A Letter Of Concern- Questions About Marriage Series

Series: Action [#80]

A LETTER OF CONCERN- QUESTIONS ABOUT MARRIAGE

1 Corinthians 7:1-16

Introduction:

This is the 2nd Sermon in a section of 1 Corinthians that is about pleasing God with your body. It should matter to Christians to please God in all areas of their lives. We need to be reminded that the Corinthian Christians were living right in the middle of a very evil society; and they were tempted to mix in the world and Christianity in their lives. They began to justify sin.

This Sermon is not a Sermon I want to preach, especially today; but this is where God has us in our Series. Chapters 7-11 comprise practical answers Paul gave to question the Corinthian believers had written to him about in a letter (16:17). The 1st of those questions had to do with marriage, (an area which contained serious problems for them).

Under Roman law and customs, 4 types of marriage were practiced:

* Tent Relationship.

Slaves generally were considered to be subhuman property. If a man and woman slave wanted to be married, they might be allowed to live together in this type of marriage. This lasted as long as the owner permitted. He was perfectly free to separate them, sell them, place them with other partners, etc…

* Common Law.

Roman Common Law marriage was recognized after they lived together for 1 year.

* Sold by her father.

* Family arranged.

The Patrician class, (the nobility) had arranged marriages. Both sides of the family were involved. The Marriage Ceremony was similar to our Marriage Ceremonies.

All 4 of these were practiced during Paul’s time. Divorce was extremely common. It was not uncommon for someone to have been divorced over 20 times. Also, a Feminist Movement had developed; and wives were competing against their husbands in the work force. Being housewives and mothers were no longer the standard. Both men and women were determined to live their own lives, regardless of marriage vows or commitments.

The Early Church had members that lived together; and were still living together under all 4 marriage arrangements. There were also divorced and remarried couples living there. This created some tough questions like, “What do we do now that we are believers? Should we stay together as husband and wife if we are both believers? Should we get divorced if our spouse is an unbeliever? Should we become or remain single?

1 Corinthians 7:1-2

1. Should Christians be celibate?

The answer is yes, as long as you can refrain from sex. Let me remind you that this also applies to your thoughts. Jesus said that if you lust for someone that you are an adulterer. If you cannot remain pure in this area, then you should be married; and sex is reserved for the married couple.

1 Corinthians 7:3-7

2. Is sex in marriage necessary?

This passage is clear about this subject. The wife’s body belongs to the husband; and his body belongs to his wife. When a couple gets married, they are becoming 1 each and every day.

Scripture gives several reasons for intimacy in marriage:

* For procreation- “Be fruitful and multiply.”

* For pleasure.

* For partnership.

* For spiritual joy.

* For purity- Protects from sexual immorality by meeting physical needs for fulfillment.

1 Corinthians 7:8-9

3. Should the unmarried stay single?

Again, the answer is based upon the ability to control yourself. If you can control yourself, stay unmarried.

1 Corinthians 7:10-16

4. When is divorce acceptable?

The simple answer is, “Divorce is a sin; and should never happen”. Now, don’t forget that sin is sin. To answer this question in detail requires some knowledge of the situation. Christians should marry Christians. When someone says that a couple is unequally yoked, that means that a Christian married a Non-Christian. Unequally yoked has nothing to do with race. If a Christian marries a Non-Christian, they should not divorce them; but if the Non-Christian leaves, then the Christian is to allow them to do so.

I want to be clear about something this morning- The Bible allows for divorce when 1 of the spouse is “cheating on them”; when there is abuse; and when they are unequally yoked and the non-believer ends the marriage.

Conclusion:

While this may be an uncomfortable subject, it is very practical and important. The #1 reason for marital problems is money and the #2 reason is intimacy in the marriage. When you place Jesus at the center of the marriage and allow His love to flow from you, both reasons will not be an issue.

Those of you that are not married, it is not a curse. If you can remain unmarried without messing up, then that is best because you can focus your life on following God in all that you do.