MAINTAINING GOD’s INTENT For MARRIAGE(& Singleness)-VI—1Corinthians 7:1-9
(Making Marriage(& singleness) Worthy of its Creator)
You will notice that I have added a qualification to the focus of marriage to include singleness. That is because the apostle Pauls’ discussion includes the related subject of singleness. Singleness & marriage are two sides-of-the-coin of relationship under consideration for God’s people.
Attention:
If we are careful to nurture God’s Intent in our marriages, then they will NOT end up ‘on the skids’ as do worldly 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. His AUTHORITY(:4)
5. His COMMITMENT(:5-6)
6—Maintaining God’s intent for marriage(& singleness) demands a concentration upon...His GIFTEDNESS(:7)
Explanation:(:7)Ability/Capacity/Proficiency/Competence
:7—“For I wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner & another in that.”
Paul would rather see all people in the same state as he himself was. That is Paul experienced no [sexual]temptation from being separated sexually from a woman.
“This clearly means that Paul was not then married & it is confirmed by 9:5. Whether he had been married & was now a widower turns on the interpretation of Ac 26:10 "I cast my vote." If this is taken literally(the obvious way to take it) as a member of the Sanhedrin, Paul was married at that time. There is no way to decide.”—RWP
However, Paul knew that his celibacy was a gift from God & he also knew that all men did not have that gift(of celibacy).
“Celibacy” “is a gift that He[God] does not give to every believer.” “It is wrong to misuse a gift that we have”, likewise it is “wrong to try to use a gift we do not have.”—MNTC
*Thus neither marriage nor singleness is superior to the other, but rather, it is the determination of the Holy Spirit that is superior.
“Remaining unmarried is desirable, but it isn’t demanded.”—Davon Huss in ‘I've Got To Get Married!’ @ SermonCentral.com
“one man has the gift of continency[self-restraint], another the gift of marriage; all cannot contain themselves, only to whom it is given: & all are not disposed to marriage; some are inclined to a single life, & some to a marriage state; & of those that are married, some can abstain from the use of the marriage bed longer than others, without being in danger of being tempted by Satan for their incontinency;...”—John Gill
“And therefore Paul did not bind every man to marry, though every man had an allowance. No, he could wish all men were as himself(1Co 7:7), that is, single, & capable of living continently in that state. There were several conveniences in it, which at that season, if not at others, made it more eligible in itself.”.....“But it did not answer the intentions of divine Providence”...“for all men to have as much command of this appetite as Paul had. It was a gift vouchsafed to such persons as Infinite Wisdom thought proper”—Matthew Henry
“one in this manner, & another in that”—Lit.=‘One so & another so.’
*Seeing celibacy as ‘a gift of the Spirit’ implies that “celibate existence is not a matter of personal preference, nor is it a meritorious feat of self-mastery for which [a person] can take credit.” Paul does not want either party in the [marriage] to be “trapped in a vow that goes against their nature & that they cannot fulfill.”—BECNT
1Cor. 12:4-11—“There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.”
“For/Yet”—“For”—gar—Conjunction—1) For. Strong—a primary particle; properly--Assigning a reason(used in argument, explanation or intensification; often with other particles).
“Wish”—“Wish/Would”—yelw—Verb—1) To will, have in mind, intend—1a) To be resolved or determined, to purpose, 1b) To desire, to wish, 1c) To love—1c1) To like to do a thing, be fond of doing, 1d) To take delight in, have pleasure. Yelw denotes the active resolution, the will urging on to action. Strong—apparently strengthened from the alternate form of aireomai[To take to oneself or prefer]; To determine(as an active option from subjective impulse; whereas boulomai properly denotes rather a passive acquiescence in objective considerations), i.e. Choose or prefer(literally or figuratively); by implication--To wish, i.e. Be inclined to(sometimes adverbially, gladly); impersonally for the future tense--To be about to; by Hebraism--To delight in.
“All”—pav—Adj.—1) individually—1a) Each, every, any, all, the whole, everyone, all things, everything; 2) collectively—2a) Some of all types. Strong—apparently a primary word; All, any, every, the whole.
“Men”(See :1)—anyrwpov—Noun Masc.—1) A human being, whether male or female—1a) generically--To include all human individuals, 1b) To distinguish man from beings of a different order—1b1) Of animals & plants, 1b2) Of from God & Christ, 1b3) Of the angels, 1c) With the added notion of weakness, by which man is led into a mistake or prompted to sin, 1d) With the adjunct notion of contempt or disdainful pity, 1e) With reference to two fold nature of man, body & soul, 1f) With reference to the two fold nature of man, the corrupt & the truly Christian man, conformed to the nature of God, 1g) With reference to sex, a male; 2) indefinitely--Someone, a man, one; 3) in the plural--People; 4) Joined with other words, merchantman. Strong—Man-faced, i.e. A human being.?From—anhr—a primary word; A man(properly as an individual male).—&—wq(the countenance; from optanomai[to gaze (i.e. with wide-open eyes, as at something remarkable]).
“Even”(See :3—“Also”)—kai—Conjunction—1) And, also, even, indeed, but. Strong—apparently, a primary particle, having a copulative & sometimes also a cumulative force; And, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection(or composition) with other particles or small words.
“As”—wv—Adverb—1) As, like, even as, etc. Strong—probably adverb of comparative from ov, h, o; Which how, i.e. In that manner(very variously used).
“I Myself/I”—emautou—Pronoun—1) I, me, myself etc.. Strong—genitive case compound of emou & autov; Of myself(so likewise the dative case emautw; & accusative case emauton).
“But/However”(See :4, 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.
“Each”(See :2)—ekastov—Adj.—1) Each, every. Strong—as if a superlative of ekav(afar); Each or every.
“One/Man”2X—ov, feminine--h , neuter--o—Pronoun—1) Who, which, what, that. Strong—the relative (sometimes demonstrative)pronoun--Who, which, what, that.
“Has”(See :7—“Has”)—ecw OR-- scew—Verb—1) To have, i.e. To hold—1a) To have(hold) in the hand, in the sense of wearing, to have(hold) possession of the mind (refers to alarm, agitating emotions, etc.), to hold fast keep, to have or comprise or involve, to regard or consider or hold as; 2) To have i.e. Own, possess—2a) External things such as pertain to property or riches or furniture or utensils or goods or food etc., 2b) Used of those joined to any one by the bonds of natural blood or marriage or friendship or duty or law etc, of attendance or companionship; 3) To hold one's self or find one's self so & so, to be in such or such a condition; 4) To hold one's self to a thing, to lay hold of a thing, to adhere or cling to—4a) To be closely joined to a person or a thing. Strong—including an alternate form scew; (used in certain tenses only); a primary verb; To hold(used in very various applications, literally or figuratively, direct or remote; such as possessions; ability, continuity, relation, or condition).
“Own”(See :2)—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.
“Gift”—carisma—Noun Neuter—1) A favor with which one receives without any merit of his own; 2) The gift of divine grace; 3) The gift of faith, knowledge, holiness, virtue; 4) The economy of divine grace, by which the pardon of sin & eternal salvation is appointed to sinners in consideration of the merits of Christ laid hold of by faith; 5) Grace or gifts denoting extraordinary powers, distinguishing certain Christians & enabling them to serve the church of Christ, the reception of which is due to the power of divine grace operating on their souls by the Holy Spirit. Strong—A(divine) gratuity, i.e. Deliverance(from danger or passion); specifically--A (spiritual)endowment, i.e. subjectively--Religious qualification, or objectively--Miraculous faculty. RWP—It is used here by Peter as one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit(1Co 12:4,9,29-31; Ro 12:6). Used 17X.?From—carizomai—Verb—1) To do something pleasant or agreeable(to one), to do a favor to, gratify. Strong—To grant as a favor, i.e. gratuitously, in kindness, pardon or rescue.
“In This Manner/After This Manner/So”2X—outw or (before a vowel)outwv—Adverb—1) In this manner, thus, so. Strong—In this way(referring to what precedes or follows).
“Another”—ov, h , o—Pronoun—1) Who, which, what, that. Strong—the relative (sometimes demonstrative)pronoun--Who, which, what, that.
Argumentation:
Mat. 19:3-12—“The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, & saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?” And He answered & said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male & female,’ “& said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father & mother & be joined to his wife, & the two shall become one flesh’? “So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, & to put her away?” He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, & marries another, commits adultery; & whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.” His disciples said to Him, “If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” But He said to them, “All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given: “For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother’s womb, & there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, & there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it.”
1Tim. 3:6—[regarding an overseer, pastor, or bishop]—“not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil.”
A man who is “puffed up with pride” will bring that sin of pride into his overseeing/pastoring/bishop-ing, so that it becomes micro-management. Under such pride-filled overseeing, those within the local church who are entrusted with certain ministries, are arrogantly ‘forced’ into difficult action, rather than being allowed to freely heed the Holy Spirit’s desire for the specific employment of their giftedness.
Why do we do, what we do, when we do it?...Because the Holy Spirit specifically gifts, specific people, for specific ministries, in His specific time. Do not force the hand of God! When anything is done in God’s power it will give God glory & not others.
Mat. 25:14-30—“For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants & delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, & to another one, to each according to his own ability; & immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went & traded with them, & made another five talents. And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went & dug in the ground, & hid his lord’s money. After a long time the lord of those servants came & settled accounts with them. So he who had received five talents came & brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ “His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good & faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ “He also who had received two talents came & said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ “His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good & faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ “Then he who had received the one talent came & said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, & gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, & went & hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’[displaying both a lack of trust & surrender] “But his lord answered & said to him, ‘You wicked & lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, & gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, & at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. Therefore take the talent from him, & give it to him who has ten talents. For to everyone who has, more will be given, & he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping & gnashing of teeth.’”
2Cor. 1:20-22—“For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, & in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. Now He who establishes us with you in Christ & has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us & given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”
Col. 4:15-18—“Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea, & Nymphas & the church that is in his house. Now when this epistle is read among you, see that it is read also in the church of the Laodiceans, & that you likewise read the epistle from Laodicea. And say to Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.” This salutation by my own hand--Paul. Remember my chains. Grace be with you. Amen.
1Pet. 4:10, 11—“As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory & the dominion forever & ever. Amen.”
Illustration:—Ability/Capacity/Proficiency/Competence—
Can You See Me?—A counselor who helps coordinate support groups for visually-impaired adults knew that many participants have a condition known as macular degeneration, which makes it difficult for them to distinguish facial features.
The counselor had just been assigned to a new group & was introducing himself.
Knowing that many in the group would not be able to see the details of his facial features, he jokingly said, “For those of you who can't see me, I've been told that I look like a cross between Paul Newman & Robert Redford.”
Immediately, one woman called out, “We're not THAT blind!”/His GIFTEDNESS
Application:
?Is the focal point of your Marriage(or Singleness) upon God’s GIFTEDNESS?
?Does your Marriage(or Singleness) Maintain God’s Intent?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
Maintaining God’s intent for marriage(& singleness) demands a concentration upon...
6. His GIFTEDNESS(:7)
1. His DIRECTIVES(:1)
2. His LIMITATION(:2)
3. His AFFECTION(:3)
4. His AUTHORITY(:4)
5. His COMMITMENT/Attention(:5-6)
Pt# 6 only! presented 06/23/2019am to:
FBC C’belle
206 Storrs Ave. SW(SE Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
