God saved him and gifted him and called him into service purely
by his mercy. And yet this becomes Paul’s calling
card. It’s like a point of reference
on his resume. I was shown mercy. God had shown
Paul great mercy. He was in the process of arresting
and persecuting and killing off the saints of God when God seized
hold of his heart. This mercy is a truth that Paul
would again and again recall in his epistles. Listen to the
God wrought humility in his heart as he recounts his own testimony. Would you turn to First Timothy
chapter one just for a moment? 1 Timothy chapter 1. And in 1 Timothy chapter 1, after
Paul glides through the formalities and interacting with young Timothy,
he gives a recount of his testimony in verse 12. Listen to this. I thank Christ Jesus, our Lord,
who has strengthened me because he considered me faithful, putting
me into service. Even though I was formerly a
blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor, yet I was
shown mercy. because I acted ignorantly in
unbelief and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant with
the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. It is
a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance that Christ came
into the world to save sinners among whom I am foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy. So that in me as the foremost,
Jesus Christ might demonstrate his perfect patience as an example
for those who would believe in him for eternal life. What a
glorious testimony that is, but you know something? That’s that’s
all of our testimony from time to time. We’ll even have an argument
over who gets to preach that passage. Paul had received mercy back,
if you would, to 1 Corinthians 7. Paul had received mercy and
now he stands ready to be used by God for his glory because
of that mercy. Even in the matter of providing
counsel. And so his counsel is made possible
only because of God’s magnificent mercy at work in saving him,
gifting him, calling him, cultivating in him service for Christ, for
Christ’s church, for her people. And it’s not as if Paul was trustworthy
in and of himself. It was only by God’s mercy. God
had made him trustworthy. As one pastor put it, true faith
brings faithfulness with it. Isn’t that good, simple? And this makes Paul’s counsel
immeasurably valuable. And this makes not only Paul’s
counsel and measure be valuable, but true to his calling here,
Paul is careful not to overstep his bounds. He faithfully provides
godly wisdom in a matter that would have been laden with all
kinds of varied circumstances. No more than a general principle
would be appropriate here, and that’s what Paul provides. Would
you glance at verse 26? Paul provides here a general
principle. I think that this is good. In
view of the present distress, that it is good for a man to
remain as he is. End of counsel. Let’s be reasonable
here. When Paul says, I think, I think
that it is good for a man to remain as he is, it doesn’t mean
here that Paul’s not sure. It’s not like he’s winging it. That his vice might be good,
maybe so. The translation, I think, is
rather weak when it’s translated. I think some older translations
have an even weaker version of it, I suppose. I guess. Let’s do this. That’s really
feeble. The word speaks of a decision.
It’s a judgment. You give me the data. I’m going
to spit out an opinion, a judgment. And so far better here, I would
translate it as either I maintain or in my estimation from all
that you’ve told me, this is my wisdom. And so Paul humbly states that
his advice is sound. It’s good, he says. It’s good
for a man to remain as he is. Paul basically says, remain in
the condition you were when God called you. If that sounds familiar,
it should. It’s an echo, if not a repetition
of that same refrain that we considered last week in verses
17 through 24. Remember there, Paul repeated
it three times like a sweet refrain in a beautiful hymn. Look back
at verse 17, if you would. Only as the Lord has assigned
to each one, as God has called each in this manner, let him
walk, whether single or married, circumcised or uncircumcised.
Look at verse 20. Each man must remain in that
condition in which he was called, that is called to faith, called
to salvation. If you were called to salvation
while married, stay married, Paul says. Verse 24, brethren,
each one is to remain with God in that condition in which he
was called. And likewise here, Paul says
it is good for a man to remain as he is. You see, Paul is already
expanding the principle beyond the circle of just young maidens. He applies it here to men, a
man. And so his counsel here is not
unique. In fact, it’s almost expected
given what he’s already said. But here, Paul opens up to uncover
the reasoning underlying his wisdom on the matter. He says
what he says in view of the present distress. In other words, based
on what he sees going on around him. As I’ve already pointed
out, the present distress may have been part of the question
that was presented to Paul. Paul, everything’s a mess right
now. Our culture is upside down. We’re
being persecuted and called names. Should I let my daughter marry? But if Paul doesn’t introduce
this particular concern, neither does he avoid it. this present
distress, and it’s important to understand that he isn’t speaking
about something in the far distant future. It’s present. It’s a present distress which
can already be seen and felt. This idea is not just a thought
that kind of runs like a slender thread through these verses all
the way down through Verse 40, 16 verses in all. Metaphorically speaking, I would
suggest to you that it is like a strong braided steel cable
binding, stabilizing, securing this entire discussion. The present
distress is the main backdrop to all of Paul’s comment. May
I show you? We haven’t considered, I know,
we haven’t considered what the present distress even is yet.
But I want to show you the sustained theme that begins here in verse
25 and 26. Look, if you would, at the end
of verse 28. Yet such that is married will have trouble in
this life. I’m trying to spare you. Married
folks will have more trouble. Whatever this present distress
is. Whatever this present distress
is, marriage will only add to the troubles that come with it.
Please look at the very next verse, verse 29, where Paul says
that, but this I say, brethren, the time has been shortened.
Again, we haven’t identified what this present distress is, but it’s even impacting the clock
and the calendar. Time has been shortened. The
situation is urgent, and Paul gives a substantial hint about
what this distress is in verse 31, when he says that the form
of this world is passing away. This adds major solemnity to
whatever this present distress is. Things are bad. Things are
difficult. And it seems to point to some
eschatological end times element. Please look at the next verse,
the next three verses actually, verses 32 through 34. We’re just
looking at this stream of thought that runs through this entire
section. Look at verse 32, but I want you to be free from concern. One who is unmarried is concerned
about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord. But
one who is unmarried is concerned about the things of the world,
how he may please his wife, and his interests are divided. There’s so much going on around
us that the only way to be free from concern is to remain unmarried. Well, whatever this present distress
is, marriage only seems to compound the concerns that life brings.
Would you look lastly at verse 35? This I say for your own benefit,
not to put a restraint upon you, but to promote what is appropriate
and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord. Whatever this present
distress is, Paul is hopeful to secure undistracted devotion
to the Lord. As for his counsel, that means
remaining as you are, whether you’re married or unmarried. So we see this theme throughout
this entire section. And so we come to it. What does
Paul refer to when he says this present distress? What does Paul
mean? This present distress. And there
are really only three prevailing opinions. Three options, if you
would. The first one would suggest that
the concerns were related to stabilizing and unifying the
Corinthian church. That’s the present distress.
The church is a mess. We already know that. The second
option is to consider that there is an impending outbreak of great
persecution that’s going to affect Corinth and its surroundings. And the third is the imminent
return of Christ. Well, I will tell you that there
are benefits and drawbacks with each of those positions, and
it is not easy to even work through the different options, let alone
land on a definitive passage or a definitive approach, rather.
So it’s difficult to be dogmatic because of that. But we have
been able to gather some clues along the way. You probably even
noted some of them. Whatever the present distress
is, the Corinthian church was obviously aware of it. because
Paul doesn’t even have to describe it. He just mentions this present
distress. Whatever the present distress
is, it’s present. It’s here now, which means it
may not necessarily be permanent, but it’s already here. The word
distress is used 17 times in the New Testament, nine in Paul’s
epistles, And it’s translated in a variety of ways, inevitable,
need, necessary, distress, constraint, compulsion, hardships. We’ll
come back to that. Whatever this present distress
is, it’s trouble that would only be magnified by marriage. Whatever
this present distress is, the time has been shortened. Because
of it, the time, the essence, Time is of the essence, rather,
that it is urgent. Whatever this present distress
is, the concerns would be magnified by marriage, not just troubles,
but concerns as well. And these concerns can be either
reduced or eliminated altogether, Paul says, that one can be free
of concern by singleness. Whatever the present distress
is, it calls for an undistracted devotion to the Lord. Let’s consider
each of those options in light of those concerns. Can we for
just a moment? The first suggestion is that
he’s referring to concerns related to stabilizing and unifying the
Corinthian church. And I’ll tell you, I like this
suggestion. The word distress could easily
be translated more mildly as necessity because of this present
necessity. And in that case, the disunity
of the Corinthian church factions and all would certainly qualify
as a present necessity. It would even fit if we were
to identify it as distress. The church was a mess. It’s possible
that Paul here is calling for an all out effort by the church
to rally together in the cause of unity, not allowing even the
distraction for so wonderful a celebration as a wedding. Put these aside for a time, Paul
says. Because a wedding, any wedding,
is going to be met with vexing concerns, isn’t it? Weather,
caterers, dresses, guest lists, what color are the mints? But Paul isn’t just talking about
wedding ceremonies here, as I pointed out, he’s talking about marriages.
And it would be hard to say that simply because there was disunity
in the church that trouble and concerns would be multiplied
in marriages because of it. But I tell you, I like this option.
I like option one because it avoids some of the problems of
the other two options. And it makes the advice against
marrying a very temporary thing. Let’s just pause for a minute.
Let’s get the church fixed. And let’s get back to it. I like
option one. And I would like this position
a whole lot more if I had even one commentator from throughout
church history standing with me. But there is a second option.
And the second option was that there was this impending outbreak
of great persecution. And this option presents a real
likelihood. There had been in the past There
were even at that time, there would be in the future outbreaks
of persecution. Such a season of persecution,
though not a permanent situation, would indeed add to the troubles
and the concerns that naturally come with marriage. Such a season
would certainly require undistracted devotion to the Lord. Even Paul’s
clue that the time has been shortened, It was dire, it was an urgent
situation that it seems to fit this argument well. There’s only
one problem with this option. At the time of Paul’s writing,
essentially AD 55, the fires of persecution were not at peak. And so they could hardly be called
a present distress. The church is now 20 years removed
from Christ’s ascension and the initial persecution of the church.
We’re still 15 years away from the destruction of Jerusalem
and the reverberations of which would be felt throughout the
Roman world. All in all, except for very localized incidents
of persecution, we might even say that this was a period of
relative calm, especially in Corinth. So this option is flimsy
at best, but there’s a third option. The third option is the imminent
return of Christ. As I said, each of the options
has difficulties associated with it, so let’s consider the difficulties
of this one up front. First of all, It would be hard
to fathom that Paul is urging against marriage simply because
of the soon return of Christ. Looking back over the past 2000
years, what would that do to the old fashioned method of church
growth? Christians having babies, right? This would even seem contrary
to the garden mandate given to Adam and Eve to be fruitful and
multiply. Jesus himself even characterized
people in the days and hours leading up to his return as marrying
and giving in marriage. And we must also note that some
2000 years have elapsed since Paul’s concerns were expressed.
And this would make his present distress. Really, you would almost
have to characterize it as an ever present distress. Nevertheless,
I think that this view, even with its difficulties, until
mine gains some steam, even with its difficulties, this presents
the most plausible reference. This is certainly where all the
heroes of the faith camped. And so there’s tension here with
this particular option, but there are some good arguments in favor
of it. The first of which This present
distress refers to difficulties that typically are a sign of
the Lord’s return. On the positive side, this caution
echoes even the Lord’s own words on another occasion. Speaking
of the times leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD
70, Luke 21, 23, listen to this. Woe to those who are pregnant
and to those who are nursing babies in those days. For there
will be great distress upon the land and wrath to the people.”
It’s noteworthy that Luke uses the same exact word, distress,
that Paul uses here in 1 Corinthians chapter 7. As recorded in Matthew’s
gospel, Jesus presents a graphic description of the times leading
up to the Lord’s return. Matthew 24, listen to this. Many
will come in my name saying, I am the Christ and will mislead
many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you
are not frightened. For those things must take place,
but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against
nation and kingdom against kingdom. And in various places there will
be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely
the beginning of birth pains. Hold that thought for a moment.
Matthew records Jesus as saying that life in the world leading
up to his return would be likened to a woman in labor. Most of
us have been part of that experience. You don’t load up and head for
the hospital at the first indication that things are happening, right? There’s that little phenomenon
known as Braxton Hicks, right? False labor. The contraction
comes and everyone, especially the first time dad thinks this
is it and he grabs and starts, he forgets the protocol entirely
and everything else and he starts running around the house like
a chicken with his head cut off. Ask me how I know this later.
It’s false labor. The pain is real. I have been
assured of that, but it’s not yet time. And Jesus says that
between the time that the church was founded and his ascension
and the time of his return, there are going to be these great labor
pains. But many of those seasons are
going to be in the end false labor. We’re drawn right in here to
the doctrine of imminence. the doctrine that points to the
imminent return of Christ. It could happen at any time.
And Paul would go on to issue basically the same exact warning
to the saints in Rome. Would you turn to Romans 13 just
briefly? Romans 13. It’s a great passage. I don’t want to Romans 13 verse 11 do this that
is love one another knowing the time that it is already the hour
for you to awaken from sleep for now salvation is nearer than
to us than when we believed the night is almost gone the day
is near therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and
put on the armor of light Let us behave properly as in the
day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and
sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. The night is almost
gone. The day is near. This is exactly
what James says in chapter five. The coming of the Lord is near.
The Lord’s return is imminent. It could happen at any time,
any moment. The other day as I sat at my
desk, I was treated to an absolutely stunning sunrise. And given this
passage, it made me think of the Lord’s return. You know that that really will
happen one day, right? Jesus himself has promised that
things will not always continue just as they are. And so let’s
balance out our concern with Paul’s advice to remain unmarried. This isn’t a bad view after all.
We may even see why it’s so universally popular. Paul isn’t saying don’t
get married. He isn’t saying that. He’s only
saying that there will be added difficulties if you do. Especially
if he’s referring to the difficulties and woes and trials that come
as precursors with the Lord’s return. Life will be hard. Harder still if you’re married.
No surprise. And this option makes sense of
that enigmatic statement in verse 29. Glance at it if you would.
The time has been shortened. The situation is urgent. Time
is of essence. We don’t know when the Lord could
come back. He could come back at any time. And so would Paul’s
advice be any different today? Or for that matter, would it
be any different regardless of what period of history he was
addressing? I don’t think so. Paul didn’t know the day or the
hour of the Lord’s return any more than anyone else. Even Jesus
didn’t know the day or the hour, not even the angels of heaven.
Just because Jesus did not return in AD 56 or 57, sometime immediately
after this letter was written, doesn’t mean that Christ’s return
is not still imminent. Just because it was ultimately
a Braxton Hicks doesn’t mean that it was not birth pangs. And for us, it just means that
Christ’s return is now even more imminent. If it was imminent
to the Corinthians in 8055, it’s far more imminent in 2021, isn’t
it? So this advice of his, while
uncertain, is not unsound advice. And given that 2000 years have
now passed, the Lord’s return is now closer than ever. So if you would glance again,
chapter seven, verse 27 and 28, we see that Paul applies this
counsel to the Corinthians life circumstances. How does this
shake out in real life, Paul? Start in verse 26, if we could. I think it’s good in view of
the present distress that it’s good for a man to remain as he
is. This, of course, is an echo of that refrain 17, 20 and 24. Are you bound to a wife? Verse
27, do not seek to be released. Well, that’s just an echo of
verses 10 through 16, isn’t it? That the wife should not leave
her husband. The husband should not divorce his wife. And here
Paul says, if you’re bound to a wife, do not seek to be released.
Very practical. We spoke favorably about the
so-called bonds of marriage last week. It’s not a literal slavery,
but it is a union designed by God to be inseparable. Remember
what Jesus said, what God has joined together, let no man separate. On the opposite end of things,
he presents, are you released from a wife? Do not seek a wife. Released either as one who has
never been before been in the bonds of marriage or widowed
or legitimately divorced, released from one’s marriage. This is
just an echo of verses six through nine, isn’t it? It’s good for
them to remain even as I. Deciding to marry under such
circumstances, Paul says, is not a sin issue. Verse 28, it’s
an expedient issue. It’s no sin either to choose
to marry under such circumstances or to decide to remain single. Paul’s basic admonition here
in these three verses is, in view of the present, pardon me,
in view of the present distress, do not allow yourselves to be
troubled, distracted, But it’s not as though Paul presents
a complete list of those distractions, does he? He only mentions marriage. But there are many, many distractions
in life. What is yours? Paul’s main concern here is the
readiness of the Corinthians for service, especially in light
of the times in which they lived. Are we any less needful of the
same admonition? Do you realize what absolutely
thrilling days we are living in? Everything is in utter turmoil. Socially, economically, racially,
morally, politically, ethically, everything is in turmoil. There
haven’t been many periods of history that are so utterly tumultuous
across the globe as the one we’re living in. But this one, given the technology
and the weaponry and the level of acrimony, the stakes are higher
than ever before. And that’s thrilling. And everyone
knows it. Everyone, even and especially
those who do not know the Lord, they know it. They see what we
see. They hear what we hear. They
sense what we sense. The world is upside down and
they know it. Ephesians 2, Paul speaks of those
who do not know the Savior as those having no hope and without
God in the world. If that was true, first century
Ephesus, almost at the center of the Roman Empire, the strongest
nation in the world. How much truer is it of people
of our day? We’ve lost our moorings as a
culture, and the people of this world know it. That ought to be thrilling to
the believer. Why? Because there’s turmoil?
No. Because gas is more expensive?
No. Because we’re in the midst of
this great health crisis? No. Because the opportunity to
proclaim the gospel is perhaps greater and more likely to settle
into the fertile soil of a hopeless human heart than ever before
in human history. They know that there’s a God
and they know that there’s sin in the world because they know
their own condition. What they don’t know, what they
need to know, what we need to tell them is that God has a plan
of redemption. That God has already put into
effect that plan of redemption. He’s already accomplished that
redemption through Jesus Christ’s death on the cross. Theirs is
but to simply humble themselves and turn from their sin and to
look to Christ. to look to Christ in faith for
the forgiveness of their sin. And with that, we can better
understand Paul’s concerns about being distracted. What’s distracting you?