Pastor’s Bible Reading Schedule: Job 20-21; 1 Cor. 7
Devotional Thought:
In 1 Corinthians 7, we find Paul’s answer to another one of the questions sent to him from the Corinthian church. “Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.” The word for touch is a Greek word meaning to “sexually excite.” Paul is making the case for people to identify the clearly defined parameters God has set up in the natural attraction between a man and a woman. It is not wrong for a man and woman to be attracted to each other and pursue a growing and more intimate relationship. However, Paul warns about starting things in the dating relationship that would tempt one to cross the boundary of physically exciting a partner beyond their ability to resist. God never designed our bodies to stop in its natural sexual appetite. Therefore, he warns dating couples to not feed this appetite until they are ready for marriage. At marriage, the rules all change! Where Paul says before you are married do not touch in a way that would lead to more intimate physical desires, but after you are married do not stop touching in that way. Hebrews 13:4 says, “Marriage is honorable in all and the bed undefiled, but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.” The very confusing passage in verses 10-17 needs to be explained. God’s plan for marriage is that it is permanent. At the point of salvation, we become the bride of Christ; therefore, marriage is God’s example to picture the security of the believer. There is nothing that I can do that will make God break the covenant He has made with me at salvation. A well known author has put it this way, “If we could lose our salvation, we would! “… if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.” In Romans 7:2, the Bible teaches that a man and a woman are bound to each other until death. Once death occurs, the law no longer binds the living spouse. That word “bound” is the word “deo” meaning to be in bonds or to tie a knot. The word here in 1 Corinthians 7:15, is the Greek word “douloo.” It means to bring into bondage or to make a servant. The departing unbeliever is not giving the remaining spouse grounds to remarry, but rather removing the responsibility of them to serve them as a spouse. Only death unties the knot or removes the bonds. If an unbeliever departs it merely releases the remaining spouse from the role they served. They are still tied as a knot and they are still in bondage to each other through the covenant of marriage. I know today’s is more informational than application, but a subject that needs to be made clear in our minds biblically.
Personal Requests:
• Lord, please help me to never take Michelle for granted. She is a gift from you… an exceedingly abundantly above all that I could ask or think kind of gift! Thank You!
• Lord, help me to never fall prey to the cultural or convenient positions of divorce and remarriage. Please help me to always allow your word to determine where I stand on these issues.
• Lord, please help me to teach, preach, model, and counsel in a way to develop stronger marriages and families in our church and in our community.