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.

1 Corinthians 7:1

1 Corinthians 7:1 says, Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.  Paul was responding to a letter that he had received from the church at Corinth evidently asking questions about marriage.  Paul stated that in the uncertain times that they were living in, it might be better to be single.  Once a couple were married, they had a responsibility to the other person and looking out for their well-being.  Paul was not saying that it was better never to be married at any time.  He was not promoting a singles life for everyone, but I believe was simply stating that a person might be better off without the responsibilities of marriage during these times of severe persecution.  Verse two adds, Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.  I do not think that Paul was saying marriage was a necessary action simply to avoid sexual sin.  There are those who say that judging by a lot of what Paul wrote that he must not have had a high view of women, but we notice here and in his other writings that he applied this advice to men and women.  Verse three continues, Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.  Here again, the advice is mutual, addressed to both the husband and wife.  We need to remember that the Bible teaches that in marriage the two become one, and they have a mutual commitment to each other.  One cannot do anything they choose to do without affecting the other half of the relationship.  Verse four states, The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. Paul said that the husband nor wife had power over their own body, but that the spouse had the power. We must remember that both are under the leadership of the Holy Spirit and are to base all actions on love for the other person.  This was quite an improvement for the wife, who was considered to be totally under the power of the husband in most of the world.  Verse five adds, Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.   Remembering that Paul was speaking of sexual relationships between a husband and wife, he was warning them not to use sex as a weapon, as the saying goes.  If they mutually decided to abstain from sexual activity for a period of time for religious reasons, that was okay, but even then, it should not be for a period long enough to allow Satan to begin to tempt them.  Verse six continues, But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment.  I believe that Paul was speaking about what he was about to say about being married or single and not what he had just said about the marriage relationship.  Verse seven says, For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that.  Paul said that to marry or not marry was not a commandment from God.  Paul saw advantages to being single and wished for those advantages for others, but that was not God's plan for humanity.  The people of Israel had been told to marry, so that the people of Israel might increase in numbers.  Paul was saying that for him, being unmarried had been a blessing, but he knew it was not what God had commanded for the majority of people.  Verse eight adds, I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.  Again, Paul was not saying that this was what God commanded, but that from his prospective it was better to remain unmarried.  Marriage brings with it many commitments that do not exist in single life, and from the prospective of committing all to God possibly at times could be a hindrance to following God anywhere He led.  When Paul was imprisoned, concern for a wife and children could have gotten in the way of His obedience to God, and for that reason he was thankful that he was not married.  Paul said from this prospective it was better to not be married.  Verse nine continues, But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.  I don't believe that Paul was comparing marriage to hell and saying that of the two, being married was a little better.  I believe that what Paul was saying is that if a person could not commit to a pure single life, they needed to marry.  I also believe that Paul meant that this was to be done under the leadership of the Holy Spirit and entailed all that God intended for marriage to be, and not just for the sexual aspects of marriage.

1 Corinthians 6:15

1 Corinthians 6:15 says, Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.  Paul here continues to address fornication in the next few verses.  Evidently, this had become an issue with some of the church members at Corinth.  Paul reminded them first that as Christians they were a part of the body of Christ, and whatever they did would in effect join Christ in that action.  Since the Holy Spirit indwells us, we cannot just leave the Holy Spirit out of our lives when we are doing anything, lawful or otherwise.  If we are engaging in any activity, we have the Holy Spirit with us.  For that reason, we should never do anything that would bring dishonor to God.  Verse sixteen adds, What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.  We usually associate two becoming one flesh with marriage, but Paul here says that anytime we engage in an act of fornication that the two people involved in that act become one flesh.  Even if we want to claim that it is simply a physical act, Paul declares it to be more.  Paul adds also that as followers of Christ we involve the Holy Spirit in this act.  Verse seventeen continues, But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.  We, as born-again believers, cannot separate life into physical and spiritual aspects.  Since we are joined to Christ through the Holy Spirit, everything we do should be guided by our spiritual relationship with Christ.  If even lawful things are not always best for our witness, then those things are spiritually wrong, whether lawful in the view of the world or not and can never be viewed as acceptable for the Christian.  We involve the Holy Spirit in whatever we are doing, so must live under the leadership of the Holy Spirit at all times.  Verse eighteen states, Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.  We are to flee sexual sin, because it is a sin against our own body as well as the body of the other person.  Unlike drunkenness or gluttony, as Matthew Henry points out, we are in full control of our body when we commit fornication, and it involves an act where two people become one flesh.  That is why we are to flee this temptation.  Verse nineteen adds, What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?  Paul reminded these early Christians that their body was the temple of the Holy Spirit, and that they were no longer their own.  The belonged to God, and everything they did reflected on Him.  Salvation is a free gift to man, but for God it was given at a great cost, the death of His only begotten Son on the cross.  We, as followers of Christ, are indeed bought with a price, and since the Holy Spirit indwells us, we are not free to do whatever we desire to do.  When something is wrong in God's eyes, we are to flee from it.  Our actions should be those that keep the temple, our bodies, clean.   Verse twenty continues, For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.  Since God bought us with a price, the death of Christ on the cross, we are to live in such a way that we bring honor to God in all that we do.   Paul said we are to do this in body and spirit, which cannot be separated.  The things we do with our bodies should reflect honor to God.

1 Corinthians 6:9

1 Corinthians 6:9 says, Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,  Paul begins to list a number of sins that prevent a person from entering the kingdom of God, beginning with unrighteousness. This is the key to all the others.  We can only find righteousness through faith in the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.  Paul said he didn't want Christians to be deceived, and that the list of sins that followed would not be allowed in God's kingdom.  Verse ten adds, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. We need to remember that Paul was writing to Christians, who were still fighting over material things.  As Paul listed these sins, I can imagine those listening agreeing with him wholeheartedly.  Such people should not be allowed into the kingdom of God.  Verse eleven continues, And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.  Christians were not and are not saved because of their sinless nature but are saved by having their sins washed clean by the blood of Christ.  All Christians were at some point guilty of some sin against God.  Therefore, we have no reason to feel morally superior to any other Christian.  We were once guilty of sinning against God, and we were under a sentence to death until we came to God through Christ.  Once more, as followers of Christ, we are living in the kingdom of God even now.  This should bring us a sense of peace, no matter what shape the world is in.  When we have a desire to feel superior to any other Christian, remember our standard is Christ not our own goodness compared to anyone else. Verse twelve states, All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.  Paul said that through the salvation of Christ that all things were lawful to him.  I don't believe that Paul was speaking of sinful things, but of things the church might be arguing about, which were mostly about ways to worship and position in the church.  Though Paul knew that many of these things were lawful under God's leadership, they were not expedient, or did not serve the best purpose, so he was not going to let anything have power over him and affect his witnessing for Christ.  Verse thirteen adds, Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.  Some of the arguments in the church focused on eating meat sacrificed to idols, who were often associated with sexual acts.  Paul said meat was simply to fill the belly, but both would one day be destroyed by God.  Paul then said that the body was not for fornication, but for service to God.  We can never allow anything, such as a simple appetite, even for those things deemed acceptable in the view of the world, to come between us and God.  Verse fourteen continues, And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.  We have God's promise that if we follow Christ that just as God raised Christ up, He will also raise us up. That is why we must never allow anything, lawful or otherwise in the world view, to come between us and obedience to God.  If anything harms our witness for Christ we must avoid it, even if we personally may feel that it is acceptable to do.

1 Corinthians 6:1

1 Corinthians 6:1 says, Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?  Paul asked a very good question of the believers at Corinth, and it remains a very good question for followers of Christ today, and that is how do we as Christians, as brothers and sisters in Christ, go to government magistrates to settle small matters between ourselves.  Matthew Henry states that for the bigger disputes that going to the government magistrates is expected, but are not all matters concerning the things of this world small and insignificant?  As followers of Christ, what dollar value do we place between a small and a big dispute?  The lost of the world love to report about one group of believers in the same fellowship suing another group.  This certainly does not provide a good witness to the world.  If followers of Christ need secular officials to judge disputes between them, then how can we claim to be able to declare the actions of those outside the church as wrong.  If we must rely on the government to settle our disputes, then how can we claim that only Christians through the leadership of the Holy Spirit know what is right and wrong in the eyes of God?  I believe that the church has surrendered much of its role in the world to the secular government, and that is usually based on material things.  In verse two Paul asks, Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?  Through our relationship with Christ, we are to judge the world.  Once more, the word saints does not mean some group of super Christians, but it means all born again believers in Christ.  We are to judge the world, not based on our criteria but based on God's.  When we have a dispute with a neighbor, the members of the church should be best qualified to judge that dispute. We, if we really accept the Lordship of Christ, should be willing to surrender the matter to the judgment of the church.  It is better as a follower of Christ to walk away with nothing in the world than to walk away with everything at the cost of our witness to Him.  Verse three asks, Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?  I believe Paul was asking how we are going to be able to judge heavenly things if we cannot judge small worldly disputes.  Too often, it is because of earthly disputes that we lose our spiritual witness.  Christians will become divided over some rule of order that has nothing to do with presenting the gospel, and they will often go so far as no longer even being civil to one another, and Satan rejoices.  When we have disputes, we should bring them to the church and then accept the decision of the church.  In verse four, Paul says, If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.  I believe Paul was saying that those viewed as the lowest in the church, though there should really be none viewed that way, were better qualified to judge their disputes than were the powers of the world who were not God's people. Verse five states, I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?  Paul told the Corinthian Christians that they should be ashamed that they couldn't find even one person in the congregation wise enough to judge earthly matters.  I believe we too often want to separate the world into the secular and the spiritual, and we do not seem to understand that as followers of Christ that all that matters is the spiritual.  All the things of the earth will remain when we go to be with God, so why do we put such value on them that we allow them to destroy our witness for Christ ?  Verse six states, But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.  When Christians fight with each other, the world is watching and will be sharing that news with everyone around them.  Verse seven says, Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?  Paul stated very clearly that it would be better to take the wrong and even be defrauded than to go to the government authorities to attempt to gain the things of this world.  In verse eight Paul denounces their attitude stating, Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.  Paul was speaking specifically to Christians who allowed the things of this world to become too important to them.  We often want to place the blame on another Christian and demand satisfaction from the rulers of the world instead of humbly surrendering everything to God.  We need to always place our spiritual witness above our material possessions.

1 Corinthians 5:6

1 Corinthians 5:6 says, Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?  Though Paul did not say exactly how, he implies that the church at Corinth not only knew of the open sin of this person, but somehow felt that they were glorified by it.  Whatever their reason for allowing this sin to go unchecked, the church at Corinth was losing its ability to effectively witness to the world about Christ.  As I have stated before, salvation is not a license to sin, but a call to turn away from sin through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Paul warned them that a little leaven affected the entire lump.  If this sinful act were allowed to go on without the church taking action against it, then why should the next church member be censored for their sinning against God.  The church cannot endorse the sins of any believer.  If we do, we affect the witness of the whole church.  We have a command to go into all the world to witness for Christ, but we also have a command to not let the sins of the world enter into the church and go unchecked.  Verse seven adds, Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:  Paul calls on the church to purge out the old leaven, that is the sinful nature of a person who has not accepted salvation through Christ.  Just because we are saved does not mean that we can never be tempted by sin again. Verse eight continues, Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.  When we gather in the name of God, we are to gather under His Lordship.  There is no room for malice or wickedness.  We are to worship God in sincerity and truth.  We must do all for God's glory.  Verse nine states, I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:  Paul said that he had already written to them not to associate with those who were openly sinning against God.  When Paul wrote this epistle, or letter, is not specified, but its content is clear.  Paul was writing about open sin in the church.  We must always address open sin that is going on the church, especially when it is being committed by Christians. Verse ten adds, Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.  I believe that in this verse Paul is reminding us that we have a responsibility to reach out to the sinners in the world.  We are not to associate with those in the body of believers who are openly sinning, but we are to reach out to the sinners outside the church.  Verse eleven continues, But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.  Paul reminded them once more that there is a difference between how we associate with believers who are sinning and non-believers who can do nothing but sin.  When we gather as a group of believers in Christ, there is no room for sin.  I believe this applies to both gathering as a body to worship and as well as to two or three Christians getting together.  We cannot openly condone sin.  Verse twelve asks, For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?  Paul asked if we were going to judge the sins of those who weren't a part of the body of Christ, the born-again believers, for their sins, then shouldn't we also judge the sins of those who were a part of the body of Christ.  Verse thirteen adds, But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.  God judges those who have not accepted Christ as Savior and Lord.  We are called on to not associate with those who have professed Christ as Savior, but openly rebel against Him as Lord of their lives.

1 Corinthians 5:1

1 Corinthians 5:1 states, It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife. Paul had been writing about their elevation of themselves due to their own worldly ideas, but now he moves on to a specific action by a person in this church that was openly spoken of.  We can be sure that if there are things going on in the church that are not consistent with God's will that those who are not Christians will be quick to report it.  As the church, whether a local body of believers or the church world wide, we need to be careful that we don't let sin, especially public sin ruin our witness.  In this case, it was widely known that one of the members was having an affair with his father's wife.  Paul warned the church that this must not be allowed to continue.  Though we are not called to judge other Christians, if their actions are harming the witness of the church, we must deal with those actions so that the church will not be held up for ridicule.  Verse two adds, And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.  Paul stated clearly that the actions of this one person, instead of leading to correction by the church, had led others in the church to be puffed up. We, as followers of Christ, cannot allow anyone to openly sin in the congregation of believers, much less let it lead us to be puffed up in self-pride.  Verse three continues, For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,  Paul said he didn't have to be there in person to judge the actions of this person and the actions of the church to be wrong.  As followers of Christ today, we need to pronounce sin as sin, especially if it occurs within the church.  Forgiveness of all our sins does not give us a license to continue sinning. Verse four states, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,  I believe Paul was reminding them of why they gathered together.  We as followers of Christ need to remember the purpose of gathering together as a body of believers and that is, as Paul reminded the Corinthians, to bring glory to Christ.  When we gather in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we must worship in a way to bring Him honor.  Paul said he was with them in spirit and that when they gathered in the name of Christ, they had His power to enable them to worship in spirit and in truth.  There is no room for open, unrepentant sin in the midst of God's people. Verse five adds, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Paul offers the remedy.  He said this was to be done under the leadership and power of the Holy Spirit, but such a one was better off being turned over to Satan that the flesh might be destroyed but the spirit might be saved when Christ returns.  My understanding of this is that the person was saved but started to live by worldly standards again.  We have to acknowledge that once we are born again, we are God's children forever.  We cannot obtain salvation through grace and lose it through works.  Still, open sin, rebellion against God, cannot be allowed in the church.  This does not mean that we are the morality police, but that through the power and leadership of the Holy Spirit that we are called on to address sin when we see it in the midst of the body of believers.