Lessons #203 and 204
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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual delivery not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GW = God’s Word Translation, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New English Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+AMP = Amplified Bible, UBS = United Bible Society +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
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Guidelines for sexual relationship within marriage (1 Cor 7:3-7)
3 The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 The wife’s body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband’s body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. 5 Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 I say this as a concession, not as a command. 7 I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.
The primary guideline for sexual relationship within marriage is that it should be regular or frequent. This guideline was expounded both positively and negatively. Positively, each spouse was to meet the sexual obligation of marriage in a regular manner as in the verbal phrase of the NIV in verse 3 should fulfill his marital duty. Negatively, none of the spouses has the right to deny sexual relationship to the other as stated in the negative command of verse 5 Do not deprive each other. We emphasized that such a failure is a sin so that there is another sexual sin that married persons could commit, which is denial of sexual relationship to a spouse. We also noted that there is an exception to this command. This exception is for the spouses to be involved in spiritual exercises such as the study of the word of God and prayer. We answered the question as to the reason the exception is concerned with spiritual exercise in that we indicated that it is because if the spouses attend to their spiritual life then it makes their relationship with each other truly enjoyable including their sexual relationship with each other. We ended our study by stating that there is more to the negative guideline, and it is with this that we begin.
The exception to the negative guideline expressed in the command Do not deprive each other is to be short-lived as implied in the phrase of verse 5 of the NIV for a time. That not having sexual relationship between a husband and his wife is to be short-lived is further enhanced by the instruction that they should resume their regular sexual relationship with each other. It is resumption of regular sexual relationship with each other that is given in the clause of 1 Corinthians 7:5 Then come together again. Literally the Greek reads and again you should be at the same. The literal clause conveys in three ways the sense of continuation of the regular sexual relationship between the husband and the wife who have temporarily ceased such an activity. The conjunction “and” we used in the literal translation is translated from a Greek conjunction (kai) that here may be translated “and then” to indicate that the sentence that follows joins and continues the thought that regular sexual relationship should not be denied by either spouse. Another indication of resumption of the regular pattern of sexual relationship between the husband and the wife is the word again that is translated from a Greek adverb (palin) that may mean “again” as it pertains to repetition in the same or similar manner of something that one has already done. However, in our clause the meaning is “back” as it pertains to returning to the previous activity that one was involved. Thus, the word indicates that the Holy Spirit expects the husband and his wife to return to their regular sexual relationship with each other after a temporary cessation for proper spiritual exercises. Still another indication of continuation of an action is the use of a present tense in the Greek. The present tense usually conveys an ongoing action. Thus, its use in our sentence implies that the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul intends for us to recognize that following the exception of temporary cessation of sexual relationship, it should resume to the regular state from which the temporary cessation commenced.
Be that as it may, it is resumption of regular sexual relationship between a husband and his wife that haver temporarily suspended such an activity for spiritual exercises that is meant in the expression of 1 Corinthians 7:5 Then come together again or literally and again you should be at the same. The word “come” of the NIV or “be” in our literal translation is translated from a Greek verb (eimi) that has several meanings. For example, it may mean “to happen” or “to occur” as in the question of the disciples regarding the time of the occurrence of what Jesus had spoken about, as narrated in Matthew 24:3:
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
The word may mean “to share” as in Apostle Paul’s confidence that the Corinthians will share in his joy in 2 Corinthians 2:3:
I wrote as I did so that when I came I should not be distressed by those who ought to make me rejoice. I had confidence in all of you, that you would all share my joy.
The word may mean “to come” as in the prophetic words regarding the attitude of people in the last day about the teaching of the word of God in 2 Timothy 4:3:
For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
However, the word often may mean “to be” but when used with certain Greek phrase, as used in our passage, of 1 Corinthians 7:5, it may mean “to be in the same place” or “to be together.” It is in the sense of “to be together in one place” that our word is used to describe the assembly of the disciples prior to the outpouring of the Spirit as we read in Acts 2:1:
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.
It is in the sense of “to be in the same place” that our word is used in Acts 2:44:
All the believers were together and had everything in common.
It is in the sense of “to be together” that our word is used in 1 Corinthians 7:5 since the sentence is literally you should be at the same. The literal phrase at the same in our context suggests sexual intercourse that puts the husband and his wife at the same place. Hence, the expression of the NIV Then come together again concerns resumption of the sexual relationship between a husband and his wife that was suspended temporarily because of spiritual exercises. That sexual relationship is the concern of the expression is further evident in the reason the Holy Spirit gave for resuming regular sexual relationship between a husband and a wife that have mutually agreed to suspend such an activity because they wanted to spend time attending to necessary spiritual exercises.
The reason a husband and his wife should not deny each other regular sexual relationship or to resume regular sexual relation after a brief period of suspending such activity for spiritual exercises, is not to provide Satan the opportunity to tempt them to sexual sins. It is this reason that is given in the last clause of 1 Corinthians 7:5 so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. Satan or the devil as the adversary of believers is concerned with tempting believers to sin against God, no wonder that instead of using his name “Satan” or “devil” during his temptation of Jesus Christ, he is described as the “tempter” in Matthew 4:3:
The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
The tempter is the devil as we may gather from Luke’s account of the temptation of Jesus Christ as we read in Luke 4:2–3:
2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
It is true that Apostle Paul uses the word “Satan” in 1 Corinthians 7:6 to describe God’s enemy, but he also described him as “the tempter” in 1 Thessalonians 3:5:
For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter might have tempted you and our efforts might have been useless.
In any case, the concern of the Holy Spirit in instructing the Christian husband and wife not to withhold sexual relationship from each other is Satan’s desire to cause spiritual havoc by tempting them towards sexual immorality as in the clause of 1 Corinthians 7:5 so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control that we are considering. The word “tempt” is translated from a Greek verb (peirazō) that has several meanings. For example, it means to endeavor to entice a person to sin hence, means “to tempt.” It is in this sense the word is used regarding Satan’s attempt to cause Jesus to sin, as stated in the passage we cited previously, that is, Luke 4:2:
where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
James used it in this sense to indicate that God does not entice anyone to sin in James 1:13:
When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;
Another meaning of the Greek word is to try to learn the nature or character of someone or something by submitting such to thorough and extensive testing and so means “to test, to examine.” It is in this sense that the Greek word is used in connection with God putting Abraham to the test to determine the nature of his faith in Him. We are saying that despite what many teach that implies that faith is a simple matter of asserting “I believe”, the reality is that there is faith that is not biblical faith or what I call genuine faith. God tested Abraham to determine if he had the biblical faith that is necessary to please God. It is because there is such a thing as a faith that is not biblical that when James wrote about saving faith that he referred to this incident of God testing of Abraham in James 2:21–24:
21 Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 7:5, the word is used in the sense of “to entice to sexual sin” hence means “to tempt.”
It is important we recognize that the Holy Spirit knows us well and knows that some wives may read the clause so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control and say that the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul stated something that is not true of them. Because of this, it is important to recognize that the Greek recognized that there is the possibility that some individuals may not face temptation to sexual sin so that the Greek used the subjunctive mood for the Greek word translated “tempt.” Its use here recognizes the possibility of Satan tempting some to sexual sin. It does not mean that everyone would be tempted but that there are those who would be tempted. You may pat yourself at the back and say that you are one of those but let me caution you that Satan knows how to tempt us to sin. He could use your thought regarding this to tempt you to become arrogant as if by your power you are able to resist sexual sin or that you would not be tempted. Hence, even if you may not be tempted to sexual sin you should be careful that in reading the clause we are considering, that you do not fall into the sin of pride.
Truly, we should be careful to recognize that unless sexual relationship is not a concern for a person because of age or health condition that a person should not think the individual is incapable of sexual immorality. You may think you are immune from such temptation, but you should recognize that it is because Satan has not zeroed in on you or have shown no interest in tempting you in that area. For if he does, you would be shocked to discover that you are capable of sexual immorality since you still have the sinful nature. He could bring about a situation in your life where there is a man or a woman that is capable of being a strong temptation for you. I think that some of you may say that there is no truth to what I have said. If so, let me remind you that the great and spiritual David was tempted and did commit adultery despite his many wives. I am saying that because David had eight wives, you would think that if he wanted sex, he would seek it from one of them but that was not the case. Satan zeroed in on him seizing the opportunity that David was geographical out of God’s will, that is, he was in a place he was not supposed to be, when he was tempted. You may ask, how do you know that David was geographically out of God’s will? It is because the narrative of his temptation to commit adultery began with a sentence that is easy to overlook its importance. Thus, the narrative of the failure of David is introduced in 2 Samuel 11:1:
In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.
There are two clauses in this verse that form the basis of our assertion that David was geographically out of God’s will when the event of his adultery occurred. The first clause is at the time when kings go off to war. This clause implies that David ought to have been in the battlefield with his soldiers in order to be geographically in the will of God for him. This interpretation is supported by the second clause, But David remained in Jerusalem. Why tell us that David remained in Jerusalem? It is because he was expected to be in the battlefield, but he was not. The implication is that David was not under the control of the Holy Spirit when he saw Bathsheba taking bath. It is not difficult to speculate that Bathsheba was not the first woman David observed from his roof taking bath but being under the control of the Holy Spirit in those instances that meant nothing to him but this time he was not under the control of the Holy Spirit. Thus, he was unable to resist the temptation to sexual sin. Someone may wonder how this relates to my assertion that a person should not think he/she is incapable of sexual immorality. The connection is the matter of being controlled by the Holy Spirit. As we have noted, when a spouse withholds sexual relationship from the other spouse that is being out of God’s will, implying the person is not controlled by the Holy Spirit because the person did not obey the instruction that spouses should not deny sexual relationship with each other except as we have already noted. Therefore, if Satan zeroes in on such an individual, such a person would likely fall into sexual sin as David. Hence, we are saying that a believer should not think that he/she is incapable of sexual sin; for it is possible to succumb to it, depending on the spiritual condition of the individual when Satan attacks the person. You recognize that most marital infidelity is not something that those involved plan. In some cases, it involves an extended period of relationship between two individuals. Take for example, a woman may tell a male coworker of how her husband pays no attention to her or cares anything about her. The coworker may then start to show kindness or affection to the woman and before you know it one thing will lead to another and eventually into sexual sin. Of course, what I have said also applies to a man. The point is that it is not a good idea to disobey the command for spouses to maintain regular sexual relationship between them. Anyway, the truth we are considering is that failure by spouses not to obey the command that requires spouse not to deny each other sexual relationship exposes them to temptation as in the clause so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
The expression “lack of self-control” is translated from a Greek word (akrasia) that appears twice in the Greek NT. In its first appearance, it means “self-indulgence” in Matthew 23:25:
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
The other meaning is “lack of self-control” as it is used in our passage of 1 Corinthians 7:5. Thus, the point is that Satan knows when a believer deprived of sexual relationship by the spouse has the tendency to lack restrain in sexual matters. It is at that point that he would attack. However, it is important that believers should not give him the opportunity to tempt them in this area. Remember that we are instructed to be careful never to give Satan a foothold in our lives to try to derail our spiritual life, as in Ephesians 4:27:
and do not give the devil a foothold.
In any event, it is important for spouses to ensure they obey the instruction to maintain regular sexual relationship to ensure they do not give Satan any opportunity to use the possibility of lack of self-control in sexual matters to derail their spiritual life. Again, I must repeat that many sexual infidelities that occur among believers today may be traced to the failure of spouses to maintain a regular sexual relationship with each other. Of course, it is important that a believer should be careful not to fall into sexual sin because one’s spouse refuses to have sexual relationship. Although we can explain such a failure when it occurs but as far as God is concerned such failure is inexcusable. In effect, that a spouse commits adultery because of the other spouse’s failure to obey God’s instruction regarding sexual relationship in marriage would not exonerate the offender before God. The one guilty will still face God’s punishment for sexual sin. Anyway, let me recap the guideline we have considered for sexual relationship in marriage. It is that there should be regular sexual relationship between a husband and his wife except for attending to spiritual exercises of studying the word and prayer. Even then, the period of abstaining from such activity should be brief. As we have considered, this guideline requires that each spouse should obey the command not to deny each other such relationship. If you have a problem with this and you are not sick or so old that sexual relationship is no longer a viable activity in your marriage, I suggest that you should do a thorough examination of your soul. If you are the one denied such relationship by your spouse then you should reflect to see if there is something that you are doing that causes the other spouse to reject such relationship although that does not absolve the individual from being disobedient to God’s word. If, however, you are the one that refuses such relationship, you should examine your spiritual life carefully to ensure that you are not living in hatred of your spouse and not realize it. It is possible that such a person may be harboring resentment against the other spouse. In either case, there is a spiritual problem that must be addressed so that there is no disobedience to God’s word. Remember that if you live in disobedience that that would also affect your prayer life. I am saying that if you do not live in obedience to God’s word, do not expect Him to answer your prayer as that is clearly stated in the Scripture. Take, for example, what the psalmist stated in Psalm 66:18:
If I had cherished sin in my heart, the LORD would not have listened;
The Holy Spirit puts what we have stated positively through Apostle John in 1 John 3:22:
and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.
Notice what the apostle wrote because we obey his commands. Consequently, if you are married and there is no health problem and age-related issues then it is hard to see how you can say you obey God’s command as stated in our passage if you are not obeying the command not to deprive each other sexual relationship.
Our reference to obeying God’s command raises a problem that many misunderstand in that they imply that the instruction we have in 1 Corinthians 7:5 Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time is not a command. This in part is due to what the apostle wrote next in 1 Corinthians 7:6 I say this as a concession, not as a command. A casual or a careless reading of this sentence could lead to misunderstanding of what the apostle conveyed.
The problem of this verse is to determine what the apostle meant in the demonstrative pronoun this that is translated from a Greek word (houtos) that in general means “this” to designate the nearer of two things. It could be used to refer to something that has immediately preceded and so may be translated “this one.”
The question is to what does the demonstrative pronoun this refers? Interpreters have given five different answer to this question. A first answer is that it refers to verses 2 to 5. A justification for this is that the apostle used a third person form of the Greek imperatives used in verse 2 and 3 that the NIV rendered should have his own wife and should fulfill his marital duty respectively. The argument then is such imperatives (technically known as jussive imperatives) are permissive but this interpretation is not necessarily the case since the Greek Grammar of Wallace indicates that such usage should not be taken as permissive instead that the sense of such command is “he must.” Of course, there is then the problem that the command in verse 5 is in the usual form of command in the Greek. A second answer is that this refers to verse 2 that is concerned with either continuing with sex in marriage or to marry to avoid sexual immorality. A third interpretation is that this refers to the command in verse 5 Do not deprive each other regarding spouses depriving each other sexual relationship. A fourth interpretation is that this refers to what follows its usage. A fifth interpretation of this is that it refers to the clause of exception that ends verse 5.
Which of these interpretations does the demonstrative pronoun this refers? It is our interpretation that it is the fifth interpretation that the apostle had in mind. We are saying that in our passage, it is used in the sense of referring to something that preceded. Thus, the pronoun this refers to what the apostle said in 1 Corinthians 7:5 that is not a command and so refers to the added advice of agreement to defer sexual relationship for the purpose of devotion to spiritual matters. The apostle meant that his advice under the guidance of the Holy Spirit is not a command but one that is given as a concession. In effect, the advice of the apostle is to help those having problem with regular sexual relationship to resolve whatever conflict that might exist between regular sexual relationship and devotion to one’s spiritual life. We are saying that there is nothing else in the preceding verses that the apostle could have had in mind that he referred to as a concession. The advice on agreement of deferring sexual relationship is the only one that is not given in form of a command. The word “command” used in the sentence of verse 6 is translated from a Greek word (epitagē) that means “command, order, injunction” as an authoritative directive, as Apostle Paul used it to convey that he became an apostle of Jesus Christ by authoritative directive of God, that is, the Lord Jesus Christ, as he wrote in 1 Timothy 1:1:
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,
The word may mean “authority” in the sense of right to command as it is used by Apostle Paul in encouraging Titus to communicate God’s word forcefully in Titus 2:15:
These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.
The word is used in 1 Corinthians 7:6 in the sense of an order or authoritative injunction. Hence, it is what the demonstrative pronoun this refers that the apostle stated is not a command.
It is our assertion that it is the advice regarding agreement to defer sexual relationship between a husband and his wife in order to devote time to spiritual exercises of the study of God’s word and prayer that the apostle meant is not a command. There are at least four reasons for our interpretation. First, the pronoun this is in the singular and not in the plural that one would expect if the apostle was concerned with the primary guideline regarding sex in marriage he wrote. You see, there are two instructions the apostle gave as he addressed the matter of the sexual relationship between a husband and his wife. The first instruction is given in verse 3 The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife. The second related instruction is given in verse 5 Do not deprive each other. If the apostle meant that these two instructions are concessions, then he should have used the plural “these” instead of “this.” Furthermore, he would have also used the plural “concessions” instead of the singular “concession.” Second, the advice regarding agreement about deferring sexual relationship to pursue spiritual exercise is preceded with the word “except” which is the way the NIV translated a Greek phrase that may be translated “unless indeed” or “unless perhaps.” This meaning indicates that what followed the Greek phrase so translated is not a command but something that is a toleration of another thing; for after all, the word “concession” in 1 Corinthians 7:6 is translated from a Greek word (syngnōmē) that in classical Greek means “agreement,” “pardon” and “forbearance.” In the NT, the word may mean permission to do something, hence means “allowance, forbearance” or “concession.” Anyway, the Greek phrase translated “except” in the NIV implies that what follows is something that is not strictly required but permitted. Third, the advice concerning the agreement to defer sexual relationship because of spiritual exercise is the only statement of the apostle that requires an action that is not given using a command. Fulfilling of marital duty in verse 3 requires an action and it is given as a command in the Greek. Likewise, not depriving each other sexual relationship given in verse 5 requires an action and it is given as a command in the Greek. So, it makes sense that the only action required in verses 2 to 5 that does not contain a command should be the one that the apostle could say was a concession and not a command. Fourth, the apostle could not have considered any of the three instructions as concession because they are in effect rooted in the Scripture. The instruction to marry in verse 2 is rooted in God’s creation of man and woman. Furthermore, as we have noted previously, the instruction to fulfill marital rights and not to deprive each other sexual relationship are based on what is recorded in Exodus 21:10–11:
10 If he marries another woman, he must not deprive the first one of her food, clothing and marital rights. 11 If he does not provide her with these three things, she is to go free, without any payment of money.
There is no way the apostle could have considered what was already in the Scripture as a concession that he gave to a husband and a wife. As we have noted, sexual relationship between a husband and his wife is ordained by the Lord who instituted marriage. Hence, the actual sexual relationship between them is not optional and so could not be what the apostle meant. You see, a concession involves something optional and so could not be applied to what the Lord expects of married people.
In any case, the reasons we have given support our interpretation that when the apostle wrote the sentence of 1 Corinthians 7:6 I say this as a concession, not as a command he was referring not to the instructions regarding sexual relationship between a husband and his wife but to the agreement that is to be reached by both regarding temporary suspension of sexual relationship in order to carry out necessary spiritual exercises of the study of God’s word and prayer. Thus, no one should distort what the apostle wrote in the advice for agreement to defer sexual relationship between a husband and his wife temporarily as an excuse for not obeying the clear instructions regarding regular sexual relationship the Holy Spirit through the apostle clearly spelled out in verses 3 and 5.
Be that as it may, as the apostle finished his instructions or guidelines regarding sexual relationship within marriage, he gives his personal preference in this matter of sexual relationship and marriage in the first sentence of 1 Corinthians 7:7 I wish that all men were as I am. The word “wish” is translated from a Greek word (thelō) that may mean “to wish to have, desire, want,” that is, to have a desire for something as Apostle Paul used it to describe what he wanted Roman believers to do, as stated in Romans 16:19:
Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.
The word may mean to have something in mind for oneself and so means “to purpose, will, wish, decide.” It is with the meaning “to wish” that Apostle Paul used it in his question to the Galatians of desiring to be enslaved to what they had been freed from in Galatians 4:9:
But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?
The word may mean to take pleasure in something in view of its being desirable and so means “to enjoy, like, take pleasure in something” as Apostle Paul used it to describe false individuals in Colosse that took pleasure in false humility and in the worship of angels in Colossians 2:18:
Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions.
The word may mean “to have an opinion,” “to think something to be so,” that is, “to maintain” something that is contrary to the true state of affairs as it is used to describe false teachers whose opinion is described in 2 Peter 3:5:
But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water.
The clause they deliberately forget is literally in maintaining this it escapes them. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 7:7, the sense of the word is “to have desire for” something. The desire of the apostle is for all persons to be like himself as in the sentence I wish that all men were as I am
There is the question of how we should understand the phrase all men. Does the apostle mean all “males”, or does he mean every person? This is because the word “men” of the NIV is translated from a Greek word (anthrōpos) that may mean “a human being” without regard to gender, as Apostle Paul used it to describe the fate of evil doers in Romans 2:9:
There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile;
The word may mean a male person, that is, “a man” as Apostle Paul used it in his quotation from the second chapter of Genesis in Ephesians 5:31:
“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”
The word may mean “person” as that is the way the word is used when the concern is to be inclusive of men and women as in the doctrine of justification by faith the apostle stated in Galatians 2:16:
know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.
Justification is for both men and women so that the phrase a man is to be understood as “a person,” hence the NRSV simply used the phrase a person. In case of the passage we are considering, the word refers to men and women so that it has the meaning of “person” in 1 Corinthians 7:7. It is probably because of this meaning that some English versions avoided the use of the word “men.” For example, the NET and many other English versions used the word “everyone” and the NRSV used the word “all.” The CEB used the word “people” in their translation. By the way, the 2011 edition of the NIV adopted this meaning in that instead of the phrase all men of the 1984 edition they used the phrase “all of you.”
Anyway, the apostle states I wish that all men were as I am. What does he desire? An interpreter indicates that the apostle desired for others to have self-control as he has. This makes sense but unlikely since the sentence I am is concerned with a state. Therefore, the apostle’s wish is that all persons should be in single status as he was. Of course, there have been speculations as to how the apostle came to be single. Some indicate that as a former rabbi he must have been married and so it is likely that he was widowed. Others think that the wife left him once he got converted. Although it would make more sense based on the apostle’s understanding of marriage that he would have been widowed instead of separating from the wife, but we cannot be certain of how the apostle came to be single.
In any case, this desire of the apostle for others to be single like himself should be carefully understood since it has caused some problem for some regarding the status of those who serve as pastors. There is nothing wrong with pastors being married. In fact, the apostle recognized that he had the right to do so as Apostle Peter, despite the denial of some that Peter was not married, according to 1 Corinthians 9:5:
Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas?
Apostle Paul’s desire is not that all pastors should be single as the Roman Catholic Church teaches. No, the apostle’s desire is because of the political climate of things at the time he wrote this, as he referenced later in 1 Corinthians 7:26:
Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for you to remain as you are.
It is not only that the apostle recognized that his desire should not be the norm for everyone, but he also recognized that being single for the purpose of the ministry is a gift from God. It is this that he recognized in the second clause of 1 Corinthians 7:7 But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. The apostle is not speaking of spiritual gifts in general that each believer has but something specific in our passage. We say this because the word “gift” is translated from a Greek word (charisma) that may mean that which is freely and graciously given hence “favor bestowed, gift.” It is the word used to describe eternal life that God graciously gives in Romans 6:23:
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Our Greek word is used to describe the special gift God gives that is necessary for carrying out special tasks as mediated to Timothy by the laying hands of the elders, presumably during his ordination, as stated in 1 Timothy 4:14:
Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.
It is used to describe the special gift bestowed on believers that enable them to serve in the church of Christ in 1 Peter 4:10:
Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.
It is in the sense of special gift or grace or of the power to be continent (or exercise restrain) in sexual matters that the word is used in our passage of 1 Corinthians 7:7.
We indicated that the gift apostle had in mind refers to the issue of sexual matters or being single because of the last clause of 1 Corinthians 7:7 one has this gift, another has that. A literal translation of the Greek reads the one in this way, the other in that way. Using the literal translation suggests that the clause one has this gift of the NIV would refer to more relative gift of the singleness that carries with it the power to be continent in sexual matters or absence of sexual relationship that the apostle stated he was in and the clause another has that refers to the more distant gift of enjoyment of sexual relationship associated with being married the apostle stated in the previous verses. There is a sense that the apostle conveys the same truth our Lord stated regarding singleness for the sake of the kingdom of God in Matthew 19:11–12:
11 Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. 12 For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”
Anyway, we have examined in detail the guidelines regarding sexual relationship in marriage. An implication of what we have studied is that the bedroom in marriage where there is no health problem or age-related issues is a spiritual thermometer that tells of the state of your marriage. In other words, if you are not carrying out the instructions we have considered, something is wrong in your spiritual life. So, if you fall short in this department, you should repent of it and seek God’s power to enable you fulfill what we have studied.