Lessons #245 and 246
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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, +
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+ 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, +
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+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
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Freedom of marriage of virgins (1 Cor 7:36-38)
36 If anyone thinks he is acting improperly toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if she is getting along in years and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married. 37 But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin—this man also does the right thing. 38 So then, he who marries the virgin does right, but he who does not marry her does even better.
The message of this passage that we indicated is applicable to every believer that studies or is taught this section of 1 Corinthians is this: You should not allow crisis or suffering to cause you to break your promise although you may delay its fulfillment with adequate explanation to the one you made the promise. Nonetheless, in our last study, we stated that the main point the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul conveyed to the Corinthians, and so to the church at large, in the section we are considering, is that engaged couples may be free to marry even in time of crisis or suffering under certain conditions. A first condition is that there must be an unusual elapse of time since the betrothal process was completed. The second condition we stated is in twofold manner: the man’s passion for sexual intercourse with his fiancée and her advancing age. The third is the bridegroom has strong desire to do so.
We have considered and now reviewed the three conditions that apostle stated which if any of them is present a believing, single man has freedom to marry even in time of crisis. Before we proceed to the rest of the passage we are considering, it would be necessary to apply the conditions we have considered in a way to benefit believers who live at the present time. The application that we considered is an advice related to modern day engagement. This advice is that engagement should be as short as possible. In effect, the time between engagement and marriage itself should be short in order of months. Recall we indicated that the Mishna recommended for the Jews for the period between betrothal and actual marriage in the sense of taking the wife home to the husband should be about twelve months for a virgin and about thirty days for widow or widower. The Jewish Encyclopedia indicated that after the dispersion of Israel among Western people the recommendation of the Mishnah was no longer followed since it was viewed to be inconvenient and not in keeping with the practices of where they were scattered. Consequently, it became customary to perform the entire marriage ceremony, betrothal and home-taking (“erusin” and “nissu’in”) at one time.
Be that as it may, the advice we provided is for the spiritual benefit of the two believers who are engaged to be married. If believers are serious in their spiritual life and recognize that it is contrary to the Scripture to be involved in sexual relationship before marriage, then the engaged couple would try to shorten the time of their being tempted to have sexual relationship with each other by marrying as soon as possible. I mean that if a believer recognizes that it is important to be under the control of the Holy Spirit which will not happen when there is sin of any kind, such a person would do everything that keeps the individual from sinning. It is difficult in the world in which we live today where there is a very loose moral standard and where the society sees nothing wrong with continuous close contact between young men and young women that are not married to each other. Therefore, it is incumbent on the believer to go against the societal norm and conduct self in a way that would ensure being filled of the Spirit. It is difficult to maintain sexual purity for a believer who is constantly burning with sexual desire to remain under the control of the Holy Spirit on a consistent basis as would be the case for those who are engaged to each other. It is for this reason that we recommend that the period between engagement and actual marriage should be as short as possible.
The idea of keeping short the time between engagement and marriage is not strange for anyone who wants to operate according to biblical pattern. We have examples of quick marriages in the Scripture which should actually be the pattern for marriage. The marriage of Isaac and Rebekah was concluded within days as we read in Genesis 24:50–60:
50 Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the LORD; we can say nothing to you one way or the other. 51 Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master’s son, as the LORD has directed.” 52 When Abraham’s servant heard what they said, he bowed down to the ground before the LORD. 53 Then the servant brought out gold and silver jewelry and articles of clothing and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave costly gifts to her brother and to her mother. 54 Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night there. When they got up the next morning, he said, “Send me on my way to my master.” 55 But her brother and her mother replied, “Let the girl remain with us ten days or so; then you may go.” 56 But he said to them, “Do not detain me, now that the LORD has granted success to my journey. Send me on my way so I may go to my master.” 57 Then they said, “Let’s call the girl and ask her about it.” 58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?” “I will go,” she said. 59 So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham’s servant and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “Our sister, may you increase to thousands upon thousands; may your offspring possess the gates of their enemies.”
Another example of quick marriage between betrothal and actual marriage is Samson’s attempted marriage of a Philistine woman. Samson saw a Philistine woman that he wanted to marry and so the parents went with him to negotiate the marriage so that the woman became betrothed to him as implied in Judges 14:2–7:
2 When he returned, he said to his father and mother, “I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah; now get her for me as my wife.” 3 His father and mother replied, “Isn’t there an acceptable woman among your relatives or among all our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife?” But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me. She’s the right one for me.” 4 (His parents did not know that this was from the LORD, who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines; for at that time they were ruling over Israel.) 5 Samson went down to Timnah together with his father and mother. As they approached the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young lion came roaring toward him. 6 The Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done. 7 Then he went down and talked with the woman, and he liked her.
The negotiation that occurred implied that Samson had become betrothed to the woman for unless that is the case, the woman would not have been referred as Samson’s wife in Judges 14:15:
On the fourth day, they said to Samson’s wife, “Coax your husband into explaining the riddle for us, or we will burn you and your father’s household to death. Did you invite us here to rob us?”
This aside, the betrothal and the actual attempted marriage was certainly a short time because of the incident with Samson killing a lion and then having bees swarm the carcass to produce honey, suggests that there was not a long time that transpired between initial negotiation and Samson’s return to bring the wife home as we read in Judges 14:8–9:
8 Some time later, when he went back to marry her, he turned aside to look at the lion’s carcass. In it was a swarm of bees and some honey, 9 which he scooped out with his hands and ate as he went along. When he rejoined his parents, he gave them some, and they too ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion’s carcass.
It is true that Samson eventually did not marry the woman but the point that we want to focus is that there was an attempt on a quick marriage between betrothal and marriage. Of course, a person who is familiar with the Scripture could argue that quick marriage is not the only pattern in the Scripture because Jacob had to wait for seven years before marrying Rachel. It is true that Jacob waited for seven years before marrying Rachel, but that situation does not fit what we are considering in the advice for quick marriage after engagement. To prove my point, let us briefly consider the situation with Jacob to see the difference, as we read in Genesis 29:18–21:
18 Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, “I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.” 19 Laban said, “It’s better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me.” 20 So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her. 21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to lie with her.”
There was no formal betrothal process between Jacob and Rachel. Laban and Jacob entered into an agreement that he would marry Rachel but there was no bride price paid as usually the case in a betrothal process. The bride price for marriage of Jacob to Rachel was the seven years of service. Therefore, until the seven years were completed the betrothal was not considered to have taken place. It was after the seven years that Jacob called Rachel his wife, implying that once he fulfilled the terms for the bride price then the betrothal was completed. It is for this reason that he then requested to Laban to give Rachel to him in a formal way as his wife. The point is that the example of Jacob does not invalidate the idea of quick marriage after engagement process is completed, if anything, it supports it because as soon as the seven years were completed, Jacob asked for formal marriage. If any person thinks that Jacob’s example is a pattern, then those who engage to become married that want to wait for seven years would have to do so without much personal contact. There was truly little contact between Jacob and Rachel so that there was no possibility of any sexual relationship between them unlike most of the people engaged to each other to be married in modern time. That there was not much contact between Jacob and Rachel is proven by what happened in the night of formal marriage where Leah was substituted for Rachel and Jacob did not realize until after the consummation of the marriage.
People in the West often frown at quick marriage because they say that the couples have not known each other long enough. Such view is not based on the Scripture but on culture. Even then, divorce is highest in the West than any other part of the world so that it could not be said that the practice followed in the West leads to a good outcome in marriage. The Scripture has examples of people who married others without much interaction between them before they married. I have given the example of Rebekah’s marriage to Isaac that she did not meet before marriage. The marriage of Boaz to Ruth is an example of quick marriage without each knowing other well in the way most in the West contend. Boaz who first met Ruth in his field only heard about her loyalty to her mother-in-law, as stated in Ruth 2:11–12:
11 Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. 12 May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”
The next encounter of Ruth with Boaz was at the suggestion of her mother-in-law in which she indirectly requested Boaz to marry her as implied with her request for him to spread the corner of his garment over her as we read in Ruth 3:7–13:
7 When Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he went over to lie down at the far end of the grain pile. Ruth approached quietly, uncovered his feet and lay down. 8 In the middle of the night something startled the man, and he turned and discovered a woman lying at his feet. 9 “Who are you?” he asked. “I am your servant Ruth,” she said. “Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer.” 10 “The LORD bless you, my daughter,” he replied. “This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor. 11 And now, my daughter, don’t be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All my fellow townsmen know that you are a woman of noble character. 12 Although it is true that I am near of kin, there is a kinsman-redeemer nearer than I. 13 Stay here for the night, and in the morning if he wants to redeem, good; let him redeem. But if he is not willing, as surely as the LORD lives I will do it. Lie here until morning.”
After this encounter of Ruth with Boaz, it did not take long for him to marry her as conveyed in Ruth 4:9–10:
9 Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, “Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelech, Kilion and Mahlon. 10 I have also acquired Ruth the Moabitess, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from the town records. Today you are witnesses!”
Still another example of quick marriage between two people with little contact with each other was David’s marriage to Abigail, Nabal’s widow. Abigail met David once when she tried to appease him after her husband’s shabby treatment of David’s men, as we read in 1 Samuel 25:18–28:
18 Abigail lost no time. She took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys. 19 Then she told her servants, “Go on ahead; I’ll follow you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal. 20 As she came riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, there were David and his men descending toward her, and she met them. 21 David had just said, “It’s been useless—all my watching over this fellow’s property in the desert so that nothing of his was missing. He has paid me back evil for good. 22 May God deal with David, be it ever so severely, if by morning I leave alive one male of all who belong to him!” 23 When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed down before David with her face to the ground. 24 She fell at his feet and said: “My lord, let the blame be on me alone. Please let your servant speak to you; hear what your servant has to say. 25 May my lord pay no attention to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name—his name is Fool, and folly goes with him. But as for me, your servant, I did not see the men my master sent. 26 “Now since the LORD has kept you, my master, from bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hands, as surely as the LORD lives and as you live, may your enemies and all who intend to harm my master be like Nabal. 27 And let this gift, which your servant has brought to my master, be given to the men who follow you. 28 Please forgive your servant’s offense, for the LORD will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my master, because he fights the LORD’s battles. Let no wrongdoing be found in you as long as you live.
Sometime after Abigail became a widow, David married her as stated in 1 Samuel 25:39–42:
39 When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Praise be to the LORD, who has upheld my cause against Nabal for treating me with contempt. He has kept his servant from doing wrong and has brought Nabal’s wrongdoing down on his own head.” Then David sent word to Abigail, asking her to become his wife. 40 His servants went to Carmel and said to Abigail, “David has sent us to you to take you to become his wife.” 41 She bowed down with her face to the ground and said, “Here is your maidservant, ready to serve you and wash the feet of my master’s servants.” 42 Abigail quickly got on a donkey and, attended by her five maids, went with David’s messengers and became his wife.
The point is that biblical pattern supports quick marriage following an engagement. The problem with us today is that people do not often have the conviction from the Lord that they have found the right spouse and so they give themselves time to try to be sure. However, that is not the biblical approach. A person should first be certain that the individual to who he/she is to be engaged is indeed God’s choice for the individual. Once a person is certain then there should be no reason to delay the marriage. Abraham’s servant was certain he picked the right wife for Isaac because of his prayer that was answered. Those who want to marry should seek the Lord and forget this trial-and-error process called dating. If two individuals believe they are to be married because God has put them together then there is no reason not to marry as quickly as possible regardless of what the society thinks. Anyway, the application of the conditions that allow for marriage in time of crisis or suffering that the Holy Spirit gave through Apostle Paul we have considered is that believers who are engaged to each other should marry as soon as possible to avoid the possibility of sexual immorality. With this application we continue with the rest of the passage we are studying.
The apostle having stated in 1 Corinthians 7:36 that it is not sinful to marry in time of crisis under the three conditions he stipulated, proceeds to teach regarding an alternative position to marrying in time of crisis that is equally not sinful. This alternative position is introduced by the conjunction but that begins 1 Corinthians 7:37. The conjunction “but” is translated from a Greek conjunction (de) although may be interpreted to mean it is used to indicate continuation to what precedes it in which case it is best left untranslated but in our verse, it is used to state an alternative that contrasts with what preceded it. This contrasting alternative is introduced in our English versions using the word “but” or “however” or “on the other hand.”
Interestingly, the apostle did not immediately state the alternative to what he stipulated in verse 36 which is delay or postponement of the marriage that we will get to at the appropriate time, but he stated the conditions that are necessary for it to be right. Like in verse 36, the apostle stated three conditions that should be fulfilled to ensure that delaying marriage is proper. The first condition that the man who is engaged or betrothed should meet to postpone marriage is being convinced it is the right thing to do, without any feeling of being pressured. It is this condition that is introduced in the first clause of 1 Corinthians 7:37 the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion. Literally the Greek reads whoever stands firm in his heart not having obligation.
The expression has settled the matter is the way in which the translators of the NIV translated a verb and an adjective used in the Greek. The word “stands” we used in the literal translation is translated from a Greek word (histēmi) that can mean to literally stand up on someone’s feet as in the instruction of the Lord to Paul at the point of his conversion, as per his testimony in Acts 26:16:
‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you.
The Greek word can mean to stand firm so as to remain stable hence means “to stand firm, to hold someone’s ground”, as it is used in Romans 14:4:
Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
The first “stand” in this passage is to be understood to mean “to stand firm” or “hold one’s ground” although the entire clause to his own master he stands or falls probably meant whether one maintains one’s status or relationship to a master depends on the master’s judgment or evaluation. It is in the sense of “to stand firm” of personal commitment that the word is used in our passage of 1 Corinthians 7:37.
The adjective the translators of the NIV combined with the Greek verb we considered in their translation of the expression has settled the matter that literally reads stands firm is the Greek word (hedraios) that may mean “firm, steadfast” as it is used in the Apostle Paul’s encouragement to Corinthians about working for the Lord in 1 Corinthians 15:58:
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
It is in the sense of “firm” or “steadfast”, that is, not subject to change, especially as it pertains to a decision one makes that the word is used in our passage of 1 Corinthians 7:37.
That the apostle is concerned with decision one makes is conveyed in the next phrase in his own mind of 1 Corinthians that literally reads in his heart. The word “heart” is translated from a Greek word (kardia) that in the NT never has the meaning of physical heart that is a pumping organ for circulating blood throughout the body. Instead, the word is used as center and source of the whole inner life, with its thinking, feeling, and volition. So, the word can be used for expressing of inner life. The apostle used it in the sense of either affection or thought when he used the word in his epistle to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 6:11:
We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you.
To open wide the heart here could refer to an expression of love and affection or thoughts and feelings, probably like our English idiom of pouring one’s heart to another. The Greek word rendered “heart” may mean the “mind” as source of thought, as it is used in 1 Corinthians 2:9:
However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”—
The expression no mind has conceived is more literally have not entered into the heart of man. Heart can refer to the whole inner being with reference to moral decisions and moral life that involves virtues and vices. Thus, the word is used by the apostle in his encouragement to the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians 3:13:
May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.
The word “heart” here refers to the inner being with specific reference to understanding and courage. Heart may also mean “disposition”, as implied in Colossians 3:22:
Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.
The phrase sincerity of heart may be understood as “a sincere disposition.” The point is that the word “heart” can be used in several ways in the NT Scripture to describe the inner life of a person. In our context of 1 Corinthians 7:37, the most fitting meaning is “mind.” Hence, it is the decision a person has reached in the mind that the apostle was concerned as he stated the first condition we are considering.
The first condition, as we stated, is that the man who is engaged or betrothed should be convinced it is the right thing to postpone his marriage without any feeling of being pressured. The idea of not having any feeling of being pressured is derived from the clause of 1 Corinthians 7:37 who is under no compulsion. The word “compulsion” is translated from a Greek word (anagkē) that may mean “necessary” as it is used in the argument of the human author of Hebrews regarding the necessity of the death of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins or purification of heavenly things as we read in Hebrews 9:23:
It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
The word may mean “compulsion” as it is used in apostle’s teaching regarding giving in a local church that should avoid pressurizing believers to give, as stated in 2 Corinthians 9:7:
Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
The word may mean “hardship” as Apostle Paul used it to narrate his difficult experiences as it relates to the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ in 2 Corinthians 12:10:
That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
The word may mean “distress” as Apostle Paul used it to describe the state hew as in when he received encouraging information about the Thessalonians’ faith in 1 Thessalonians 3:7:
Therefore, brothers, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith.
It is, in the sense of “necessity” or “pressure of any kind” from an outside force that the word is used in our passage of 1 Corinthians 7:27. Thus, the apostle intended to convey that the person who decides to postpone marriage is not being pressured by the age of the bride to move quickly or by the societal pressure of an unusually long engagement. In this case, the individual is confident that he has made the right decision despite whatever pressure that may be brought to bear on him.
A word of caution about making right decision in general is in order at this point in our study. It is possible for a person to believe that the individual has made a right decision about anything and be wrong. This is because of the influence of the fallen human nature. It is the sinful nature that may cause us to think we are right when it is possible that we are wrong. In effect, we all are capable of self-justification so that we may be convinced we are right about the position we take, but we may not be. That we are capable of self-justification is implied in Proverbs 16:2:
All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord.
The verbal phrase seem innocent to him is more literally pure in his own eyes. We have the tendency to think we are right because we find nothing wrong with our conduct or actions based on our self-evaluation. This means that a person may think the individual is right and not feel the pressure of the society that may be brought to bear on that person regarding an action taken. Some people may say that their conscience is clear about what they did or intended to do but we should recognize that our conscience is a function of the standards we have acquired. The implication is that a person may claim to have a clear conscience and may still be wrong as that is part of what Apostle Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 4:4:
My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.
So, to avoid any deception regarding our decisions or actions, we must ground them on the word of God since that is the only reliable standard by which to judge our actions or thoughts. In any event, the first condition that the man who is engaged or betrothed should meet to postpone marriage is being convinced it is the right thing to do, without any feeling of being pressured by any external force.
A second condition that the man who is engaged or betrothed should meet to postpone marriage is the ability to maintain repeated control over his sexual desires. This is not stated directly but that is implied in the clause of 1 Corinthians 7:37 but has control over his own will. Literally, the clause reads, but having control over his own desire. Our use of the word “having” instead of the word “has” of the NIV is to convey what we stated when we said that the man should “maintain repeated control.” The idea of the word “repeated” is due to the fact that the Greek word translated “has” in the NIV is in the present tense in the Greek. It is true that the present tense in the Greek is subject to various interpretations but in our passage, it is used to depict repeated action that occurs at various intervals. Sexual desire is not something that one continuously have but it comes and goes and so we are correct in using the word “repeated” in stating the second condition. Of course, there is the problem that the clause we are considering does not state directly that it is sexual desire that is intended in our clause so it would be necessary to establish that it is the concern of the clause. To do this, we need to examine two key words used in the clause.
The first key word of the clause but has control over his own will is “control” that is translated from a Greek word (exousia) that has a range of meanings. The word may mean “ability” to do something as that desired by Simon the Sorcerer to be able to lay his hand on someone, so the person receives the Holy Spirit as stated in Acts 8:19:
and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
The word may mean “power” that one exercises over another as it is used to describe the power Satan exercises over people in enslaving them as we read in Acts 26:18:
to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
The word may mean “authority” as that possessed by those who rule others that have the right to give orders as the word is used in Romans 13:1:
Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
The word may mean “right” as Apostle Paul used it to convey that he has the right of support from believers in Corinth being an apostle and their teacher as we read in 1 Corinthians 9:12:
If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more?
But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.
The word may mean “control” as it is used to indicate God’s control over plagues that cause great pain on unbelievers that would be judged in the future as we read in Revelation 16:9:
They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 7:37, the word has the sense of “control” although it is also possible that it means “be at liberty” depending on the object of the liberty or control. The thing the apostle indicates a man has control or is at liberty is given in the second key word of the clause of 1 Corinthian 7:37 but has control over his own will we are considering.
The second key word is “will” that is translated from a Greek word (thelēma) that basically means “will” that can be used either in objective sense of what one wishes to happen or in a subjective sense of desiring something. In the objective sense, it can mean God’s will as Apostle Paul used it in Romans 2:18:
if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law;
Another objective sense of the word refers to what one wishes to bring about by the activity of others, to whom one assigns a task. It is in this sense that the apostle used it to describe God’s perfect will in Romans 12:2:
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Still another objective sense of the word refers to what one wishes to bring about by one’s own action, since one has undertaken to do what one has willed. It is in this sense that the word is used in connection with salvation plan and work of God in Ephesians 1:9:
And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,
There is nothing about salvation that is left to man, so God carried it out to ensure that what He willed with respect to salvation comes into fruition. In a subjective sense, the word relating to God refers to what He purposes or has purposed, what He regards, or does, as good. It is in this sense that the apostle used the word in describing his plan to come to the Roman believers in Romans 15:32:
so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and together with you be refreshed.
It is also in this sense of what God purposes or has purposed that the Apostle Peter used our Greek word in connection with suffering of believers in 1 Peter 3:17:
It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
The conditional clause if it is God’s will is more literally if the will of God wills. The literal word “wills” suggests doubt that believers would suffer and that it is God’s will but, in truth, believer’s suffering is God’s will in accordance with His plan. So, Joseph suffered in Egypt because it is in conformity with God’s will so that God’s plan will be manifested through him. The Greek word may mean “desire” as it is used in describing the state of unbelievers in terms of their conduct in Ephesians 2:3:
All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.
It is in the sense of “desire” that the Greek word is used in 1 Corinthians 7:37 although the meaning “will” is also possible as some have interpret it.
Our examination of the two key words of the clause of 1 Corinthians 7:37 but has control over his own will indicates that the second condition stated in the clause may be interpreted in two ways. A first interpretation is to take the clause as expressing the man is at liberty to exercise his will regarding postponing a proposed marriage. This interpretation is supported by the fact that the preceding clause is concerned with compulsion as in the clause who is under no compulsion. For this reason, it is felt that the Greek word translated “control” should be understood to have the sense of “being at liberty.” In effect, this interpretation implies that the clause but has control over his own will explains what it means not to be under compulsion since the Greek word translated “but” can also be used to provide explanation. The implication of this interpretation is that the clause does not provide a second condition for delaying of marriage. This first interpretation although makes sense does not seem to be what the apostle meant because there would have been no need for him to explain what it means to be under no compulsion considering what the apostle stated in verse 36 regarding what it means to be acting improperly to a woman the man is engaged to be married. Recall, we indicated that it is societal pressure that the apostle meant when he indicated that one of the conditions to marry the woman a man is engaged in time of crisis is that of behaving improperly to a fiancée. A second interpretation of the clause we are considering is that the second condition the apostle stated for delaying marriage is the man’s ability to control his sexual desire. This interpretation is probably what the apostle had in mind for at least two reasons. The apostle had already, as we interpreted, the sentence of verse 36 he feels he ought to marry or literally if he be with strong passions as referring to sexual desires. Thus, it would seem when the apostle instructs regarding postpone of marriage that he would also be thinking of sexual desires of the man. Furthermore, in the context of this seventh chapter of 1 Corinthians concerning marriage, the apostle had indicated that a person should marry instead of burning with sexual desire as the apostle wrote in 1 Corinthians 7:9:
But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
Because the apostle had already taught that marriage is a better option than burning with sexual desire, it makes better sense for the apostle to add the condition that concerns sexual desire as a condition under which a person could delay his marriage. In other words, the apostle meant that if a person could control his sexual desires then he should temporarily postpone marriage in time of crisis or suffering until things improve. The point is that the second condition that a man may postpone marriage in time of crisis is the ability to maintain repeated control over his own sexual desires. This brings us to the third condition but we are out of time so we will continue with it in our next study. Let me remind you of the message that is applicable to every believer regardless of the person’s marital status is You should not allow crisis or suffering to cause you to break your promise although you may delay its fulfillment with adequate explanation to the one you made the promise. 08/07/20