(Chap. 6:12—7:40)
Since some at Corinth in their unconverted days had lived according to the corrupt and wicked lifestyle mentioned in verses 9-10, they were in danger of lapsing into their old habits and sins. This leads the Apostle to engage in a long dissertation on the subject of Christian liberty in relation to holiness and testimony. This will be his theme from chapter 6:12 to chapter 11:1. Several things needed to be addressed in this large topic. He takes them up under two headings—morality (chap. 6:12–7:40), and idolatry (chap. 8:1–11:1).
Paul first addresses the subject of morality in relation to our bodies (chap. 6:13–20); then in relation to our marriage partner (chap. 7) before passing on to deal with idolatry in chapters 8-10. He uses his own life as an example of how Christians are to behave in connection with liberty, except in marriage.
The saints at Corinth had totally misunderstood the whole subject of Christian liberty. They thought that it meant that they could indulge in things, be it moral or spiritual, for which Christ suffered and died to bring them out of. Many were using their so-called Christian liberty to live as they pleased. This had an effect on the others in the assembly, so that the assembly as a whole was in a deplorably low state. The Apostle, therefore, takes up the subject with them in the light of the Lordship of Christ. Paul’s teaching on Christian liberty is much needed today, for the Church at large is in a similar state as the Corinthians. Christian liberty is equally misunderstood and misused in our day.
Simply put, Christian liberty is not liberty for the flesh. Thus, liberty is not licence. True Christian liberty is liberty for the Spirit who dwells in every believer to act—leading him to live not for self, but for Christ.
Two Governing Principles
Vs. 12—The underlying motive in the actions of the natural man is self-gratification. Everything he does with his body is done to that end, though the motive may be hidden at times. For the Christian, this ought not to be so. The Apostle proceeds to give the Corinthians two great principles that are to govern the actions of every Christian.
He says, “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient [profitable].” This is the first thing that should govern our Christian liberty. Having been saved and brought under the Lordship of Christ, our liberty must be regulated by whether the thing which we allow is spiritually profitable or not. (When the Apostle speaks of “all things” being lawful, he is referring to all things that are morally right. Sin, of course, is not lawful for a Christian at any time.) The point he is making here is that even though certain things may be morally right (lawful), they may not be profitable for a Christian, as far as his spiritual health and testimony are concerned.
Then, secondly, he says, “All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” This is another great principle that should regulate our liberty. If the thing that we allow has power over us, in the sense that it is captivating and enslaving, then it’s something that we shouldn’t be doing. We should not allow anything in our lives that will dominate and control us apart from the Lordship of Christ. These two underlying principles are to supervene (interpret) the course of all our actions as Christians.
This long section on the use and misuse of Christian liberty begins and ends with the Apostle citing these same two underlying principles (chap. 6:12; 10:23). They act as bookends to his treatise on the subject.
Christian Liberty in Relation to Our Own Bodies
(Chap. 6:13-20)
Vs. 13—In taking up this subject of liberty in relation to our bodies, Paul focuses on the two greatest appetites of the body—food and sex. These things are not wrong in their place, but if they are indulged in outside and beyond God-given limitations, it is sin. He shows that there is a danger of a person using those right things in a wrong way, and consequently, coming under the power of them.
He speaks first of food. It’s possible to come under the power of “meats” (food) in self-indulgence and become a glutton. Then he goes on to speak of fornication (illicit sex), giving four reasons why the Christian cannot be engaged in such a thing.
Four Reasons Why We Don’t Give Our Bodies Over to the Gratification of the Flesh
1) Our bodies are destined for honour and glory when we reign with Christ in His kingdom. “God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by His own power” for that purpose (vs. 14). Having such a high and holy purpose for our bodies, we cannot rightly “make them members of a harlot” (vs. 15). By being “joined to the Lord” by “one Spirit,” we are members of His body; we simply cannot use them for such an unholy purpose. It is completely opposed to the very thing that we have been brought into as members of His body (vss. 16-17).
2) The person who engages in immorality sins “against his own body” (vs. 18). He opens a “wound” that never properly heals (Prov. 6:27-28, 3327Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? 28Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? (Proverbs 6:27‑28)
33A wound and dishonor shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away. (Proverbs 6:33)), and as a result, he becomes susceptible to falling back into that sin thereafter. It also brings the governmental judgment of God into our lives (2 Sam. 12:10-1210Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. 11Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbor, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. 12For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. (2 Samuel 12:10‑12)).
3) Our bodies are “the temple of the Holy Spirit,” and we cannot link the Spirit—who is a divine Guest dwelling in us—with sin (vs. 19). The Spirit will be grieved, and He will not have liberty to work in our lives for blessing (Eph. 4:3030And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. (Ephesians 4:30)).
4) We have been “bought with a price,” and our bodies no longer belong to us (vs. 20). They belong to the Lord and are for Him to use as He pleases. Therefore, we are not at liberty to do what we want with our bodies; they have been purchased for another purpose—to glorify God. The great motivation that brings the Christian to recognize this, and surrender his body for the use of glorifying Christ, is the “price” that He paid—His atoning sufferings. How could a truehearted Christian carry on with sins in his life that cost the Lord the agonies of Calvary? How could we take pleasure in something that cost Him suffering? It was love that led Him to give Himself for us (Gal. 1:4; 2:204Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: (Galatians 1:4)
20I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20); Eph. 5:2525Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; (Ephesians 5:25); 1 Tim. 2:66Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. (1 Timothy 2:6); Titus 2:1414Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. (Titus 2:14)). The normal response from us, therefore, should be willingness to yield ourselves (our bodies) to Him for the furthering of His glory, and thus, live a holy life for Him. Throughout this passage Paul has shown that the Christian’s body is not to be used for GRATIFICATION but for the GLORIFICATION of God.
Christian Liberty in Relation to Marriage
(Chap. 7:1-40)
The subjects touched on from chapters 7–11 are the Apostle’s response to questions the Corinthians had written to him about their concerns. In chapter 7, he continues the subject of liberty, speaking of it in a slightly broader sphere—marriage.
The Lawfulness of Marriage & Its Duties
Vss. 1-9—The Apostle speaks, first of all, of the lawfulness of marriage and its duties. He speaks of God’s legitimate way to avoid the temptation of fornication—being married, whereby the natural appetites of the body can be fulfilled lawfully. He says, “Let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband” (vs. 2). Note, it is written in the singular, because polygamy is not God’s ideal. He designed marriage in the beginning to be for one man and one woman (Mark 10:6-86But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. 7For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; 8And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. (Mark 10:6‑8)). Polygamists can be in fellowship at the Lord’s table when they are converted, but they were not to be in a place of handling the administrative affairs of the assembly (1 Tim. 3:22A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach; (1 Timothy 3:2)). This statement of the Apostle debunks the Catholic idea of celibacy (1 Tim. 4:33Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. (1 Timothy 4:3)). Paul insists that “every” man and woman in Christianity has the liberty to be married—even those who minister the Word (1 Cor. 9:55Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas? (1 Corinthians 9:5)).
In verses 3-5, he goes on to spell out some of the responsibilities in marriage. Spouses are not to sexually “defraud [deprive]” one another of their bodies, because there is a real danger of Satan tempting them in their incontinency (lack of self-control) in immorality outside the marriage. The one exception is for a special exercise of prayer, and that only for a specified time.
In verses 6-9, Paul is careful to show that he is not commanding the saints to marry in the foregoing verses, but rather counselling them. They have that liberty, but some may, as Paul, have a “gift of God” to forgo marriage to serve the Lord without distraction. However, if one cannot “contain” [“control”] himself, he should marry, for it is better to marry than to “burn” with lust.
Troubled Marriages
In verses 10–24, Paul gives his comments for troubled marriages. He considers two scenarios. The first is a Christian marriage where both husband and wife are saved (vss. 10-11). If the wife should depart for some reason, she is to remain separated from him and not to remarry. Similarly, the husband is not to divorce his wife if she departs. The reason for this is that there may be an opportunity at a later time to be “reconciled.” If one or both went ahead and re-married, it would make this impossible. This was an apostolic “command” from the Lord.
In the second scenario Paul was not giving an apostolic command from the Lord, but his apostolic advice. It has to do with a marriage of unbelievers, where one partner gets saved. Thus, there results a mixed marriage—one partner is saved and the other is not (vss. 12-24). He is not referring to a Christian who has disobeyed Scripture and has gone and married an unbeliever. It is rather, a situation that was prevalent in places where the gospel was new—where the grace of God penetrates a home where both husband and wife are lost, and one gets saved. There is mercy in such cases, as the Apostle goes on to explain.
He shows that the unbelieving partner is in a place of outward favor in Christianity. “The unbelieving husband is sanctified by the (believing) wife” (vs. 14). In Old Testament times, if a Jew married a heathen, he (or she) profaned himself (Ezra 9:1-51Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. 2For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass. 3And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied. 4Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried away; and I sat astonied until the evening sacrifice. 5And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the Lord my God, (Ezra 9:1‑5); Neh. 13:23-2823In those days also saw I Jews that had married wives of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab: 24And their children spake half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews' language, but according to the language of each people. 25And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves. 26Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin. 27Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to transgress against our God in marrying strange wives? 28And one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was son in law to Sanballat the Horonite: therefore I chased him from me. (Nehemiah 13:23‑28)). In Christianity, it is the other way around; if the grace of God has worked in a home and one gets saved, the unbelieving partner is sanctified by his or her connection with their believing partner. Even though he is sanctified, he is still an unbeliever! This may sound strange, but it is an “external” or “relative” sanctification only.
In such mixed marriages, if there is wilful desertion on the part of the unbeliever, the believer is free to remarry. Note: the Apostle gives no liberty for the believing partner to depart and remarry (vss. 15-16). Hence, Scripture allows for re-marriage under three conditions:
Since the tendency of the human heart is to want change, in verses 17-24, the Apostle passes on to speak of the call of God coming to persons in various stations of life. The general principle is to remain in the calling wherein the person is called. However, if a person could free himself from menial servitude, he was to “use” (not abuse) that freedom to serve the Lord (vs. 21).
Apostolic Advice for the Unmarried
In verses 25-40, Paul gives his “opinion” to the unmarried, whether male or female. (The word “virgin” is used for either.) His general advice is that if one truly has the service of the Lord before him and has received a “gift” from God to live free of lust in his unmarried state, he should remain single. He gives three reasons for remaining single:
Firstly, due to the hostile condition of the world toward the Christian faith, there was the very real possibility of martyrdom. There was “the present distress” of Roman persecution. With extenuating circumstances of having a wife and family, one’s responsibilities to them were greater. There is the worry for their safety, etc. and the very real possibility of widowhood and orphaned children. Hence, Paul judges that if a person could receive it, it would be good for a Christian to remain single (vss. 25-26).
Secondly, there is “trouble in the flesh” in marriage (vss. 27-28). It’s not that marriage isn’t rewarding, but difficulties come with it. Problems on account of having the fallen human nature (the flesh) are multiplied in marriage. It is hard enough for one person, who has the indwelling sin-nature, to keep the flesh in the place of death, let alone living with another person who has the flesh too. When two people become one, there are two wills, and two personalities with distinct likes and dislikes, etc. Living together requires grace. By remaining single, a person can be “spared” from such difficulties.
Thirdly, there are preoccupations in marriage (vss. 29-35). The Christian is to live in view of the fact that “the time is short,” for we expect the Lord to come at any moment. This world will soon pass away. Therefore, everything is to be prioritized toward devotion to the will of God. However, in marriage there are responsibilities in maintaining a happy relationship and family life. The joys and sorrows, and the possessions of life that go with it, have a way of pressing into our time. The married person is forced to use the temporal things of this world (but “as not abusing” them) in a way in which to “please his wife,” whereas a single person does not need to involve himself in such things, and therefore, will be freer from earthly ties to serve the Lord. He gives an example in verses 32-34. The single person has more time to “attend upon the Lord without distraction.”
Vss. 36-38—However, if one has difficulty controlling his sexual desires that he (or she) should give their virginity in marriage, for it is better to “marry than to burn” with lust (vs. 9). A person shouldn’t feel guilty in doing so—he has done “well.” But the Christian, who has “power over his own will,” having a “gift” from God for it, does even “better” by remaining single.
Vss. 39-40—As far as re-marriage is concerned, the Apostle gives one word of advice. The divorced or widowed are at liberty to marry whom they think best, but they should marry “in the Lord.” This is something higher in principle than marrying “in Christ.” “In Christ,” as we have noted earlier in the epistle, is the position of every Christian before God in the acceptance of Christ. It does not take into consideration the believer’s state. Therefore, to marry “in Christ” would be to marry another Christian, without considering their personal state or interest in the things of the Lord. However, Paul does not tell them to marry “in Christ,” but rather to marry “in the Lord.” This is a higher thing in which both persons in the marriage recognize the Lordship of Christ practically in their lives. Hence, a Christian marriage should be a union where both persons in the relationship own the Lordship of Christ.