1 Corinthians 7:10

1 Corinthians 7:10 states, And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband:  Paul was making it clear that what he was saying about remaining married if they were married was God's plan.  We know from all the teachings of the Bible that God views marriage as a sacred bond between a man and a woman and God.  Marriage is not a man-made institution, but a God ordained one.  Many of those who were becoming followers of Christ were married, and often the spouse did not convert to following Christ.  Paul recognized that this could cause problems and addressed this issue in the following verses.  Verse eleven adds, 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 first spoke to the wife, saying that if she left the marriage, for whatever reason, that as a Christian she was to remain unmarried.  We have to remember that these things were written to the church at Corinth. Paul also addressed the husband, telling him not to put away, or divorce, his wife.  In the world in which Paul lived, the woman had very few rights, and that is true in much of the world today.  So, even though the man could divorce his wife for any or no reason, Paul said that as followers of Christ, they had a higher standard to follow.  Verse twelve continues, But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away.  Paul saying that he spoke and not the Lord did not mean that Paul was speaking without the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Paul was simply dealing with issues that had not been dealt with before in the scriptures. What he was saying was still God's word.  Paul said that if a believer had a wife who was a non-believer, and she wanted to stay married, then he should not divorce her.  There are times today when two non-believers get married and then one accepts Christ as their Savior and Lord, and the other spouse does not.  These verses are really a commandment to the believing spouse.  If a man becomes a believer, he cannot simply decide that he is going to divorce a non-believing spouse, but instead, as long as she wants to remain married, he is to remain married to her and treat her with the love and respect that marriage should bring.  He is not free to view his non-believing spouse as someone to tolerate or endure, but is not only to not put her away, but to love her with the love that Christ calls us to exhibit.  Verse thirteen states, And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.  These same principles apply to a believing wife married to a non-believing husband.  Remaining married to a non-believer is left up to the non-believer.  We might think this strange, that being unequally yoked as the Bible calls it, would be a reason to leave the marriage, but this is not what God teaches us.  Verse fourteen adds, For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.  This does not mean that one spouse is saved by the faith of the other, only that the marriage itself is sanctified by the belief of the one spouse.  We often today look at the worldly status of marriage, giving it authentication from a legal, or worldly, view, but marriage also is a promise made to God.  Paul was not saying that the children were saved by the actions of the believing spouse either, but that according to Jewish law, they were still a part of God's people.  They were much more likely to come to faith in Christ due to a believing parent than without the example of the believing parent.  Verse fifteen continues, But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.  Paul states that if the non-believing spouse wants to leave, let them go.  Paul also states that the believer is no longer under bondage to the marriage but should be able to live in peace.  Verse sixteen concludes, For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?  Paul adds that by remaining in the marriage, the believing spouse might convert the non-believer to faith in Christ. This should be the desired outcome, but likely could only occur with a constant living in faith by the believer.