Women and the Gospel
Jesus Christ and the good news that he and his followers proclaimed did many things to turn society on its head and proclaim that the "norms of society" were wrong. One area of change that still echos today is that of the value and role of women in society. The message of the gospel wasn't that there is no difference between the sexes in any area (as some today would try to put forward), but taught that before God women and men have equal value (Gal 3:28), that they are co-heirs in Christ (1 Peter 3:7). Their role in the family (Eph 5:22) and the church (1 Timothy 2:12) was however different.
Your Spouse Has Authority Over Your Body
In this chapter, Paul presents some nitty-gritty details of the equality that women (and men) have in marriage. On the one hand in Ephesians 5:22-23 Paul teaches that men are the head, or leader, of the wives and that wives should submit to their husbands, yet in 1 Corinthians 7:4 we see that the wife has authority over the husband's body (as husband's do over their wives body). Men often mistakenly view that because they are the head of the wife, that they can simply do as they please. But clearly if the wife has authority over the husband's body, that has implications. The first implication that Paul points out is in the area of sexual relations between a husband and a wife. The Corinthians had asked Paul if they should abstain from sexual relations altogether. Paul clearly responds that the sexual aspect of marriage is critical and should not be withheld on either side. Clearly this also means that as the spouse's body is not to be shared with someone outside of the marriage. This authority would also apply to the coverings of the body - so a wife should dress to please her husband, and a husband should dress to please his wife.
Living to Please Your Spouse
The next part of the discussion is interesting and takes this mutual bodily authority to a new level. At that time in Corinth and other places there was great persecution that was being faced by believers (as Paul himself was beaten and thrown in prison several times) so Paul says that because of the "present distress" (v 26) it is best to remain as you are (married or unmarried). He goes on to describe that those who are married have their interests divided - a husband pleasing God and his wife and a wife pleasing God and husband. The implications of this are critical to understand: if you are married, you must live to please your spouse. Often when people get married they often live as though they are not. Men tend to be the biggest violator by continuing to "go out with the boys" and do other activities as if they weren't married. Once married, the primary human relationship should be to one's spouse - husband or wife. A husband cannot simply please himself, and for that matter cannot live simply to "please God". The distortion and error here can be both on the irreligious side (a husband spending all of his time "out with the boys") or on the religious side (a husband spending all of his time out "serving God"). Both of those are wrong. That is not to say that a husband or wife cannot spend time with friends and cannot spend time serving God. Clearly both of those are good and important. The problem comes when the husband (or wife) doesn't give to their spouse the high priority of time and attention that they deserve. It is all too common in history to see pastors or ministers of Christ who have forgotten this and have neglected their wives and children (their first disciples) and have gone out to "serve God". Obviously the other side of this is a problem as well if the husband or wife is prevented from serving God because of demands of the spouse. God is the primary relationship and first love of our lives, but if we are married, we must also live to please our husband or wife.
Father, I thank you for the gift of a wife that you have given me! She is a blessing and a jewel and brings great joy and help to my life. Help me to love her and cherish her and live to please her as I please you.
Jesus Christ and the good news that he and his followers proclaimed did many things to turn society on its head and proclaim that the "norms of society" were wrong. One area of change that still echos today is that of the value and role of women in society. The message of the gospel wasn't that there is no difference between the sexes in any area (as some today would try to put forward), but taught that before God women and men have equal value (Gal 3:28), that they are co-heirs in Christ (1 Peter 3:7). Their role in the family (Eph 5:22) and the church (1 Timothy 2:12) was however different.
Your Spouse Has Authority Over Your Body
In this chapter, Paul presents some nitty-gritty details of the equality that women (and men) have in marriage. On the one hand in Ephesians 5:22-23 Paul teaches that men are the head, or leader, of the wives and that wives should submit to their husbands, yet in 1 Corinthians 7:4 we see that the wife has authority over the husband's body (as husband's do over their wives body). Men often mistakenly view that because they are the head of the wife, that they can simply do as they please. But clearly if the wife has authority over the husband's body, that has implications. The first implication that Paul points out is in the area of sexual relations between a husband and a wife. The Corinthians had asked Paul if they should abstain from sexual relations altogether. Paul clearly responds that the sexual aspect of marriage is critical and should not be withheld on either side. Clearly this also means that as the spouse's body is not to be shared with someone outside of the marriage. This authority would also apply to the coverings of the body - so a wife should dress to please her husband, and a husband should dress to please his wife.
Living to Please Your Spouse
The next part of the discussion is interesting and takes this mutual bodily authority to a new level. At that time in Corinth and other places there was great persecution that was being faced by believers (as Paul himself was beaten and thrown in prison several times) so Paul says that because of the "present distress" (v 26) it is best to remain as you are (married or unmarried). He goes on to describe that those who are married have their interests divided - a husband pleasing God and his wife and a wife pleasing God and husband. The implications of this are critical to understand: if you are married, you must live to please your spouse. Often when people get married they often live as though they are not. Men tend to be the biggest violator by continuing to "go out with the boys" and do other activities as if they weren't married. Once married, the primary human relationship should be to one's spouse - husband or wife. A husband cannot simply please himself, and for that matter cannot live simply to "please God". The distortion and error here can be both on the irreligious side (a husband spending all of his time "out with the boys") or on the religious side (a husband spending all of his time out "serving God"). Both of those are wrong. That is not to say that a husband or wife cannot spend time with friends and cannot spend time serving God. Clearly both of those are good and important. The problem comes when the husband (or wife) doesn't give to their spouse the high priority of time and attention that they deserve. It is all too common in history to see pastors or ministers of Christ who have forgotten this and have neglected their wives and children (their first disciples) and have gone out to "serve God". Obviously the other side of this is a problem as well if the husband or wife is prevented from serving God because of demands of the spouse. God is the primary relationship and first love of our lives, but if we are married, we must also live to please our husband or wife.
Father, I thank you for the gift of a wife that you have given me! She is a blessing and a jewel and brings great joy and help to my life. Help me to love her and cherish her and live to please her as I please you.
I had a few questions from this chapter:
ReplyDelete1. What does Paul mean when he says that a Christian husband will sanctify his unbelieving wife?
2. What does it mean to have clean vs. unclean children?
3. Why does Paul say that it is better to be single than married? When I read this chapter, I feel like I should not hurry to get married, and that it would be good if I stay single.
I also feel that even as a single person, I am not always concerned about God's affairs, as this Chapter mentions. I want to grow more mature in living as a single man to serve God wholeheartedly and not be divided by worldly concerns.
Good questions!
Delete1) Clearly it is not about being saved since each person must repent and turn to Christ for themselves. The word sanctify literally means "to set apart" and while it has a role in salvation it has other meanings as well. In this case I believe it would be similar to the effect that godly people have on a city or country. Consider Sodom and Gomorrah: God said that he would spare the wicked city if there were 10 righteous people there. I believe that the sanctification has to do with protection from negative consequences and judgments that might otherwise come on the person. In a similar way the Jews were to pray for Babylon while they were in captivity there (Jer 29:7) and we are to pray for our leaders (1 Tim 2:1-2).
2) For the children it probably has several meanings/implications. Clearly one of them is that children will be influenced and taught by the example and teaching of a godly parent, even if there is only one. Another meaning is similar to the case of the wife/husband. The distinction is between unclean and holy/sanctified. There is a spiritual protection that is provided to the children because of the presence of a righteous parent.
3) There is value to remaining unmarried if 1) that is a gift or calling that God has on your life as Paul had (v 7) and/or 2) there is a "distressed" situation as was being faced when Paul was writing (v 26). The benefit is that of being able to focus completely on God. That is one reason that I think that those who are single should embrace and take advantage of that time because they have more time to devote to God and fewer responsibilities that dilute the singleness of focus. But there are clearly situations where marriage is preferable as Paul also points out: 1) If God calls you to be married 2) You are having passionate feelings toward a woman. Also there are some practical reasons where being married can be beneficial: 1) You can relate to those who are married for ministry 2) You and your wife can minister together to both genders more easily. The net is that they both have benefits and drawbacks. In each situation, pursue God to the fullest in the situation you are in. If you are single, seek God fully and while you are single do as much as you can with your time in pursuing God. If you believe that God wants you to marry, then get married. If not, stay single.
Living to please God is most important for believers. It is also important for married believers to live to please spouse. One of my friends told me his father was zealous to preach the Gospel to people outside, which is good, but he spent much less time with family. This lead to his mother's complaints about his father, because she needed to take care of three children. His father helped many people to know Lord Jesus, but his mother and he haven't followed Lord Jesus yet.
ReplyDeleteLord Jesus, please help me to lead my family in righteous direction and lay down my life for my wife. I need your guidance to keep a good balance between ministry and family. I pray you can open up the door for my wife to get saved by you, so we can do service for your kingdom together.