Lessons #231 and 232
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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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Apostle’s reasons for singleness (1 Cor 7:29-35)
29 What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; 30 those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; 31 those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away. 32 I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord. 33 But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— 34 and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. 35 I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.
This section of 1 Corinthians 7:29-35 is still concerned with the matter of marriage the apostle dealt with in preceding sections. The apostle had indicated that a person’s marital status should not be of great concern to affect a person’s spiritual life. He gave a situational advice regarding not changing one’s marital state because of the situation believers in Corinth faced at the time of this epistle. He, of course, indicated that what he gave was situational advice or instruction since he indicated that anyone who goes against this advice to marry has not sinned. However, the Holy Spirit directed the apostle to elaborate on the matter of singleness in a general way so that believers would understand that although the apostle was not commanding everyone not to marry as that would be contrary to the Scripture but he gives benefits of singleness that applies not only in a crisis situation but in general life of believers on this planet.
The message the apostle conveyed to the Corinthians as the original recipient of the epistle in this section of 1 Corinthians 7:29-35 is that Singleness is preferred because of the shortness of time and its effect on devotion to the Lord. The apostle gave two reasons to the Corinthians for this message, which is first, the shortness of time that he described in verses 29 to 31 and second, that a person’s marital status affects the individual’s devotion to the Lord given in verses 32 to 34. We are not the Corinthians since we live at a different period of human history and so we do not necessarily face the same political climate they faced. Nonetheless, we need to apply this message to us who live at the present time regardless of whatever the situation we may find ourselves. I mean that it does not matter whether a person is living in a troubling time or is facing persecution or any other situation that makes the believer’s life uncomfortable, the message we derive will still apply. Thus, the message we believe the Holy Spirit wants us to communicate to you as a believer is that You should not allow anything of this life to affect your devotion to the Lord since the world is slowly dying. We should emphasize that the focus of our message is believer’s devotion to the Lord. There is nothing more urgent or demanding on us as believers than that of our devotion or commitment to our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, we would expound this message to involve responsibilities we have as believers regarding our devotion to the Lord.
It is our assertion that we will expound the message of this section by considering your responsibilities as a believer contained in it, but before we get to that, there is the question of the relationship between verse 29 and what preceded it. This is because the statement of the NIV What I mean is literally from the Greek but this I say as reflected in the NASB and the NLT. There are two concerns related to the Greek literal phrase. The first is how to interpret a Greek conjunction (de) rendered “but” in the literal translation. In effect, the problem is to determine the relationship between the present verse and the preceding section. The second is how to understand the demonstrative pronoun this.
Some take the view that there is no connection between the present verse and the preceding section primarily because of the word “brothers” used in verse 29, arguing that the apostle uses such word in this epistle when he changes from one topic to another or that he uses it when he begins a new paragraph. Others take the view that there is a connection between verse 29 and what preceded it. The question of the relationship between the present verse and the preceding section hinges in part on the conjunction “but.”
There are three possible interpretations of the Greek conjunction that literal translates “but.” A first interpretation is that it is used to convey that verse 29 is connected with the previous section and deals with related subject matter; in which case, it may be translated “and” as reflected in the NET that begins the verse with the conjunction “and.” However, in some situations, the conjunction may be left untranslated. This seems to be the interpretation reflected in majority of our English versions since they did not explicitly translate the Greek conjunction, probably on the assumption verse 29 introduces a new topic or begins a new paragraph and so not related to what preceded it. A second interpretation is to take the conjunction as a marker of contrast between clauses so that it may be translated “but” although sometimes it is difficult to discern the contrast. As we indicated previously, that is the translation adopted by the translators of the NASB and the NLT. The implication of this interpretation is that verse 29 is contrasted with the preceding verses. A third interpretation is to consider the conjunction as a marker of explanation so that it may be translated “that is.” Of course, it is possible to leave it untranslated. The implication of this third interpretation is that verse 29 provides an explanation to what was said in preceding verses. Which of these interpretations that the apostle had in mind? It is the interpretation that indicates verse 29 is an explanation of what preceded it. It is difficult to see the contrast between verse 29 and what preceded it and so we do not believe it is what the apostle had in mind. The first interpretation that in effect shows a continuity between verse 29 and what preceded is not quite communicative in that it does not tell us the connection between verse 29 and what preceded it. Therefore, it makes sense that the apostle had in mind that verse 29 is intended to explain what he wrote in the preceding section, especially the last half of verse 28 that provided the primary reason for the situational advice not to marry in a time of crisis. The implication is that there is a connection between verse 29 and what preceded it. This interpretation of the Greek conjunction being used for explanation is further supported by the word “mean” used in the NIV that we will get to at the appropriate time.
A second concern in the literal translation of verse 29 But this I say rendered in the NIV as What I mean, as we stated previously, is how to interpret the demonstrative pronoun this in the literal translation. The demonstrative pronoun “this” is translated from a Greek word (houtos) that here could be interpreted in one of two ways. It could refer to what the apostle stated in verse 28 that provided the reason for the situational advice against marriage in time of crisis or it could refer to what the apostle is about to state that follows. This may be a case where both interpretations are applicable. In effect, the apostle was focusing on what he was about to say but his mind went back to what he said previously so that what he was about to state gives an explanation to what he previously stated in the preceding verse.
The additional support for indicating that what the apostle states in verse 29 is concerned with explanation of what preceded is the sentence of the NIV I mean or literally I say. The word “mean” of the NIV is translated from a Greek word (phēmi) that is concerned with stating something either orally or in writing so it may mean “to say” as it is used in Apostle Paul’s quotation from the OT passage he cited in 1 Corinthians 6:16:
Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”
It can also mean “to declare” as Apostle Paul used it in his declarations about the kingdom of God in 1 Corinthians 15:50:
I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
The word may mean to say something that provides a fuller explanation of a statement hence means “to mean, imply” as it is used in 1 Corinthians 10:19:
Do I mean then that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything?
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 7:29, the word means “to mean,” that is, “to intend to express or convey.” The point is that the word is used to say something, to explain more fully the implications or intent of what has been said. The thing the apostle had previously said is especially in verse 28 of 1 Corinthian 7 where he gave justification for the situational advice against marriage in time of national crisis. This being the case, we are correct to state that verse 29 is an explanation so we are correct in stating that the Greek conjunction (de) not translated in the NIV and majority of our English versions is used to convey an explanation of what preceded.
Be that as it may, the message we are considering again is that you should not allow anything of this life to affect your devotion to the Lord since the world is slowly dying. We previously stated that we would expound on this message by considering responsibilities that you have regarding it. A first responsibility is that You should remember that you can leave this planet anytime. This is an important responsibility that all believers should take to heart. Many of us Christians do not think of this truth, or we ignore it especially when we are young. The story is different once we start getting old. I mean that young people rarely think of the fact they can leave this planet any time by death but when people are old, they would think more about leaving this planet than when they were young. The truth is that every believer in Christ should be conscious of this truth. It does not mean that you should be obsessed with the idea of dying but it should be that which governs your thought as you take various actions you do on this planet especially since we do not know when Christ will return. There are some reasons believers probably do not often think in term of this responsibility of remembering that they can leave this planet any time or that the Lord could return anytime. So, let me provide three facts that should help each of us to be more conscious of this first responsibility derived from the message of our passage.
A first fact is that our lives are fragile. We are all hanging on ropes, so to speak, that can be snatched by the Lord at any time. The Holy Spirit communicated this truth to certain believers of the past who conveyed it to us. Thus, Job compared the fragile aspect of human life with a flower in Job 14:1–2:
1 “Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. 2He springs up like a flower and withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure.
When a flower springs up it is beautiful to behold but the problem is that it does not last before it withers. This imagery is intended to convey to us that while your life may be blossoming in the sense that you are enjoying great success in your job and marriage, or you may be enjoying the benefits of youth that your life can quickly disappear in the sense that you leave this planet. It is true that there is in a sense that a young person should be reminded that such an individual would one day wither in the sense of being old but the important thing here is to remind the young and the old how fragile our life is on this planet. The psalmist conveyed the same truth of how fragile our life is by comparing it to the grass that also grows but soon disappears, as we read in Psalm 103:15–16:
15As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; 16the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.
Still the psalmist speaks of how fragile life is by stating that we are only a breath away from dying in Psalm 39:5:
You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Each man’s life is but a breath. Selah
It is because the psalmist was aware of how fragile life is that he prayed for the Lord to enable him to be conscious of that truth in Psalm 39:4
“Show me, O LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life.
The three requests of knowing the end of one’s life, the number of days and the fleeting nature of life say essentially the same thing which is to recognize how fragile or brief life on this planet is. Of course, some interpret the requests as the psalmist protesting the unfairness of it all. Thus, they think that the psalmist was asking the Lord to let him know when his life will end or when he will die. That notwithstanding, the point is that the psalmist realized how fragile life is on this planet.
A second fact that should help you to be mindful of the responsibility that You should remember that you can leave this planet anytime is that you have a set time on this planet. In other words, you have a certain number of days you will live on this planet. Job acknowledged this truth in Job 14:5:
Man’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed.
The psalmist declared the same truth in Psalm 139:16:
your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
The two passages convey that each person on this planet has a certain number of days the Lord had assigned to each. No one will die before that time or live longer than that time. It is difficult for many believers to grasp or accept this truth when they lose a loved one, especially if such a person is young. In some cases, they blame themselves for the death of that person. For example, some would say something like “if I had gotten the person in time to the hospital that person would still be alive” or they state something else if they had done such a person would still be alive. The truth is that there is nothing anyone can do to extend another person’s stay on this planet. We seek medical help primarily because we want to relieve pain, or we want to improve the quality of our life so to say while on this planet but not to extend any person’s life. Understanding this point should help us to know when physicians or scientists declare that they conducted experiments that showed that certain things improved the chances of living longer you recognize that is false. For such claim to be valid requires a person knowing the exact timing of the death of someone on this planet. Without such knowledge it makes no sense to speak of prolonging someone’s life.
A third fact related to the second that should help you to be mindful of the responsibility that You should remember that you can leave this planet anytime is that no human knows the precise time of death. It is true the Lord had in the past conveyed to some regarding the general time of their death. For example, the Lord conveyed to Moses and so to Aaron regarding the time and location of Aaron’s death in Numbers 20:26:
Remove Aaron’s garments and put them on his son Eleazar, for Aaron will be gathered to his people; he will die there.”
The Lord conveyed to Moses about his death in Deuteronomy 31:14:
The LORD said to Moses, “Now the day of your death is near. Call Joshua and present yourselves at the Tent of Meeting, where I will commission him.” So Moses and Joshua came and presented themselves at the Tent of Meeting.
When it was near the time of Moses’ death the Lord communicated that to him, as recorded in Deuteronomy 32:50:
There on the mountain that you have climbed you will die and be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people.
In both examples, the Lord conveyed to them the approximate time of their death because there need to be a transference of function or power, so it was necessary for the Lord to do so. Similarly, the Lord conveyed to Apostle Peter regarding the approximate time of his death as he conveyed in his epistle of 2 Peter 1:14:
because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.
These examples notwithstanding, the truth is that no one knows the exact time of death although it is possible to guess that the end of life is near, but no one can predict the exact time of death of a person.
Anyway, if we remain conscious of the fact that we can leave this planet anytime then we would be careful to ensure that we do everything we can in a given moment or time that will honor the Lord if we expect to be rewarded in eternal state since once death occurs, we no longer have any opportunity to improve anything about our spiritual life as the Holy Spirit conveyed to us in Ecclesiastes 9:10:
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.
This verse of Ecclesiastes implies we should live every moment as if it is our last on this planet. We should see the urgency of being faithful to the Lord in what we do since we do not know when we will leave this planet or when He will return. Another thing we will do if we remember we can leave this planet anytime is to become careful in our plans in that we will have the mindset that whatever we plan is subject to the Lord’s timing since we do not know when we will leave this planet. In effect, we take to heart what the Holy Spirit conveyed through James in James 4:13–16:
13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.
We have stated three facts that should help you to be mindful of the responsibility of recognizing that You should remember that you can leave this planet anytime. This responsibility while it should apply to everyone on this planet, but we are particularly concerned with believers because the message of our passage is addressed to believers in Christ because of the word brothers of 1 Corinthians 7:29. The word “brothers” is translated from a Greek word (adelphos) that has several meanings in the Greek. It could mean “brother” in the sense of a male person from the same mother as the referenced person. It is in this sense that the word is used by Apostle Paul to reference James as from the same mother as Jesus in His humanity in Galatians 1:19:
I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord’s brother.
The word may mean “a believer” as that is the sense of the word “brother” in 1 Corinthians 5:11:
But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.
The clause anyone who calls himself a brother should be understood as one who claims to be a believer. Hence the word “brother” is the same as believer. Thus, it is not surprising that the translators of the NIV translated the Greek word as “believers” in 1 Corinthians 6:5:
I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers?
The phrase between believers is literally between his brothers. In keeping with this understanding, the word may mean “brother” in the sense of one who has the same beliefs with the one that uses the word, irrespective of gender, that is, the word refers to “a fellow believer.” It is in this sense of one who shares the same faith and so belongs to a specific Christian community, that is, a “fellow believer” that Apostle Paul used the word to describe Epaphroditus in Philippians 2:25:
But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs.
It is in this sense of fellow believers, regardless of gender, that Apostle Paul used it in his final greetings to the Ephesian church in Ephesians 6:23:
Peace to the brothers, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The peace the apostle wished on “the brothers” could not possibly apply to only male members of the church in Ephesus. Therefore, the word “brothers” has the sense of “brothers and sisters in Christ” here in Ephesians 6:23. It is in this sense that the word is used in 1 Corinthians 7:29. Therefore, we are correct to restrict the responsibility we have stated to believers in Christ since in the original usage, the apostle addressed all believers in Corinth.
In any case, the responsibility we are considering is that You should remember that you can leave this planet anytime. This responsibility is derived from what Apostle Paul stated in the sentence of 1 Corinthians 7:29 the time is short. Literally, the Greek reads the time has been shortened. What does the apostle mean in the literal sentence the time has been shortened? To answer the question, we need first to examine two key words used.
The word “time” is translated from a Greek word (kairos) with a range of meanings. It can mean “opportunity” as it is used when Governor Felix postponed hearing the defense of Apostle Paul because he was speaking of God’s coming judgment, as we read in Acts 24:25:
As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.”
The clause when I find it convenient is more literally when I have time but it may be translated when I have an opportunity. Another meaning of the Greek word is “occasion” as Apostle Paul used it in his instructions regarding constancy of prayer in Ephesians 6:18:
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
Still another meaning of the Greek word is “a point of time” or “period of time” as it is used by Apostle Paul in describing the conditions of the last days 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.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 7:29, it means “time” in the sense of “indefinite period of time.” By the way, Apostle Paul use the word “time” in referencing not only the time in the future from when he wrote about people rejecting sound doctrine in the passage we cited previously (2 Timothy 4:3) but also for the time of the return of the Lord Jesus in 1 Corinthians 4:5:
Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.
The second key word in the sentence the time is short is “short.” The word “short” is translated from a Greek verb (systellō) that appears only twice in Greek NT. It is used with the meaning “to wrap” or “to cover up” in connection with the removal and burial of the body of Ananias in Acts 5:6:
Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.
The other usage of the word is in our passage of 1 Corinthians 7:29 where it means “to shorten” or “to limit,” with the sense of “being drawn to a close.” The Greek used a perfect tense of a verbal adjective (i.e., a participle) that here acts as an adjective. The implication of the perfect tense used is that the apostle had in mind the result of an action that occurred in the past. This action is certainly attributed to God although it is not explicitly stated regarding the one who is responsible for shortening or drawing to a close the time in our passage.
There is one more factor that affects our interpretation of the sentence the time is short. It is that the apostle used a definite article before the Greek word translated “time” in our passage. The Greek phrase translated the time is used in the NT in different senses. The literal phrase the time is used to describe the time of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 26:18:
He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’”
The phrase My appointed time is literally the time of me. It is in the sense of time of death of Apostle Paul that the phrase the time is used in 2 Timothy 4:6:
For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure.
The phrase the time is used to refer to the appointed time of God’s royal rule or reign that Jesus indicated was near with His coming on the planet as we read in Mark 1:15:
“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!”
The phrase the time may refer to our present age as it is used in Mark 10:30:
will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life.
The phrase in this present age is literally in the time this that in this verse has the meaning of “present age” as it is contrasted with the “coming age” on the next clause in the age to come, eternal life. It is in the sense of “present time” that the phrase the time is used by Apostle Paul in Romans 13:11:
And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
The phrase the present time is literally the time. The phrase the time refers to the “last time” or “time of crisis” in Mark 13:33:
Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.
The phrase the time refers to “appointed time” in Romans 9:9:
For this was how the promise was stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”
The phrase the appointed time is literally the time this that from Genesis 18:10 means “at this time next year.” The phrase the time may refer to opportunity as in Ephesians 5:16:
making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
The phrase the most of every opportunity is literally the most of the time. The phrase the time is used to describe time of judgment that occurs on this planet in 1 Peter 4:17:
For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?
It is in the sense of time of judgment in the future that the phrase is used in Revelation 11:18:
The nations were angry; and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name,
both small and great— and for destroying those who destroy the earth.”
The phrase the time is used either for end of time or judgment time in Revelation 22:10:
Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near.
We have considered the various usages in the NT of the phrase the time the apostle used in our passage. This consideration reveals that the phrase the time in the Greek NT could refer to our present age or time of crisis or future judgment when Christ returns. The issue is to determine in what sense the apostle used it in our passage of 1 Corinthian 7:29. It is primarily in the sense of a future time of judgment when Christ returns although his thought would have included the period of the crisis the Corinthians faced. This interpretation is supported firstly by the fact that the apostle had already in the fourth chapter (4:5) of this epistle referenced the coming of the Lord and secondly by what the apostle wrote next in the verse of the section of 1 Corinthians we are considering that we will get to at the appropriate time. The fact that the apostle would also have thought of the present crisis the Corinthians were facing is supported by the fact the apostle would have intended to encourage the Corinthians to comply with his situational advice for their benefit. I mean that he would have been thinking that the situation the Corinthians were in would be short-lived that his advice makes sense since he was providing them further explanation of the situational advice of being in one’s marital status during the crisis the Corinthians faced, especially of not marrying. There is also the fact that the apostle was aware of the Lord’s promise of the shortness of the time of distress of Israel the Lord spoke about that is recorded in Matthew 24:22:
If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.
Hence, when Apostle Paul wrote the sentence of 1 Corinthians 7:29 the time is short he meant that there is a limited time remaining in the period of their crisis and in the Lord’s return since the Lord had already drawn to a close both periods for the Corinthians and so all believers. In effect, regardless of the crisis we face as believers, we should be mindful that such would not last very long. The Lord could limit our crisis by removing it or removing us from this planet or by His return. Thus, we should not be discouraged in what we face. Instead, we should remain focused on the message we have stated which is that You should remember that you can leave this planet anytime. This is, as we have stated, your first responsibility towards the message of the passage we are considering which again is You should not allow anything of this life to affect your devotion to the Lord since the world is slowly dying.
Be that as it may, the responsibility that we stated You should remember that you can leave this planet anytime demands that the believer should have a change of view of things of this life or a change in attitude of things of this life from the moment such believer hears this message. We say that the believer should start to have a change in view or attitude regarding things of this life if that view or attitude does not exist in the individual because of the next phrase of 1 Corinthians 7:29. From now on. The expression “from now on” is translated from a Greek word (loipon) that may be used as an adjective or noun or adverb. It may mean “still” as in the question of the Lord Jesus to His disciples who were sleeping instead of keeping watch with Him before He went to the cross, as narrated in Matthew 26:45:
Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
The word may mean “beyond” as it is used in Apostle Paul’s declaration of not remembering baptizing any one beyond those, he mentioned in 1 Corinthians 1:16:
(Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.)
The word may mean “rest” as Apostle Paul used it to describe other members of his coworkers besides Clement, in his appeal to the Philippians to help two believing women (Euodia and Syntyche) who were having disagreement, as recorded in Philippians 4:3:
Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.
The word may mean “finally” in the sense of a conclusion of the instruction of the apostle to the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians 4:1:
Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.
When the word is use with a Greek article in the context of time, it may mean “from now on,” “in the future,” or “henceforth” as the word is used in Hebrews 10:13:
Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool,
The phrase since that time may alternatively be translated from now as in the LEB. It is in the sense of “from now on” referring to what is remaining or not used up that the word is used in our passage. In a sense, the phrase From now on tells us that we have some time left on this planet if we hear this message. In other words, if you hear this message, then you are not dead. This being the case, you should begin immediately, if you have not already done so, to change your view or attitude regarding the things of this life with the understanding that you can leave this planet anytime. However, since you have not yet departed from this life then you should take seriously the instruction about change of view or attitude regarding three things the apostle stated in our passage.
The first thing the apostle mentioned that required a change in attitude is marriage as in the clause of 1 Corinthians 7:29 who have wives should live as if they had none. Before we consider the clause, we should note that the instruction although given in such a way that it addressed a man, but it applies to a woman as well. This means that when it says for those who have wives to live as if they do not, the apostle also meant that those who have husbands should live as if they had none. Anyway, the clause is an interesting one in that on the surface it requires those who are married not to act as if they are married. So, what does the apostle mean in this clause? To answer this question, we should begin with understanding of what it means to live as a married person. In other words, we should understand the responsibilities of married people to each other in their marriage relationships. We are, of course, not going into detailed study of the responsibilities of married couples but we summarize these to enable us to answer the question we are concerned. To this effect, let me begin with the common responsibility given in the context of this seventh chapter of 1 Corinthians for married couples. A responsibility the apostle had stated in this seventh chapter that is required of each married person is that those who are married should maintain regular sexual intercourse as the apostle stated in 1 Corinthians 7:3–4:
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.
Having given the common responsibility of each couple in a marriage relationship, we consider the responsibilities that are unique to each person in the marriage relationship. The primary responsibility of the husband is to love the wife as the Holy Spirit conveyed in Ephesians 5:25:
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her
Love being an action-oriented phenomenon, requires a husband should take care of the material needs of the wife as stipulated 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.
The primary responsibility of the wife in a marriage is to submit to the authority of the husband as commanded in Ephesians 5:22:
Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.
A wife’s submission to the husband would manifest itself in how she takes care of her husband. In effect, part of the responsibility of the wife is to be a manager of the household that includes cooking food and other chores that are necessary for the household to function. This manifestation of the wife’s submission is indeed what is described in what some call the virtuous wife but, as we have stated in our study of Titus, should be regarded as the capable wife. A typical example of the wife being a household manager is given in Proverbs 31:15:
She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls.
Thus, to live as married people would involve fulfilling these responsibilities we have stated. These then help us to interpret what the apostle meant in the clause of 1 Corinthians 7:29 who have wives should live as if they had none but we are out of time, so we provided the answer in our next study.
06/19/20