Lessons #239 and 240
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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)
... 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 message of this section of 1 Corinthians 7:29-35 that we have been considering is You should not allow anything of this life to affect your devotion to the Lord since the world is slowly dying. We started in our last study to consider the second reason Apostle Paul advocated singleness among the Corinthians because of the situation they faced which is that marital status of a believer affects the individual’s devotion to the Lord. Based on this reason, we stated a second responsibility that the believer has regarding the section of 1 Corinthians 7:29-35, which is, you should Remain vigilant to ensure your marital status does not affect your devotion to the Lord. We stated that the way to do this is for the believer to live a worry-free life. We also indicated that it is possible for believers to live this kind of life as indicated by the command of the Lord to us during His earthly ministry. The thing the apostle indicates he was concerned with believers being carefree is that of satisfying another person because one is obligated to do so. To convey this point, the apostle gave illustrations using both a man and a woman that are believers. So far, we have focused on the illustration using an unmarried man and a married man. We stated that the comparison between the concern of the married man and the unmarried man is a matter of degree so that we do not misunderstand the sentence of verse 33 a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world. In effect, it does not mean that an unmarried man has no concern whatsoever about the affairs of this world or that the married man is not concerned with the Lord’s affairs. It is the matter of the degree of each to the concerns mentioned that is the difference between an unmarried man and a married man. That aside, we indicated in our last study that the phrase the affairs of this world may be translated “material things” or “physical things” of this life, implying that we have treated the Greek word translated “world” as an adjective since the Greek syntax permits such interpretation. Our concern was to understand what the apostle had in mind in the phrase the affairs of this world. It is with this phrase that we begin our study, as we promised in our last study.
The interpretation of what the apostle had in mind in the phrase the affairs of this world or as we have suggested “material things” or “physical things” is affected by two factors. The apostle did not spell out what he meant but the context of the Scripture enables us to know what he would have had in mind. The second factor is the last clause of verse 33 how he can please his wife. Whatever the things the apostle had in mind were, they must be things intended to delight a wife. We used the word “delight” because in our last study we considered the Greek word (areskō) translated “please” that we indicated in verse 32 meant “to please” in the sense of “to delight” or “to give pleasure to.” This same meaning is applicable to verse 33. Anyway, these two factors help us to understand what the apostle would have had in mind when he wrote the phrase the affairs of this world.
There are four related things that would have been in the apostle’s mind as he wrote down the phrase the affairs of this world we are considering that are intended to please a wife. A first thing would be food and necessity that a wife must have. In effect, a married man would be concerned to provide food and clothing to a wife as that is his responsibility in marriage, as we may deduce from the instruction of Exodus 21:10:
If he marries another woman, he must not deprive the first one of her food, clothing and marital rights.
Although food and clothing are essential in life or marriage but if a man does not provide these for the wife, he cannot please her.
A second thing a married man would be concerned to please the wife is to care for their children if they have them. In time of crisis, it is not wise to have a child but it is possible that a wife could be pre-occupied with having a child that she is not concerned regarding the situation of things that may make it difficult to raise a child. When a wife sets her mind on having a child, she would not be pleased unless that happens. This fact is reflected in the attitude of Rachel to Jacob when she was childless, as we read in Genesis 30:1:
When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”
A man who faces a wife that has the same kind of attitude that was in Rachel in being obsessed with having a child, would be thinking about his wife’s desire to the point it could distract from attending to spiritual matters. Things become even more complicated if the wife has problem becoming pregnant. This would cause a man to be preoccupied with doing whatever is necessary to ensure the wife becomes pregnant. Such pre-occupation with conceiving a child leads some couples to spend great time in following whatever information or suggested solutions that would lead to the prospect of having a child. Again, such pre-occupation with conceiving could become a distraction from the spiritual life of a married man. If the man has children, he would also be concerned with raising them as per the instruction of the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul in Ephesians 6:4:
Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
Raising a child is a daunting task if it is done properly in accordance with the word of God since it requires not only material resources but also time that is to be devoted to such endeavor.
A third thing a married man would be concerned with to please the wife is to create wealth necessary to sustain the wife and children if he has them. A man may be so concerned with creating wealth for the family that he would become distracted from his devotion to the Lord. Many husbands work long hours because they want to create wealth for the family or to have enough of material things to take care of their family. Of course, we do not mean that only married men work hard or work long hours to create wealth since some unmarried persons could do the same as implied in Ecclesiastes 4:8:
There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. “For whom am I toiling,” he asked, “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?” This too is meaningless—a miserable business!
This notwithstanding, the point remains that a married man may work extremely hard to generate enough wealth to please the wife and take care of children. Such devotion to generation of wealth can wear a person out in such a way that the individual does not have time to devote to spiritual matters. Thus, a man should pay attention to the advice in Proverbs 23:4:
Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint.
A person who shows restraint should also know how to balance work and devotion to the Lord. Such balance may be easier on an unmarried man since he may not be too concerned if he is only taking care of himself in contrast to taking care of others.
A fourth thing a married man would be concerned with to please the wife is glamor. There is a sense that every woman is concerned with glamor as may be traced to the lure that led Eve to sin against God in Genesis 3:6:
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
The phrase pleasing to the eye speaks to glamor in the sense of an attractive and exciting quality. Ever since the fall, that which is pleasing has become a lure to us humans. Both men and women are concerned with glamor which in part explains the temptation of Satan to the Lord Jesus, as reported in Luke 4:6:
And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.
Because men and women are concerned with glamor, a husband would be more concerned to provide things to the wife that would help her to maintain a level of attractiveness and prestige in her society or among other women. Take for example, some wives are in the habit of competing with other wives in that they want to have what other people have regardless of their financial status. I am saying that such women want the kind of vehicle other women have or want the same big house others have without paying attention to their financial status. Thus, if the husband fails to provide her these things that she considers part of belonging to whatever group they consider important then she will not be pleased no matter what else the husband does. Glamor, of course, is related to wealth and power so the desire for both would become a distraction for a man who is married. It does not mean that an unmarried man is not concerned about glamor but if he is spiritually inclined then he would not be that much concerned about it since he only cares about self and not another. In any case, the four things we have cited would have been in the apostle’s mind as he wrote down the phrase the affairs of this world, we are considering that are intended to please a wife. These things certainly affect the devotion to the Lord of a married, believing man more than an unmarried, believing man.
The things we have identified result in a married believer being not fully devoted to the Lord as stated in the first clause of 1 Corinthians 7:34 and his interests are divided. By the way, there is a manuscript problem with this first clause. Some manuscripts connect the Greek clause with what follows instead of what preceded in verse 33. This manuscript reading is reflected in the Authorized Version that begins verse 34 with the sentence There is a difference between a wife and a virgin. This notwithstanding, most of our English versions follow the reading that is reflected in the NIV as and his interests are divided since it is the reading found in the earliest Greek manuscripts available to us.
That aside, the word “interest” while communicative is not in the Greek since literally, the Greek reads and he is divided. The Greek conjunction (kai) translated “and” is often used to connect clauses or sentences, but it has several other usages. There are two possible ways of interpreting the conjunction in our verse. It could be interpreted as being used to provide explanation to what preceded in which case it may be translated “that is.” In effect, it is used to indicate that the clause explains what it means for a married man to be attempting to please the wife. This meaning of the Greek conjunction is not uncommon although the English versions often translate it with the word “and” when they should translate it with “that is.” A good example is in Romans 1:5:
Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.
The standard Greek English Lexicon of BDAG suggests that the phrase grace and apostleship of the NIV should be translated grace, that is, the office of an apostle, implying that the conjunction is used in an explicative sense and not merely to join words as in the NIV. Anyway, a second possible interpretation of the Greek conjunction translated “and” in 1 Corinthians 7:34 is that it is used to introduce the result of what preceded in verse 33 and so may be translated “and so” or “and then.” It is probably to indicate that the clause that begins verse 34 should be interpreted as that which resulted from a married man’s attempt to please the wife so that verse 34 should begin with “and so” that the TEV reads and so he is pulled in two directions. This interpretation of translating the Greek conjunction as introducing result of what precedes is not unheard of even if the English versions still use the word “and” in its translation. Take for example, what the apostle wrote in 2 Corinthians 11:9:
And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so.
In the context of this passage, the apostle was conveying that the Corinthians did not support him but that other local churches did. Therefore, when he was with them, his support came from elsewhere since it was after the apostle was joined by Timothy and Silas probably bringing support from the Macedonians that the apostle stopped his tent making to focus on the ministry as implied in Acts 18:5:
When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ.
The implication of using the Greek conjunction translated “and” at the beginning of 2 Corinthians 11:9 is that the word “and” that begins verse 9 is to be understood as stating the result of what the apostle had already stated in preceding verse 8 of robbing other churches to serve the Corinthians. It is true that most of our English versions translated it with the word “and,” but the NEB begin verse 9 with the word “then” probably to indicate the result of not taking support from the Corinthians. Anyway, the point we are making is that the word “and” that begins our passage of 1 Corinthians 7:34 should be interpreted as either providing explanation or giving the result of what preceded, which is the attempt by a married man to please his wife by being concerned with the things of this life. Although each meaning makes sense in the context, it is probably that the apostle was more concerned with giving the result of a man trying to please the wife than he was with explaining what pleasing the wife means.
The result or the impact of a married man trying to please the wife is that he is not fully devoted to the Lord in comparison to an unmarried man as we read in 1 Corinthians 7:34 and his interests are divided or literally and he is divided as reflected in the NET.
The word “divided” is translated from a Greek word (merizō) that means to separate into parts, that is, “to divide” hence it is used for sharing inheritance or money as per the person that requested Jesus to help divide his inheritance with his brother, reported in Luke 12:13:
Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
The Greek word may mean to make an allotment. Thus, it may mean “to distribute” as that is the sense of the word in Jesus’ miracle of feeding of at least five thousand persons in Mark 6:41:
Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all.
The fish was not merely divided but it was divided and distributed to the people. The word may mean “to assign” as it is used in 2 Corinthians 10:13:
We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field God has assigned to us, a field that reaches even to you.
The word may mean “to apportion” as that is the sense in which the word is used to describe Abraham giving tithe to Melchizedek in Hebrews 7:2:
and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, his name means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.”
The NIV used the word “gave” to translate our Greek word but the NET used the meaning “apportioned” in translating the word in Hebrews 7:2. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 7:34, our Greek word is used in the sense of “to divide” something that is not material such as one’s attention or interest. It is probably because of this that the translators of the NIV introduced the word interests in their translation and his interests are divided instead of the literal reading of and he is divided. Nevertheless, the Greek does not say what it is that the married man is divided about. The context suggests that it is the man’s devotion to the Lord that is intended. Devotion to the Lord requires giving attention to the things that are associated with the Lord of the type we stated previously that include the study of the word and witnessing. A married man divides his attention between the Lord and the wife.
The literal reading and he is divided reminds us of the principle the Lord taught of the impossibility of giving the same level of devotion to two persons or things in Matthew 6:24:
“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
Here the Lord used a proverb that involves slave-master relationship in which it is difficult for a slave to be owned by two masters. The Lord Jesus used the verbs “hate” and “despise” not in the absolute sense of the emotions of hatred or despising someone. He used the words to describe that a slave would love one master less than the other with respect to his actions. He could not equally care for both at the same time. He would neglect one master in favor of the other. The Lord’s point, in this passage in Matthew of course, is that of loyalty. Thus, the Lord is concerned with the degree of loyalty that a slave owned by two masters would show. It is the principle the Lord conveyed here that Apostle Paul applied to married and unmarried persons in their devotion to the Lord. A married person cannot show undivided loyalty to the Lord in some things as an unmarried man. Take for example, the matter of time or attention. To make the point clearer, we should consider two believing men, one married and the other unmarried, but with similar circumstances of life. A circumstance that applies to both would be work. Let’s suppose that each of them puts about the same number of hours at work every day and get home at about the same time. Let us suppose that they have three hours before they would have to go to bed in order to wake up at about the same time to go to work the next day. A married man would divide his time between giving the wife attention that she deserves from him that day and the Lord. When I say “the Lord” I mean that he must spend time attending to his spiritual life such as listening to a recorded taped message of the word of God or going over his notes if he took some from his local church. Therefore, he must divide his time to do both, whereas the unmarried man has only to be devoted fully to the study of the word. Of course, we can argue that the unmarried man may have to do more to attend to the things regarding his house more than a married man. That is debatable since many married men still must do a lot for their families once they return home from work. That aside, the illustration we are using indicates that the married man would portion out the remaining of his time to attend to the wife and children if they have them and his study of the word of God. Obviously, it does not take much brain power to recognize that the married man would have less time to spend, say, in the study of the word of God than that the unmarried man unless he shortchanges his sleep time. This does not mean that the married man loves the Lord less than the unmarried man but that their circumstances dictate how they show their love to the Lord. The married believer would not have much time to show his love for the Lord through the study of the word as the unmarried man. This is because the married man must divide his available time between attending to the wife in order to please her and attending to the word of God. Hence, there is a difference between how each man would apportion his time to the study of the word of God. What we are saying is that the unmarried man does not love the Lord less but his marital state dictates that his time be divided between the wife and the Lord contrary to the unmarried man. This example we have chosen illustrates what the Holy Spirit gave through Apostle Paul when he wrote literally in the Greek and he is divided.
Be that as it may, to indicate that the principle of two believers not being equally devoted to the things of the Lord because of their marital status is not limited to men since the apostle mentioned married and unmarried men in preceding verse, he illustrates the same point using believing women. In effect, the apostle indicated that what he said about men is equally applicable to women. This may not be clear based on the NIV and many other English versions that omitted translating a Greek conjunction (kai) that begins the next clause of 1 Corinthians 7:34. Some English versions such as the ESV and the NRSV began the clause with the word “and” which is a common meaning of the Greek conjunction. However, as we have stated previously, regarding the use of the Greek conjunction at the beginning of verse 34, the conjunction is used in several ways. In the beginning of the second clause of verse 34, it is used to indicate that what the apostle will state regarding women is similar to what he said about men’s devotion to the Lord in the preceding verse. Therefore, the Greek conjunction has the meaning “likewise, similarly” in its second usage in the verse we are considering. To me an English version that captures this interpretation is the NLT that begins the clause with the phrase in the same way. It seems that the NJB conveyed the same concept because the clause begins with the phrase so, too. Anyway, the point is that the apostle used the Greek conjunction to indicate he is providing a similar illustration of how marital status affects a believer’s devotion to the Lord using women this time.
The apostle begins with women not in marital state as in the sentence of 1 Corinthians 7:34 unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs. The phrase unmarried woman or virgin is literally the unmarried woman and the virgin. The literal translation raises the question as to whether the apostle had two different women in the same class of being in a single marital state or the same woman described in two different ways. The problem is not apparent in the English but in the Greek text. This is because in the Greek the word “woman” is joined to the word “virgin” with a Greek conjunction that translates “and” in the English so that we have a compound subject. This means that the Greek verb translated is concerned in the NIV should be in the plural to read “are concerned” but that is not what we have in the Greek and so, some say that the apostle was ungrammatical if he meant that we have two different women but to them it makes better sense if he meant one woman described not only as unmarried but a virgin. Nonetheless, it is our interpretation that the apostle in the phrase unmarried woman or virgin or literally the unmarried woman and the virgin had in mind two different women that belonged to the class of single marital status. There are several reasons for this interpretation.
First, it is not unheard of for a Greek verb in the singular to be used for two subjects joined by the Greek conjunction that translates into the English as “and.” We find this kind of construction in the gospels and in Acts. It is used in Mark 14:1:
Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some sly way to arrest Jesus and kill him.
The word “were” is in the singular in the Greek. Thus, the clause Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were only two days away is more literally given in the LEB as Now after two days it was the Passover and the feast of Unleavened Bread. Mark emphasized the Passover since it is the main Feast that is accompanied by the Feast of the Unleavened Bread. The same Greek construction is used in John 3:22:
After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized.
The Lord Jesus is the focus although His disciples went along with Him so the Greek verb translated “went” is a single verb. Luke used the same grammatical construction of using a single verb for two subjects connected with the word “and” in the Greek of Acts 5:29:
Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men!
In this passage, it seemed that Luke stressed on Peter’s role in responding to the Jewish ruling authorities. Hence, it is not unique that Apostle Paul used a single verb to describe the same action of “the woman” and “the virgin” in 1 Corinthians 7:34. When we have such a Greek grammatical construction the first named subject is one that is stressed. Admittedly, it is difficult to be certain the reason the apostle would have stressed the word “woman” instead of “virgin.” While we cannot be certain the reason for it, it is probably because the apostle used the word “woman” to cover any woman has been married but for some reason was no longer married.
Second, the apostle used a Greek article translated “the” in the English before the word “woman” and the word “virgin.” The fact the apostle used the definite article in describing the unmarried woman and the virgin respectively, suggests that he intended to convey that the woman in view is different from the virgin although both belong to the same class of those in single marital status. In effect, the article used in the Greek enables us to recognize that the apostle intended to differentiate the woman described with the word “unmarried” from the one described as “virgin.”
Third, the adjective unmarried suggests in this context the apostle had in mind a widow or a woman who was divorced. You see the adjective “unmarried” is translated from a Greek word (agamos) that refers to unmarried man or woman regardless of whether the person has been previously married or not. It could refer to a divorced woman as implied in 1 Corinthians 7:11:
But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.
The fact that the word is used with the word “woman” in 1 Corinthians 7:34 indicates we are dealing with a woman not married. However, since we also have a woman described as a virgin it is probably that when the apostle wrote unmarried woman, he meant a widow or a divorcée.
Fourth, the word “virgin” suggests we have a description of a woman that is different from the woman described as unmarried because of not ever having sexual intercourse with any man. The word “virgin” is translated from a Greek word (parthenos) that means a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse hence means “a virgin, a chaste person.” It is used for a female virgin in the Lord’s Parable of Ten Virgins, as we read in Matthew 25:1:
“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
The word is used for a chaste man or a male virgin in Revelation 14:4:
These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 7:34, it is used in the sense of a woman that has never had sexual relationship with a man and so such a person could not have been married. She belongs to the class of the unmarried but remains in a class by herself in comparison to other women who may or not be married but have either had sexual relationship because of marriage or because of sexual immorality.
Fifth, the Greek conjunction that literally means “and” could be translated “or” but with the understanding that it is not the same woman in view since the word “or” can be understood in two different ways. It could mean “or” as a marker to link alternatives or a marker that introduces a synonym or explanation of a preceding word or phrase. In our passage, it is used to link alternatives of the women in a class of single marital status. Based on these reasons we have given; we are correct to assert that the apostle had in mind two different women in single marital state in the phrase unmarried woman or virgin or literally the unmarried woman and the virgin.
Be that as it may, we are much more concerned about what the Holy Spirit stated through Apostle Paul regarding women in single marital state in contrast to those in marital state. The concern of a woman in a single marital state is described next in 1 Corinthians 7:34 An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs. The phrase the Lord’s affairs is literally the things of the Lord. We have indicated previously that this phrase involves at least three things that a believer should be concerned: learning the word of God, proclaiming it, and doing good in general. Thus, a woman in single marital state would be more concerned with these three things than one who is married. Again, as with the case of married and unmarried men, it is a matter of degree of devotion that is the concern since a married, believing woman would also be concerned with these things. Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit implies that an unmarried woman would be more concerned about things than a married woman in practical ways. That this is the case is evident in the primary focus of the unmarried woman.
The primary focus of the unmarried woman is given in the next clause of 1 Corinthians 7:34 Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. Literally, the Greek reads that she be holy both in her body and her spirit. The question is how to understand what the apostle stated in the literal Greek. To interpret what the apostle meant, there are four key words in the Greek text that are important in understanding what he stated.
The first key word in the literal Greek clause that reads that she be holy both in her body and her spirit is “that” that the NIV rendered aim. The word “that” in the literal translation is translated from a Greek conjunction (hina) that in our clause is subject to three possible interpretations. The conjunction may be interpreted as a marker of content of a discourse so that it has the meaning “that.” The implication of this interpretation in our literal clause she be holy both in her body and her spirit is that it gives the content of what an unmarried woman is concerned with regarding the things of the Lord. A second interpretation is that the conjunction serves as a marker of purpose, aim, or goal in which case it may be translated “in order that” or “that.” The implication of this interpretation is that the literal clause she be holy both in her body and her spirit is the goal or aim of the concern of the unmarried woman as it pertains to the things of the Lord or the Lord’s affairs, according to the NIV. A third interpretation is to consider the conjunction as a marker of result so that it may be translated “so that, that.” The implication of this interpretation is that the literal clause she be holy both in her body and her spirit is the result of an unmarried woman’s concern about the things of the Lord or in the words of the NIV the Lord’s affairs. The second and third interpretations are reflected in our English versions. For example, the second interpretation is reflected in the NIV while the third is reflected in the NRSV since it is translated “so that.” Anyway, it is often difficult to differentiate purpose from result so that this may be a case where the conjunction is used to indicate a result that follows from the purpose or aim of the unmarried woman. It is possible that the three interpretations are needed to fully convey what the apostle intended to convey with the Greek conjunction that we have considered. Hence, the apostle is probably concerned with what should result from the unmarried woman that is concerned with the things of the Lord as well as providing an explanation of what it means for the unmarried women to be concerned about the things of the Lord.
A second key word in the literal clause that she be holy both in her body and her spirit is “holy.” We need to explore this word because it is difficult to understand what it would mean for an unmarried woman to want to be holy in body and spirit as if the married, believing woman does not want the same things. Furthermore, the idea of being holy in the body may provide a wrong impression that there is something wrong with sex in marriage. That aside, the word “holy” often makes people think of being sinless or morally pure. Thus, it is important to examine the Greek word used to determine the best meaning in our passage. The word “holy” in the literal translation is translated from a Greek word (hagios) that pertains to being dedicated or consecrated to the service of God. So, the Greek adjective is used to describe, for example, prophets as those dedicated to God’s service in Acts 3:21:
He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.
The phrase holy prophets is concerned not with the moral quality of the prophets but with their relationship with God so that the phrase should be understood as those dedicated to God or those who serve Him. The word is used to describe the place Moses stood when the Lord appeared to him, as narrated in Stephen’s sermon in Acts 7:33:
“Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals; the place where you are standing is holy ground.
The phrase holy ground means a ground that is dedicated to God. The word may mean “sacred” as it is used to describe God’s command in 2 Peter 2:21:
It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.
Another meaning of the Greek adjective translated “holy” pertains to superior moral qualities and so means “pure, worthy of God.” It is in this moral sense that the word is used in 2 Peter 3:11:
Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives
When the word is used in the plural, in most cases, it refers to God’s people and so it is translated “saints,” as Ananias used it to describe believers that Paul as unbeliever was the ringleader of their persecutors as recorded in Acts 9:13:
“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem.
Apostle Paul also used the Greek word in that sense to describe believers in Jerusalem who were the recipients of the generosity of fellow Gentile believers, according to Romans 15:26:
For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 7:34, the sense is that of being dedicated to the Lord.
The third key word in the literal clause that she be holy both in her body and her spirit is “body” that is translated from a Greek word (sōma) that refers to the body of a human or animal. Human body is to be understood in different ways. The body could refer to the seat of sexual function as it is used to describe the state of Abraham when the Lord promised him of having a son, as we read in Romans 4:19:
Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.
The body may refer to seat of mortal life so that Apostle Paul used it to indicate being alive in contrast to being dead as to be with the Lord in 2 Corinthians 5:6:
Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.
The body may refer to organ of human activity so that it is the activity that is done through the body that will be evaluated before the Judgment Seat of Christ in 2 Corinthians 5:10:
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
The word may be used for the entire person as it is used in Apostle’s Paul declaration of what some in Corinth said about him, as we read in 2 Corinthians 10:10:
For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing.”
The phrase in person he is unimpressive is literally the bodily presence weak. The word may mean “physical” as in James 2:16:
If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?
The clause his physical needs is literally the things needful for the body. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 7:34, the word is used with meaning “body” so that it has the sense of “physical” or “the outer being of a person.” There is one more word we need to consider before we can interpret what the apostle meant in the clause Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit but we are out of time so we will consider that in our next study. However, let me end by reminding you the second responsibility of the section of 1 Corinthians 7:29-35 that you have as a believer which is, you should Remain vigilant to ensure your marital status does not affect your devotion to the Lord.
07/17/20