Maintaining God’s Intent For Marriage(& Singleness)-4

MAINTAINING GOD’s INTENT For MARRIAGE-IV—1Corinthians 7:1-9

(Making Marriage Worthy of its Creator)

Attention:

I have seen many who want a ‘church wedding’ despite their never ‘darkening the door of any church house.’ They want God’s blessing upon their marriage, without any commitment on their part to the God who provides the blessing! Such people ‘make’ God act on their terms rather than the other way around...They have made God in their own image. He is their personal puppet with a magic wand.

If we are careful to nurture God’s Intent in our marriages then, our marriages will NOT suffer as do worldly marriages!—& statistics tell us that divorces are roughly the same percentage for both secular & Christian marriages!

Paul answered the inquiries & clarified the concerns of the Corinthian Christians regarding marriage.

Christians maintain God’s intent/design for marriage.

How do/can Christian couples maintain God’s intent for marriage?

6 focal points for Christians regarding marriage.

We have found that Maintaining God’s intent for marriage(& singleness) demands a concentration upon...

1. His DIRECTIVES(:1)

2. His LIMITATIONs(:2)

3. His AFFECTION(:3)

4—Maintaining God’s intent for marriage(& singleness) demands a concentration upon...

His AUTHORITY(:4)

Explanation:(:4)

:4—“The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.”

“Authority”(*exousiazw) is translated in 6:12 as--“Brought under...Power/Mastered/Brought under...Control.

A “wife” does not have sole “authority” “over her own body” to the exclusion of her husband. This is true because the mere fact that she is a “wife” means that she voluntarily, willingly, & lovingly surrenders the “authority” over her own body to her “husband.”

*That is one big reason why you need to consider marriage very seriously before you ‘tie the knot.’

Likewise, the “husband”, due to the mere fact that he has committed himself to his spouse through marriage, he thereby also voluntarily, willingly, & lovingly surrenders “authority” of “his own body” to his “wife.”

Paul’s argument assumes that sexual fulfillment(enjoyment/pleasure) is at stake as well as procreation. Thus the bodies of “husband” & “wife” are mutually for pleasure as well as for procreation.

No aspect of sex is to be entered without God’s perfect vision of & for it. If you cannot ‘invite God into the bedroom’ then the pleasure is based upon pure fleshly self-indulgence or self-centered desire. Our sexual pleasure is ultimately to be God-centered...Therefore it must be mutual. If it is one-sided then it is not mutually loving.

Procreation(making babies) is of particular concern for a wife in regard to how her body is to be uniquely employed in pregnancy as well as in nursing & nurturing. Pregnancy makes her physically vulnerable in ways in which a husband is not.

And many may not realize it, but pregnancy also makes the husband vulnerable. Thru childbirth he is not so vulnerable physically, but his responsibilities become elevated or magnified! The husband now has to consider himself not only as his wife’s main provider, but he now has the added responsibility of providing for their child also!

These are things to consider in marriage. Things which our society encourages us to marginalize & side-step.

“Wife”2X(See :2, 3, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16, 27, 29, 33, 39)—gunh—Noun Fem.—1) A woman of any age, whether a virgin, or married, or a widow; 2) a wife—2a) Of a betrothed woman. Strong—A woman; specially--A wife.

“Not”(See :10, 15; :1, 4, 5, 10—mh)—ou, ouk, OR--ouc—Particle—1) No, not; in direct questions expecting an affirmative answer. Strong—a primary word; the absolute negative [compare mh] adverb; No or not.

*“Authority Over”2X”—exousiazw—Verb—1) To have power or authority, use power—1a) To be master of any one, exercise authority over one, 1b) To be master of the body—1b1) To have full & entire authority over the body, 1b2) To hold the body subject to one's will; 1c) To be brought under the power of anyone. Strong—To control. Used 4X.?From—exousia—Privilege, i.e. subjectively--Force, capacity, competency, freedom; or objectively--Mastery; concretely--Magistrate, superhuman, potentate, token of control(wielding delegated influence).?*exousiazw is translated in 6:12 as--“Brought under...Power/Mastered/Brought under...Control.

“Her own”/“His own”—tou idiou——idiov—Adj.—1) Pertaining to one's self, one's own, belonging to one's self. Strong—Pertaining to self, i.e. One's own; by implication--Private or separate.

“Body”—swma—Noun Neuter—1) The body both of men or animals—1a) A dead body or corpse, 1b) The living body; 3) Is used of a (large or small)number of men closely united into one society, or family as it were; a social, ethical, mystical body; 4) That which casts a shadow as distinguished from the shadow itself. Strong—The body(as a sound whole), used in a very wide application, literally or figuratively.

“But”2X(See :7, 10)—alla—Conjunction—1) But—1a) Nevertheless, notwithstanding, 1b) An objection, 1c) An exception, 1d) A restriction, 1e) Nay, rather, yea, moreover, 1f) Forms a transition to the cardinal matter. Strong—neuter plural of allov[else, i.e. different]; properly--Other things, i.e. adverbially--Contrariwise(in many relations). RWP—Perhaps, "nevertheless," in spite of the difference just noted.