Lessons #235 and 236
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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.
The first reason the apostle advocated for singleness among the Corinthians is the shortness of time. Nonetheless, the message of this section that we have been considering in the last two studies is You should not allow anything of this life to affect your devotion to the Lord since the world is slowly dying. This message, we indicated, places two responsibilities on you the believer. The first is You should remember that you can leave this planet anytime. This responsibility, as we indicated previously, 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 as conveyed beginning in 1 Corinthians 7:29 in the phrase From now on. 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. The second thing that required a change in attitude is believer’s emotional expression as given negatively and positively in the clause of 1 Corinthians 7:30 those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not. So, we continue with the third.
The third thing that requires a change in attitude on the part of the believer is material possession. It is this that is given in the last clause of 1 Corinthians 7:30 those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep or literally those who buy as not possessing. To understand what the Holy Spirit conveyed through the apostle in this clause, we consider the key words used in it.
The first key word is “buy” that is translated from a Greek word (agorazō) that means “to buy, purchase.” It has the meaning of “to spend” in what the Lord Jesus said to the disciples prior to the feeding of the five thousand as we read in Mark 6:37:
But he answered, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “That would take eight months of a man’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”
However, it is in the sense of “to buy” that the word is used in the interpretation of the disciples regarding what Jesus said to Judas Iscariot about acting quickly regarding his plan of betraying Him in John 13:29:
Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the Feast, or to give something to the poor.
The word may mean “to buy” or “to redeem” in the sense of to cause the freedom or release of someone by paying a price as the word is used in describing what Jesus Christ did for us as stated in 1 Corinthians 6:20:
you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 7:30, it means “to buy,” that is, “to acquirer by means of a financial transaction.”
The second key word in the clause of 1 Corinthians 7:30 those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep is “keep.” It is translated from a Greek word (katechō) that may mean “to confine, bound” as it is used to describe being kept within limits in a confining manner by the law in Romans 7:6:
But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.
The word may mean “to possess,” that is, to keep in someone’s possession as the word is used in the oxymoron of the apostle’s spiritual life, he expressed in 2 Corinthians 6:10:
sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
The word may mean “to hold on” as it is used in the command of 1 Thessalonians 5:21:
Test everything. Hold on to the good.
The word may mean “to restrain, check, hold back,” that is, to prevent someone from exercising power as it is used of the restraining of the lawless one in 2 Thessalonians 2:7:
For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.
The word may mean “to keep” in the sense of to hold someone back from going away as Apostle Paul used it to describe what his desire was about Onesimus in Philemon 13:
I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 7:30, it is in the sense of “to possess,” that is, to have ownership of something that the word is used.
The third thing, as we indicated, that requires a change in attitude on the part of the believer is material possession as in the last clause of 1 Corinthians 7:30 those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep or literally those who buy as not possessing. Our concern in the clause is to determine what it is that the Holy Spirit through the apostle is concerned regarding the believer and material possession. For the interpretation of what is the concern of the Holy Spirit for us as believers in the clause we are considering, I will be using the literal translation from the Greek that again reads those who buy as not possessing. The literal Greek reveals that the Holy Spirit through the apostle is not saying that believers should not buy things. Such notion would be absurd. Why? You may ask. It is because of the things that Scripture reveals that a person may buy. Let me at the expensive of simplicity or being trivial, mention some of the things that may be purchased. Food is one of the things that people buy as implied in the words of the Lord Jesus’ disciples recorded in Mark 6:36:
Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”
People buy clothes as we read in Mark 15:46:
So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.
People buy landed property as in the parable of the Lord Jesus where those invited to a banquet gave various excuses for not honoring the invitation extended to them as recorded in Luke 14:18:
“But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’
People buy animals and farming equipment as we read in Luke 14:19:
“Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’
Someone may say, I do not see any farming equipment in this passage. But you will be wrong because we must contemporize Bible passages. The phrase five yoke of oxen in the ancient world represents farming bulls, that is, the animals use to plough fields. Thus, the phrase is the same as the farming tractors that people use today. Thus, farming equipment is one of the things people buy. People also buy weapons for their protection or for offensive purposes such as hunting. Such purchase is similar to sword in ancient time as we may gather from Luke 22:36:
He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.
Hence, you will agree with me that it would be absurd for the Holy Spirit through the apostle to require believers not to buy things. People should buy things even during crisis or time of suffering. Things people buy include landed property. We say this because when the Lord instructed Prophet Jeremiah to buy landed property, Judah was in crisis, facing the impending destruction of Jerusalem. Despite this fact, the Lord commanded Jeremiah to purchase a landed property, as recorded in Jeremiah 32:6–7:
6 Jeremiah said, “The word of the LORD came to me: 7 Hanamel son of Shallum your uncle is going to come to you and say, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth, because as nearest relative it is your right and duty to buy it.’
Anyway, the point is that it would be absurd for the Holy Spirit to require believers not to buy things because of the shortness of time or because of an impending disaster or the difficult situations such as those faced by the Corinthians. Of course, we should be careful to recognize that what we are saying is not that you should go on a spending spree, buying things that you even do not need or use. There are people who buy things because they are controlled by material things that they think they must keep spending money to purchase things. They buy impulsively because they can afford it or even if they cannot, are ready to go in debt by using their credit cards. If you find yourself represented by what I have said, you need to examine your soul to ensure that you spending mode is not a way you are masking spiritual failure whereby you think that buying things will bring you inner satisfaction.
Be that as it may, as we have indicated, our concern in the last clause of 1 Corinthians 7:30 those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep or literally those who buy as not possessing is to determine what it is that the Holy Spirit through the apostle requires a change in attitude pertaining to material things. As we indicated, our interpretation is to be based on the literal translation those who buy as not possessing. We do so because it is difficult to understand in practical ways how some of our English versions have translated the clause. Take for example, the NCV reads Those who buy things should live as if they own nothing. It is difficult to understand how a person who bought something would live as the person owns nothing. Take another example, the TEV reads those who buy, as though they did not own what they bought. How can a person who bought something act as if the person did not own what they bought? It is for such difficulties that we opt to interpret the clause using the literal translation. The thing the Holy Spirit through the apostle says there must be a change in attitude of believers is in literal translation not possessing.
The question is how to interpret the literal verbal phrase not possessing because the word “possessing” is translated from a participle of a Greek word that we examined previously. The Greek participle or verbal adjective used may be interpreted in one of two ways. It could be interpreted to mean that the verbal phrase attributes a characteristic to those described in the first part of the clause those who buy something or it could be interpreted to refer to an action of those in the clause those who buy something. It seems the translators of the NIV adopted the second interpretation leading to their translation as if it were not theirs to keep. While this makes sense, it does not seem to me to be what the apostle meant because it is difficult to see how a believer would treat the things purchased as something they should not keep. You see, the word “keep” in the English may mean “to retain possession of” or “to reserve for use in the future” or “to own and look after.” It is difficult to understand how any of these meanings would apply negatively to things a person could buy. For example, how can a person who bought food not retain possession of it or reserve it for use in the future? Take another example, how can someone who bought a landed property not retain possession of it or not look after it or act as if it does not exist? It does not seem that the Holy Spirit meant to describe an action of those who buy something. Therefore, it seems to me the apostle intended the first interpretation of the use of an adjective in our passage, that is, that the literal verbal phrase not possessing is to be taken as descriptive of those who buy something. This being the case, the verbal phrase not possessing may be translated not possessive. This makes a better sense in the context where the apostle is concerned with believers not being distracted from their devotion to the Lord. The word possessive as an English adjective, according to the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, may mean “demanding someone’s total attention and love” or “showing an unwillingness to share one’s possessions.” Either of these meanings fits the context. A believer who buys anything should not be so devoted to that thing to the extent it affects the individual’s devotion to the word of God. For example, food or its preparation should not rob a believer of the time to devote to the word of God. Likewise, attendance to a landed property should not infringe on the time for devotion to the Lord. Of course, the second meaning of the English adjective “possessive” is particularly important in such things as food and clothing that a person buys. A believer who buys such things should be willing to share with others, especially since the Scripture commands believers to share what they have with others, as for example, in Romans 12:13:
Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
The human author of Hebrews indicates that such sharing of what believers have with others is quite pleasing to the Lord in Hebrews 13:16:
And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
Anyway, the third thing, as we indicated, that requires a change in attitude on the part of the believer is material possession as in the last clause of 1 Corinthians 7:30 those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep or literally those who buy as not possessing. As we have interpreted, the Holy Spirit through the apostle wants believers not to be possessive of a material thing to the point that it infringes on their devotion to the Lord or affects them sharing the good things they buy with others in need. The point is that we should be so careful that we are not worshipping material things and not know it. In other words, we should be careful to evaluate continuously our attitude towards any material possession or whatever we purchase to ensure that we are not giving it an undue attention to the point that it affects our devotion to the word of God. You may have landed property but if you devote more time to it in such a way that it distracts from your devotion to the Lord then you may be guilty of idolatry without knowing it. Let me be clear, I do not mean that if you are a farmer that works all day in the farm that you are in idolatry. No! Working all day in your farm is not idolatry but it could lead to it, if your farming activity is such that your devotion to the Lord is secondary in your life. If you do not have any time to spend in the word because of your farming activity that will become idolatry. An ordinary devotion to work should not infringe on the believer’s devotion to the Lord. The Holy Spirit says to you that because you can leave this planet anytime, you should have the proper perspective about material things. You should maintain proper balance between attending to your material possession and your devotion to the Lord. That is the concern of the Holy Spirit for us in this third thing that concerns material possessions that we have examined. This brings us to the fourth.
The fourth thing that requires a change in attitude on the part of the believer regards the world system. It is this that is given in the first clause of 1 Corinthians 7:31 those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. Literally, the Greek reads and those using the world as not using fully. To interpret what the Holy Spirit meant to convey to us in this clause, we should consider the key words used.
A first key word in the first clause of 1 Corinthians 7:31 is the word “use” that is translated from a Greek word (chraomai) that may mean “to act” as Apostle Paul used the word to encourage the Corinthians not to put him in a situation he would act in harsh manner when he visits them as we read in 2 Corinthians 13:10:
This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority—the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down.
The sentence I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority—the authority the Lord gave me for building you up is literally I may not have to act severely according to the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing. The word may mean “to make use of” or “to employ” as in the instruction to Timothy to use wine for health reasons in 1 Timothy 5:23:
Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.
The word may mean “to allow” as it is used in the privilege granted to Apostle Paul in Sidon to visit his friends as we read in Acts 27:3:
The next day we landed at Sidon; and Julius, in kindness to Paul, allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 7:31, it means “to use” in the sense of “to put into service” or “to employ for a particular purpose.”
The second key word in the first clause of 1 Corinthians 7:31 is “world” that is translated from a Greek word (kosmos) that may mean “earth, world” in contrast to heaven as the Lord Jesus used the word to describe His mission in John 18:37:
“You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
The word may refer to the system of practices and standards associated with secular society (that is, without reference to any demands or requirements of God) hence means “world system, world’s standards, world.” It is in this sense that Apostle Paul used it in Galatians 6:14:
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
It is this sense of a world characterized by sin and practices contrary to God’s word that the apostle used our Greek word translated “world” in Ephesians 2:2:
in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
The Greek word translated “world” may mean “the universe,” that is, creation in its totality as in Philippians 2:15:
so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe
The word may mean “the world “as the habitation of humanity, as in 1 Timothy 6:7:
For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.
The Greek word translated “world” may mean “totality, sum total” as that is the sense of the word in James 3:6:
The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
The phrase a world of evil may be translated the sum total of iniquity. The word may mean that which serves to beautify through decoration, hence means “adornment, adorning” as it is used in the instruction given to believing ladies regarding proper beautification in 1 Peter 3:3:
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.
The word may mean “the world” as a reference to humanity in general as in 1 John 4:14:
And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
Jesus Christ came to save humanity not the planet earth so that the word “world” in this passage refers to “humanity.” In our passage of 1 Corinthians 7:31, the Greek word is used twice in different senses. We consider the sense in the first part of the clause of verse 31 and defer the sense it is used second time later. In the first usage, the word means “world” in the sense of “the system of human existence in its many aspects” that includes such things as possessions, cares, sufferings, values, and things that are hostile to God. Some of our English versions have given the word meanings that are too limiting in our passage. For example, the TEV gives the meaning “material goods” and the REB “world’s wealth” that are too limiting. The NIV use of “things of the world” is probably better because it allows for broader interpretation of the clause those who use the things of the world or literally, and those using the world.
The third key word in the first clause of 1 Corinthians 7:31 is the word “engrossed” that is translated from a Greek word (katachraomai) that appears twice in the NT Greek and both in the first epistle to the Corinthians. In the other usage of the word beside our passage, it means “to make use of” as we read in 1 Corinthians 9:18:
What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make use of my rights in preaching it.
Scholars are of divided opinion regarding its meaning in our passage of 1 Corinthians 7:31. Some do not see any difference between it and the first Greek word (chraomai) we considered that means “to use.” Others see a difference between the two so use such meaning as “to utilize fully” or “to be fully occupied.” While both meanings make sense, it seems to me that context suggests the second meaning of using something fully or being fully occupied with something. By the way, the translation of the Authorized Version (KJV) of “abusing” although it is a meaning of the word in classical Greek is not what the apostle had in mind in our passage. Of course, the Greek used a participle of our word so that the apostle intended the word to be understood in the sense of action attributed to those using the world as we gave in the literal translation.
We have considered the key words used in the first clause of 1 Corinthians 7:31 those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them or literally and those using the world as not using fully. Again, we will use the literal translation in interpreting what the fourth thing the Holy Spirit through the apostle wanted the Corinthians and so all believers to have a change in attitude. The literal translation those using the world suggests that the apostle was not against using “the world” but his concern was that believers should not be so devoted to using “the world” to the point that they are distracted from their devotion to the Lord.
Based on our interpretation of the true concern of the apostle, we ask what does using “the world” entail in the clause of 1 Corinthians 7:31? Recall we indicated the Greek word translated “things of the world” of the NIV means “world” in the sense of “the system of human existence in its many aspects” that includes such things as possessions, cares, sufferings, values, and things that are hostile to God. We will simply use the term “world system” to cover everything we have said about the meaning of “world” in our passage. The fact that the apostle’s concern was not that believers should not use “the world system” but not to allow it to distract from devotion to the Lord then the “world system” the apostle would have had in his mind would not include anything sinful or rebellious towards God. This being the case we focus on things that are not sinful in and of themselves but are capable of distracting believers from full devotion to the Lord.
A first thing in the world system that a believer may use but with great caution is the concept of enjoyment or pleasure. A believer may enjoy food and drink in keeping with the declaration of
Ecclesiastes 8:15:
So I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany him in his work all the days of the life God has given him under the sun.
The concept of enjoyment in this verse in Ecclesiastes implies that a believer should enjoy his/her material blessings that come in terms of material possessions or wealth as they come from God. The enjoyment certainly includes marriage not only because God intended for men and women to be married but also because the Scripture commands enjoyment of marriage as we may gather from Ecclesiastes 9:9:
Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun— all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun.
In keeping with the clause of 1 Corinthians 7:31 those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them, it is necessary that believers should not allow enjoyment or pleasure to distract from devotion to the Lord as that is what characterizes unbelievers in these last days we are living according to 2 Timothy 3:4:
treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—
This caution against pleasure distracting believer from devotion to the Lord needs elaboration. To begin with, we should be aware that pleasure could prevent a believer from spiritual maturity as in the explanation of our Lord about the Parable of the Sower, as we read in Luke 8:14:
The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.
That aside, the caution that believers should exercise in the concept of enjoyment is to be careful that no enjoyment controls the believer to the point that it distracts from devotion to the Lord. To be practical about enjoyment, we should note how the things we mentioned under enjoyment could become distracting to a believer’s devotion to the Lord. Food and wine could distract from the spiritual devotion of the believer to the Lord in the sense that they can affect fellowship with the Lord. If food controls a person, the individual will become guilty of the sin of gluttony that describe unbelievers as stated in Titus 1:12:
Even one of their own prophets has said, “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.”
A person who is unable to control his/her intake of wine becomes drunk. A drunk could not possibly be devoted to the Lord. Enjoyment of wealth could lead to lack of devotion to the Lord firstly, in the sense that such a person shuts his/her eyes to the suffering of others and so unable to help the less fortunate. Secondly, enjoyment of wealth could lead to arrogance whereby the wealthy gives a lip service to the Lord in that the person actually has more trust on wealth than in the Lord as implied in what the Holy Spirit stated through Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 6:17:
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
Enjoyment of marriage derivative such as sex may cause distraction from devotion to the Lord. The apostle had already addressed this in this seventh chapter of 1 Corinthians in the sense that sexual relationship should not distract believers from devotion to the Lord. Hence, the Holy Spirit is not telling believers not to enjoy their marriage or wealth but that they should not be devoted to them in such a way that distracts from devotion to the Lord.
A second thing in the world system that a believer may use but with great caution is knowledge. The world system provides knowledge regarding several subjects. The knowledge in the world system could lead to benefit in business or in a person’s profession. Thus, the knowledge in the world system could lead to worldly wisdom. The believer should use such knowledge in business or other ways of advancing a person’s profession, but such an individual should avoid the kind of wisdom of the world that is concerned with success at any cost. Such wisdom could mean to get ahead in business by cheating others. It is this kind of wisdom that the Lord attributed to the manager in His parable of the shrewd manager in Luke 16:8:
“The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.
The action of the manager in the parable is dishonest but our Lord said that he acted shrewdly in accordance to the manner of the people of this world. In effect, the wisdom of this world is characterized by sin in contrast to heavenly wisdom that belongs to believers. The contrast between the two kinds of wisdom is given in James 3:13–18:
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.
The knowledge provided in world system could be in the various fields of sciences so that the believer finds self, trusting in scientific knowledge at the expense of exercise of faith in the Lord and His word. This kind of knowledge should be carefully used not to create a life where a believer is living in sight instead of in faith contrary to the statement of 2 Corinthians 5:7:
We live by faith, not by sight.
Knowledge in the world system may concern how to gain publicity as illustrated by the advice of the brothers of Jesus in John 7:4:
No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.”
Jesus’ brothers had the knowledge of how to gain publicity or how to become glamorous and draw attention to self, but Jesus resisted that kind of knowledge. The suggestion of His brothers is similar to the offer of Satan to Jesus regarding glamor and power in Matthew 4:8:
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.
The knowledge system of the world contains how to publicize one’s good works, but the believer should not use that kind of knowledge since such publicity would contradict our Lord’s teaching in Matthew 6:3–4:
3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Those who love to be ostentatious certainly will not accept this kind of teaching of Jesus Christ. The point is that the world system contains different kinds of knowledge that a believer should cautiously use to avoid being distracted to his/her devotion to the Lord.
We have considered four things that require a change in attitude on the part of the believer. As we have stated several times, it is often the case that when believers are instructed what to do or not do, the Holy Spirit often gives us a reason. Thus, the Holy Spirit through the apostle gives us the reason for the change of attitudes required of believers. It is this reason that is given in the last clause of 1 Corinthians 7:31. For this world in its present form is passing away. The word “world” is translated from the Greek word that we considered previously that we indicated has two different senses in 1 Corinthians 7:31. Its use here although means “world system” but perhaps the sense is that of “theater of history, inhabited world, the earth” where everything in the world system is played out.
The expression “present form” is the way the NIV translated a Greek word (schēma) that may mean “form, shape, outward appearance” as it is used to describe Lord Jesus taking on human form in Philippians 2:7:
but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
The verbal phrase taking the very nature of a servant is literally taking the form of a slave. The word may mean “form, nature” as it relates to the form or nature of something, with special reference to its outer form or structure. It is in the sense of “external structure,” that is, the manner of construction of something and the arrangement of its parts that it is used in our passage of 1 Corinthians 7:31. The “present form” of the world includes the display of everything in the world system that are obvious to humans such as behaviors or possessions of this life. These are the things the Holy Spirit states this world in its present form is passing away.
The expression “passing away” is translated from a Greek word (paragō) that may mean “to go away” in the sense of to move along and so leave a position, as it is used to describe the Lord Jesus’ going away from a location to another where He called Matthew as one of His disciples in Matthew 9:9:
As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
The word may mean “to pass by,” that is, to go past a reference point as it is used in Jesus’ movement when He healed blind men, as stated in Matthew 20:30:
Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
The word may mean “to disappear, pass away” in the sense of going out of existence as it is used in 1 John 2:17:
The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
It is in this sense of “to cease to exist,” that is, “to vanish, disappear” that the word is used in our passage of 1 Corinthians 7:31. The Greek used the present tense to convey that the word, that is, the “theater of history, inhabited world, the earth” is gradually disappearing or gradually vanishing. The point of the Holy Spirit is that believers should not be a part of that which is slowly disappearing. The world should be viewed as a sinking ship. Who in his right mind would want to stay in a sinking ship? So, the Holy Spirit tells us that it is because the world is a sinking ship that we must alter our attitudes towards it as evident in change of attitude concerning the four things we have considered. Before we end our study today, let me remind you that the apostle’s first reason for advocating singleness to the Corinthians is the shortness of time. The message of the section we are considering is You should not allow anything of this life to affect your devotion to the Lord since the world is slowly dying. This message, we indicated, places two responsibilities on you the believer. The first we have finished expounding that is based on the apostle’s first reason for advocating singleness is You should remember that you can leave this planet anytime.
07/03/20