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The Spiritual Core of the Husband/Wife Relationship
Part Two: "Could Marriage Ever Be a Hindrance to Spirituality?" (Thoughts on 1 Corinthians 7)
by Norman and Ann Bales
All About Families

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In 1 Corinthians 7, the apostle Paul answered a series of questions that apparently had been asked by members of the church in Corinth. He started the chapter by saying, "Now for the matters you wrote about." We are at considerable disadvantage in trying to understand his thoughts because we do not possess the list of questions posed by the Corinthians. Try to imagine your frustration if you were about to take a test and had a list of answers, but then learned that the real tests comes in trying to figure out the questions. It works for "Jeopardy" but we're dealing with the Bible, not a quiz show. We're particularly concerned with Paul's apparent advice against marriage.

His advice was based on a desire to prevent his readers from "facing many troubles" (28). He was concerned because "the world in its present form is passing away" (31). He saw a married man as a person of divided interests (31-34). He was anxious to promote "undivided devotion to the Lord" (35) While conceding that a person who marries a virgin does right, he nevertheless concluded, "he who does not marry her does even better."

Some commentators suggest the present crisis involved a time of change, a time when Christians were living in the moral and spiritual corruption of Corinth. For many people, the transition from paganism to the Christian faith had been drastic. Putting off the "old man" and putting on the "new man" represented a personal crisis for serious minded Christians. Leon Morris wrote, "When high seas are raging, it is not a time for changing ships."

Much of what he talks about in these verses does not concern us. It assumes a cultural environment that's strange to us. Arranged marriages would be one example. However there are some principles we do need to be aware of in our marriages today.

• There is potential for distraction from our relationship with God. Our families are busy with many earthly issues - managing finances, home upkeep, transportation needs, feeding and clothing family members, educational needs, etc. Sometimes the pressures and stresses seem so urgent that our spiritual growth is neglected.

• If the church is under severe external pressure (persecution, times of severe economic hardship, living in proximity to an ongoing war, etc) one's devotion to the Lord is complicated by family responsibilities. Something of that nature was probably going on in Corinth.

It should be noted that Paul made a very strong concession to marriage. " . . .since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman should have her own husband" (verse 2). When Paul advised against marriage, he did not propose uncommitted cohabitation as a alternative lifestyle. He even warns married couples against sexual abstinence (verse 5). From Paul's perspective, no one can abstain from marriage in a healthy manner unless they are so gifted. However, he thought the gift was a good thing.

Next Week: The Relationship Between Our Need for God and Human Companionship

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