In this chapter Paul begins a series of answers to questions posed to him by the Corinthian church. He gives these instructions:
1. Husbands and wives ought to share their bodies freely with each other and not deny sex to their mate;
2. Believers married to unbelievers should stay in the marriage in hopes of his or her spouse and children coming to know the Lord;
3. If the unbelieving spouse insists on leaving the marriage, the believing spouse should let him or her go and then the believing spouse is free to remarry;
4. Becoming a Christian does not mean a slave must seek freedom, or a person must be circumcised, or a person must change his marital status;
5. An unmarried person has more opportunity to serve the Lord than does a married person and singleness is a gift from God; widows should not be in a hurry to remarry;
6. A believer who wants to get married is free to marry as long as it is to another believer.
The emphasis is on serving the Lord in singleness or in marriage. Paul reminds the believer that he has been purchased with a price (the substitutionary death of Christ) and that now, as a bond-servant to the Lord Jesus, his aim in life is to serve and to please his Master.
The emphasis is on serving the Lord in singleness or in marriage. Paul reminds the believer that he has been purchased with a price (the substitutionary death of Christ) and that now, as a bond-servant to the Lord Jesus, his aim in life is to serve and to please his Master.
A person who is single should find strength from the Lord to be at peace with his circumstance of singleness. A person in a bad marriage should find peace from the Lord in his circumstance as well. In both circumstances the believer should accept his circumstances as from the Lord and focus on serving the Lord fully and with joy.
From the foregoing, one could conclude that a believer who is dissatisfied, frustrated, or unhappy with his circumstances is not surrendered to the Lord. He is not obeying the Lord and he is not grateful to the Lord. Most of all, he does not trust the Lord to be in charge of his life. It is a matter of faith.
From the foregoing, one could conclude that a believer who is dissatisfied, frustrated, or unhappy with his circumstances is not surrendered to the Lord. He is not obeying the Lord and he is not grateful to the Lord. Most of all, he does not trust the Lord to be in charge of his life. It is a matter of faith.
Whatever is not of faith is sin (Ro 14:23). Without faith it is impossible to please him (God) (He 11:6).
Accepting one's circumstances and living at peace with God (instead of being angry with Him) is not optional with believers. This acceptance is surrender and it is necessary in order for a believer to live by faith, trusting God.
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