There are a couple of things I don't understand in 1 Corinthians 7. Hopefully someone can help me out.
1. In v10 Paul prefaces his instructions to the married with "not I, but the Lord." Then in v11 he says "I, not the Lord" when talking to everyone else. Any idea why? I mean, it's in the Bible, so I think we need to follow it, but it's interesting that he inserts those phrases.
2. Verse 14 reads: For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. I can see in v16 that he isn't saying the unbelieving spouse is saved, so I don't understand what he's saying.
Thoughts?
Regarding your first question, from what I've read about this, it seems that Paul is distinguishing things that Jesus actually addressed in His teachings while on earth. Jesus addressed the married in the Gospels (Mark 10:12; Matt. 5:32; Matt. 19:9), but He did not address the unmarried.
ReplyDeletePaul's statements that he says are not from the Lord but from him are still authoritative as they are inspired by the Holy Spirit. I think he is just saying that I am now giving authoritative instruction on something Jesus had not actually addressed in His teachings.
I'm still reading about your 2nd question.
As for the 2nd question, I think Paul is simply saying that continuing in the marriage does not defile the believing spouse.
ReplyDeleteThe context was that there were unbelieving couples and one would be converted and the other not. The one that was converted may have thought he/she could no longer stay with the unbeliever. Paul is saying that continuing in the marriage is not wrong for the believer. I think what he's saying has more to do with the believer than the salvation of the unbeliever.
The believer can stay in the marriage and enjoy the blessings of marriage and not be any less holy or sanctified because of the unbelieving spouse.
To add on to what Derek said about the 2nd question....I have always thought that another reason Paul mentions this is to say that if you have children and you stay in the marriage you, being holy, can raise the children in the right way. However, if you were to leave your spouse just because they are not a christian then perhaps your spouse would be the one raising your child (I'm not sure how custody worked back then) and that wouldn't be good for the child because they wouldn't be raised by a christian.
ReplyDeleteThat is just a guess on my end, I'm not sure what most people think.
I agree with you on the children, Troy.
DeleteI just didn't get into that because I wasn't sure I knew what I was talking about!
I have a slightly different take on the two questions.
ReplyDeleteIt is obvious that there are things said in Paul's letters that are not binding. For example, in the previous verses within this chapter, Paul states, "6 But I say this as a concession, not as a commandment. 7 For I wish that all men were even as I myself." Thus, Paul is stating that he wishes all men were unmarried like he is, but obviously, it was not a sin to be married as he previously addressed. Therefore, the question becomes: "Are verses 12-16 simply Paul's personal thoughts on a Christian and a non-Christian being married?" I believe so. If it was binding, why put the exception of if "she is willing to live with him" in there at all? If it was binding, wouldn't it simply say, "If any brother has a wife who does not believe, let him not divorce her."? Verse 15 also provides further evidence for this: "But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases." (e.g. the bondage of marriage). Now I certainly agree with Paul in his advice for the couple to remain married for the same reasons he gave (that the spouse might learn the truth through the Christian, that the children can be raised by both parents, etc.), but there may be some circumstances where the Christian may need to leave the non-Christian (drunkenness, persecution, bad influence for children, etc.)