The Unmarried And Widows Series

December 7, 2012

Commentary on First Corinthians

By: Tom Lowe

Lesson 6.2: The Unmarried and Widows

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 7.8-16

1 Cor 7.8-16 (KJV)

8 I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.

9 But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.

10 And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband:

11 But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.

12 But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away.

13 And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.

14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.

15 But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.

16 For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?

Introduction

In this passage the apostle develops guidelines for three categories of individuals: the unmarried and widows (vss. 8–9), the married believers (vss. 10–11), and mixed marriages (vss. 12–16). Some of the topics covered are; celibacy, chastity, marriage, stoicism, and virgins.

Commentary

The Unmarried and Widows

8 I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.

I say therefore to the unmarried and widows,

Here Paul began his answer to the question of whether unmarried persons (widows and widowers, naturally included) should marry or not. He is not giving these Corinthian believers a command, but advice. By the "unmarried" he means, either those men who were never married, or those men who had been married, but their wives were dead; the latter meaning seems more agreeable, since they are mentioned along with "widows", which is a term that usually designates women who had lost their husbands; however, it is used here for those who were at that time unmarried, and his reasoning applies to both classes; unmarried women and widows, but chiefly to widows and widowers. No doubt, widows would have had cause to consider their situation a sad one, and therefore desire to have it changed. At the close of this chapter (vs. 7.25) Paul gives particular consideration to females who had never been married.

it is good for them if they abide

It is good for them to remain unmarried, because in the present circumstances of persecution and distress that existed against Christians, it would be better not to be encumbered with the cares and anxieties of a family. This is the advice the apostle gives later in his epistle, and it is very similar to what he said here: “I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be… But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord…But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife…There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband” (1 Cor 7:26, 32-34; KJV). His advice for them is to stay like they are; if they are not married, do not change! It is not that it was sinful to marry again, since he allows it in the next verse, in case they do not have the gift of continence (the ability to control their sexual desires); and therefore "good" here, is not opposed to evil; it only signifies that it would be better for them to remain single, since they would be more free from the cares of life, have less trouble, and have more time available to serve the Lord. And he knew this by experience, and therefore, he offers himself as an example; even as I.

even as I.

If they have the apostle’s self-control, it is well for them to remain unmarried, even as he. Not that the unmarried state is better, but on account of "the present distress"—“I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be (unmarried). There are times when it is best to remain unmarried; for instance, in a time of war. The grounds for his advice are not moral, but prudent.