1 Corinthians 7:1-28 - Part A

They wrote all a series of questions that they didn't have answers for growing church facing problems facing challenges. One was issues of marriage and divorce, and they didn't have the Lord Jesus about that church had many questions about what it meant to live for Jesus in different areas of life today on connect with Skip Skip shares how you can glorify God in your life. First, did you know that Skip ensures important updates and biblical encouragement on social media to be sure you get the latest from him in this ministry.

Just follow him on Facebook, twitter and Instagram find by searching at Skip that at Skip each eye to see. We were in first Corinthians chapter 7 as we dive into her study with Skip Heitzig.

The apostle Paul wrote this letter to the Corinthian church for two reasons. First reason the Corinthians snitch on by a person named Chloe. Paul heard from Chloe's household that there were divisions in the church. Paul found out about the divisions through that household were not sure if Chloe was a male or female. I know it sounds like a female name these days, but not necessarily so. In antiquity, but the household of Chloe. I told Paul that there were issues in the church that was factor number one.

Second factor is always getting mail from Corinth, the church itself asking him a series of questions and so beginning in chapter 7. Paul goes on to answer those questions. You'll notice it says in verse one of chapter 7 now concerning the things of which you wrote to me, so they wrote Paula series of questions that they didn't have answers for.

There were a growing church facing problems facing challenges. One was issues of marriage and divorce, and they didn't have clear teaching from the Lord from the Lord Jesus about that. Maybe they knew what was written in the Gospels that Jesus said about that but they had some very particular issues about celibacy singleness about marriage, about divorce, about remarriage. So, Paul answers that question in the seventh chapter. They had questions about personal liberty what they can and cannot do with their free or not free to do in particular, can we eat hamburger that is been sacrificed to an idol down the street can can we have a nice enough double cheeseburger from that pagan temple date they serve the best cheeseburgers in town but it was at a pagan temples that is unlawful or not, because there really is only one God.

Anyway, those gods are false because of an issue about personal liberty and that particular so Paul addresses the area of personal liberty that included in chapters 8, nine, 10 and partly 11 then they had questions about church order.

The exercise of gifts within the body of Christ within the public assemblies he addresses that in chapters 11, 12, 13, 14, and then, finally, that a question doctrinal questions in particular about the resurrection the physical resurrection what their body will be like when the Lord comes back in their resurrected but will that be like and that is that is answered in the lengthy B hummus chapter of chapter 15. Those 58 verses are dedicated to Paul answering that question.

Chapter 16 is sort about epilogue.

He ends the letter so the first part Paul deals with the issues that he had heard about and chapter 7 to the rest of the book he deals now with questions in particular that they had about all those things that I just mentioned. When Paul closed chapter 6 he ended with the phrase that is a phrase I think should be written above.

Chapter 7 because it really is that the general principle that he works with. So you'll notice the end of chapter 6 and verse 19 or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own, for you were bought at a price.

Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. You could lift out that phrase out of verse 20, glorify God in your body and put that over chapter 7. Now Paul tells you how to glorify God in your physical body. In terms of relationships that God is established with marriage glorifying God in your body. He's gonna deal with issues we all face relationship relational issues relationships.

Relationships really are the essence of life. I think if you boil life down to its irreducible minimum you would have relationships strip away all the things you own all the degrees you've worked for all the beauty you strive after you get right down to the very basic things of life, it's your relationship with God, which is either good or bad exists in her nonexistent and its relationship with people, good or bad, nonexistent or exist.

So if you boil life down to its irreducible minimum you have a perfect axis vertical and horizontal axis relationship with God relationship with people photos you had to have good relationships with people that you might glorify God in heaven with your body. It seems that relationships because they are the basics of life have the capacity for either immense satisfaction or deep agony and everything in between. Relationships between men and women solve many problems we have, but they also create problems we didn't have an Paul will address some of those in this chapter as we get into it. You might want to purpose to compare what Paul says about marriage, divorce, singleness, just with your own life and in your own measure of glorifying God in your body. Most people fall in love or they find somebody in the collet falling in love or they grow in love. Whatever it might be that is the typical pattern, but generally we fall in love with a personality, but then we have to live with the character and sometimes quite a character but it is true, it is important that we seek to discern beyond the level of outward personality. What kind of character traits. The other person has. Because you're being committed to that you're gonna live with that for a long time so chapter 7 verse one now concerning the things of which you wrote to me and it comes right out of the chute head-on with the first one it is good for a man not to touch a woman. Now he does it mean like often touch somebody like that. The idea behind this metaphorically is it is good to be single. It is good to be celibate. It's it's good to refrain from sexual relations altogether. As Paul will say he has done. That's his calling. So he says, and in essence in verse 20, say, look, celibacy, singleness is good. It's good, but is not the only good because God in Genesis 2 said it is not good that man should be alone. So based on that principle in Genesis to the principle of first mentioned it is not good that man should be alone.

God established the relationship of marriage and look upon and said that is very good but Paul would here take the flip side, say though God did say that it is also good.

It's not bad it's not evil you're not wrong.

If you remain single. It's not the norm but it's not evil either and it's important to say that because sometimes, especially in Christian circles expression evangelical Christian circles. If you don't get married right away. People that what's wrong with you when you have bad breath all the time you bad habits. Nobody wants to hang out with you.

What is the deal as if it's a curse. It can be, but it can also be a blessing.

So Paul says it's good that lifestyle is a good lifestyle. I think Paul began this chapter this way because he's going to go from singleness to marriage to divorce and applied within divorce is also remarriage. Also Paul was Jewish and being Jewish. He came from a very strict background that held marriage in such high regard and disparaged a single lifestyle and if you know that or not but Judaism disparaged singleness of the judge the Jewish rabbis had a saying that there are seven Jews who will not go to heaven and that a little list and number one on the list is a man who has no wife. And number two, a wife, a woman who produces no children so they laid some pretty heavy trips on people in their tradition saying if you don't get married, you know you're not even go to heaven so to separate himself from that traditional ideology it's important that this Jewish Rabbi Saul of Tarsus Paul the apostle begins by saying nothing wrong with singleness.

Nothing wrong with celibacy. It is good for a man not to touch a woman. It's good it's good, but now is gonna say it's also hard. Nothing wrong with it, but it's hard to actually do and here's what he says. Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality. Let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. It's good to be single but it's also hard because it's hard because you faced sensual sexual physical temptations. It's better to get married at somebody's going to hear the angle itself horrible idea of or foundation for marriage. You're right it is a horrible foundation for marriage. Paul is not laying the foundation of marriage, or in this verse. He is simply stating what is the norm. The norm is, it is not good that man should be alone. The norm is that people get involved in a heterosexual marriage that was ordained by God from the beginning that is normal. It's normal because very few people have the ability to remain single successfully because what Paul will say singleness is good but only singleness with celibacy is good that singleness sleeping around with other people. That's called fornication in the Bible is just an out and out sin so singleness with celibacy is good.

Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality. Let each man have his own wife, and let each husband have her own husband. Both are gifts as well. We will see it is a gift from God. If you can state single and celibate throughout a lifetime and keep any temptation at bay.

That's a gift I don't have a gift.

I knew I didn't have that gift a long time ago and when I married lender.

That was the answer to the dilemma that I was alone. It is not good that Skip should be alone. The problem is not singleness the problem is being married and acting like you're single or being single and acting like you're married both of those are problematic but being single is a gift being married is also a gift from God. So verse three he now expands on let the husband render to his wife the affection that is the physical affection that is due her and likewise also the wife to her husband so the physical, intimate relationship with an America conjugal relationship is a privilege it is a joy it is a pleasure but it is also a responsibility we are in this relationship to please one another.

The wife does not verse four have authority over her own body all the secular feminist love this verse. Just kidding. Not the wife does not have authority over her own body can always see my body, my choice. Paul said, your body is choice and you say let sexes keep reading and likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body.

It's reciprocal.

It's not one way but the wife does. We can't be sure, but some scholars believe they guess that in Corinth in the Corinthian church. There were certain people who were married but believed that acting single with in a marriage was somehow holy, refraining from sexual relations within the marriage was somehow you like like a hermit while you're in a marriage which was somehow holier than if you just enjoy the marriage relationship. That's weird that's wacky that's not spiritual at all. In fact, it is setting your spouse up for temptation as follows will will tell us in so what he does is he.

He basically gives us three parameters for any withholding of sexual intimacy with our spouse.

And this is what they are. In verse five. Do not deprive one another except with the consent for a time that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer, and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self control.

Those are the three parameters there is to be mutual consent. Let Saddam talk about this. Let's refrain from intimacy. Okay number one number two let's agree beforehand on the timeframe of that when the skin to begin with its can and and number three. The reason isn't because I led the reason is because were going to give ourselves to prayer and fasting. Now prayer is something we should always do. Fasting is something that we might do occasionally for certain reasons, but fasting typically be of a person fast. A few days this and fast like months at a time. We call those people dead.

If they do, so it's something that you do for a short period of time. So the idea of the understanding the context is this is something that a husband or wife would agree on it advance for spiritual reasons, they would have a joint agreement they would come together and and here's why. Verse five and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self control. You don't own, you you gave your life to her at the altar you gave your life to him at the altar. Your body belongs to your spouse and you are there to serve your spouse.

I am there to serve my wife to be sensitive to her and vice a versa with something that we agree on sexes never a weapon to fight with. It's a tool to build with some couples make it make it, almost a cudgel something to go to college over spouse with no you said that so you can see me you know and you know in in bed for a week or two. That's totally unscriptural. He said unless Satan tempt you because of your lack of self control. But I say this as a concession, not as a commandment. This whole thing of being married or being single is is going to depend on the gift and calling God is giving you. I say this is a concession, and the idea of of holding off for a period of time to pray and fast such as a concession on a command.

You don't have to do it for I wish that all men were even as I myself but each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and the other in that this brings up an issue that people asking that is was Paul the apostle married was Paul the apostle ever married. Some say no. Some say some say yes because they believe is part of the Jewish Sanhedrin because in the book of acts.

It seems like you Cassie and official vote like a Sanhedrin member, whether one of the 70 ruling elders would if you were a member of the Sanhedrin.

Anita Paul had been a member of the Sanhedrin he would have had to have been married. That was a stipulation to serve in the ministry of the Sanhedrin. You had to have a wife, but we're not sure the Paul was a member of the Sanhedrin, but even if you was let's of those was it must've meant that his wife died and is no longer married or that his wife wanted nothing to do with Christ, but she is never mentioned. So you can't really get dogmatic and say that Paul was once married because there's never a record that he was, or that he was for that matter. Remember the Sanhedrin so you can do whatever you want with that he is at this point single and he makes the statement, I wish that all men were even as myself. That is, single and celibate. He can explain himself as to what but each one has his own gift from God and I want you to see that word. It's very very important. You can't do either without a gift you can't stay single successfully. Unless God gives you a gift to due to you can't stay married successfully unless God also gives you that gift and that: if you if you would turn with me to out the book of Matthew chapter 19. It is a one of the places where Jesus talks about marriage and Paul is gonna make reference to that here in chapter 7, there were a couple places the Lord Jesus spoke about marriage. One is the sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 5, he said, you have heard from those of old times that a man can write his wife a certificate of divorce saying to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason, except for adultery or or sexual morality commits adultery and and so he had a hammer is it hard there in chapter 19, though, is a conversation came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan, and great multitudes followed him there and he healed them and the Pharisees came to him, testing him, and saying to him is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason why would they ask a question like that they can a guy dump his wife just for any reason, because there were interpreters who thought you could divorce your wife for absolutely any reason.

There were two schools of thought in Judaism at the time when very strict when very liberal strict school said the only reason man can divorce his wife is that she is sexually immoral. She sleeps with another man. That's the only reason. Another said well you know Moses talked about an uncleanness that the wife has. And maybe that means she cooked his dinner wrong and he finds that unclean damn and he deems that is an uncleanness and he broadened the reasons for divorce to the widest possible margin. If a man if a woman spoke to another man. If she spun in the street if she wore her hair down in public. Those were all reasons a man could divorce his wife, someone said you can divorce for any reason the other rabbi said you can divorce for any reason. Which do you think the Jewish men found more popular any reason, any reason. That's why that's a question. Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason. There following the two traditions of the rabbi and he answered and said to them, have you not read. I love Jesus answered this way don't you religious leaders ever read your Bible, don't you know what the Bible says, have you not read that he who made them at the beginning made them male and female, going all the way back to Genesis, for he said. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh.

So then they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate subscription takes its message from the series expound first. Right now we want to share about a great resource that will help strengthen your trust in God so you can live with more confidence and peace. Forbes.com recently published an article with 22 tips for how to completely change your life and when found complicated.

The Bible tells a different story about how to change your life. Repent and return to God reminds us we need to always insert God and to every situation you skip.

I think what God is a phrase that appears 45 times in Scripture. It's a game changing phrase means that no matter who you are what you have done no matter how you may have failed. The truth is God can make things different for you, from now on, but God discover the power of God in Scripture to game changer for your life with the black-eyed teaching theories from Pastor Skip I think thanks when you get $35 or more to help keep this type of teaching ministry on the air.

Get your CD collection to date, 819 to 84. Get online securely connectwithskip.com/affair tonight and tomorrow is Skip Heitzig six years with you. What God has to say about marriage, divorce and single singleness is good for this celibacy. Second, being single is good, but it can also be tempting third single lifestyle was wrong, married, and number for both singleness and marriage are the gifts God