Lessons #249 and 250
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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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Freedom of marriage of widows (1 Cor 7:39-40)
39 A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord. 40 In my judgment, she is happier if she stays as she is—and I think that I too have the Spirit of God.
The apostle in this section completes his instruction regarding marriages of two groups that he introduced in 1 Corinthians 7:8 in the phrase to the unmarried and the widows. We indicated that the unmarried refers to those who are single either because they have never married or the unpleasant situation of divorce. This unmarried group is different from those who are single because of death of a spouse. The apostle did not dwell much on his desire for them to remain single as he was with the first group although he indicated they should marry if such individuals could not control themselves since it is better to be married than to be consumed with sexual lust. The apostle after identifying the unmarried and widows as those he would wish to remain single because it will be more beneficial to them, proceeded to deal with the subject of separation and or divorce in verses 10-16. This is followed by addressing three concerns of believers in Corinth in verses 17-28. These concerns involved circumcision status (ethnicity concern), social standing, and marital status. In dealing with the marital status, the apostle gave a situational advice of not changing a person’s marital status because of crisis or sufferings the Corinthians were facing. The advice he gave impacted more severely on those who were single. Thus, he gave two major reasons in verses 29 to 35 for advocating singleness in time of crisis which were shortness of time and the effect of marital status on a person’s devotion to the Lord. The apostle, of course, recognized that there were probably some who were betrothed or engaged in the local church of Corinth, so he taught in verses 36 to 38 about their freedom to either go ahead and marry or postpone the marriage until favorable time. His instruction was directed mostly to the individuals betrothed to a virgin or a woman that has never married. So, to complete his instruction regarding the matter of marriage, the apostle then returns to address widows who may or may not be betrothed regarding their freedom to marry even in the time of crisis. It is with the address regarding the freedom of widows that the apostle ended his treatment of the subject of marriage that he taught in the seventh chapter of 1 Corinthians.
Anyway, the apostle conveyed a specific message to widows in Corinth and so to the church at large. It is true that the passage restricts a widow to the kind of person she should marry but the instruction gives an overall message that is applicable to all believers everywhere as long as the church is on the earth. This message is simply this: Believers should only marry fellow believers. This is a very simply message that in many quarters are ignored by Christians. Therefore, we will expound on the section before us with a focus on this message. Exposition of the message of this section involves three major issues the apostle addressed. The first is the status of a widow in relation to the dead husband. By the way, although the apostle focused on a widow but what he says regarding a widow is applicable to a widower. The second concerns the limitation placed on her freedom to remarry. The third concerns an advice that is intended to be helpful to those who are widowed. We will examine each of these issues as we expound the passage.
A first major issue the apostle dealt with is the relationship of a widow regarding the dead husband. A person who is serious with his/her faith wants to be sure that whatever the individual does is in keeping with the word of God. Therefore, it is possible that there were some in Corinth who did not understand the relationship between a widow and dead husband in terms of her obligation to him and so would want to have clarification of how to view their relationship with their dead husbands. Remember that the Holy Spirit through the apostle had indicated that if an unbelieving spouse leaves a believing spouse that the believer is free to remarry as we have argued based on the statement of 1 Corinthians 7:15:
But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace.
So, it is necessary to help a believer who is widowed to have the correct perspective of the relationship between her and the dead husband. The Holy Spirit through the apostle tells such a widow that she is no longer obligated to her dead husband regarding the marriage bond. It is this fact that is given in the first sentence of 1 Corinthians 7:39 A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. We used the word “obligated” when the sentence used the word “bound” so it is necessary to show why we used this word by considering the word “bound” of the NIV.
The word “bound” is translated from a Greek verb (deō) that may mean “to bind” with several nuances. It could mean “to tie up” someone as it is used in the Lord Jesus’ description of what must take place before a strong man is robbed of his possession in Matthew 12:29:
“Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house.
The meaning “to bind” may have the sense of “to prohibit” or “to forbid” as it is used to indicate that what the church prohibits or forbids would be approved by God in Matthew 18:18:
“I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
To bind may mean “to cause illness” or “to cause physical hardship” as it is used to describe the condition of the woman the Lord Jesus healed recorded in Luke 13:16:
Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”
The meaning “to bind” may mean “to wrap” as it is used for wrapping of the body of Jesus for burial, as recorded in John 19:40:
Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs.
To bind may mean “to compel” as it is used in describing that Paul was being sent to Jerusalem by the Holy Spirit in Acts 20:22:
“And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.
The meaning “to bind” when used in relationship of a wife to her husband may mean “to restrict” or “to put under the authority” or simply “to be obligated” as in Romans 7:2:
For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage.
It is in the sense of being obligated to a husband by law and duty that the word is used in our passage of 1 Corinthians 7:39. So, a woman is no longer obligated to the dead husband. Death broke the marital bond between them. I have heard of some widows who did not want to remarry because they felt that such would be cheating on their dead husbands but that is not the truth but merely a sentiment that is not rooted in the Scripture. Again, once death occurs, the relationship between a man and his wife is broken. It does not mean that the woman would not cherish the memory of her husband, but she should understand that he is no longer thinking of her as she does him as the Scripture implies in Ecclesiastes 9:5–6:
5For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten. 6Their love, their hate and their jealousy have long since vanished; never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun.
This passage is clear that a dead husband’s love has ceased to exist regarding the wife because he is in a different world of reality. The implication is that a widow should not think of being obligated to the dead husband. Again, she may cherish his memory but whatever love relationship they had, came to an end once death occurred. Let me repeat what we said of a widow applies to a widower.
It is important to understand that the obligation of a woman to a man in marriage ends with either by death or through divorce. The reason for this point is because of the implication of the sentence of 1 Corinthians 7:39 A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. It is taken by some to mean that the apostle prohibits divorce for any reason which we have argued in previous study that such an interpretation is not quite accurate. The problem with our sentence is with the clause as long as he lives. The implication of this clause if not properly interpreted is that once a woman marries a man, she is obligated to him for the time of the duration of the man’s life on this planet. This would then mean that if a woman is divorced, she remains obligated to her former husband until he dies. Is it really what the Holy Spirit intended to convey in the passage we are considering? Some people, as I have alluded, take the view that that is what the Holy Spirit intended to convey, so they say that if a woman is divorced, she could not remarry because of this passage but must wait until her former husband dies. This notwithstanding, I do not think that is what the Holy Spirit intended to convey to the church through the apostle.
There are two reasons for asserting that the Holy Spirit in the clause as long as he lives does not mean that a woman in the event of divorce is obligated to the former husband until he dies. First, the context of the clause is that of a widow. Thus, the clause should be interpreted only as it applies to the concept of a widow. It is not an absolute statement that applies in every situation of marriage. Second, biblically sanctioned divorce means that a woman is free of obligation to the former husband and so carries with it the freedom to remarry. This statement is supported by the range of meanings of the Hebrew and Greek words often translated “divorce.” Let me begin in the Hebrew OT with the use of the verb “divorce” in Deuteronomy 24:4:
then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled. That would be detestable in the eyes of the LORD. Do not bring sin upon the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.
The word “divorce” is translated from a Hebrew word (šālǎḥ) that means “to send” but it may mean “to set free” as in Genesis 49:21:
“Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns.
The Hebrew word is used for setting free a Hebrew slave that had obligated himself to a fellow Hebrew after serving him for six years as stipulated in Jeremiah 34:14:
‘Every seventh year each of you must free any fellow Hebrew who has sold himself to you. After he has served you six years, you must let him go free.’ Your fathers, however, did not listen to me or pay attention to me.
The word “divorce” is used in Deuteronomy 24:1:
If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house,
The word “divorce” in this passage is translated from a Hebrew noun (kerîṯûṯ) that means “divorce.” The phrase a certificate of divorce is literally a letter of divorce. A certificate of divorce assumes that the woman is free to remarry as we will consider shortly but for now, we should understand that the reason a woman would be given such a document is for her protection. It is assumed that she would remarry. In Israel when a man marries a woman and discovers that she is not a virgin, the woman is subject to death penalty as indicated in Deuteronomy 22:19–21:
19 They shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver and give them to the girl’s father, because this man has given an Israelite virgin a bad name. She shall continue to be his wife; he must not divorce her as long as he lives. 20 If, however, the charge is true and no proof of the girl’s virginity can be found, 21 she shall be brought to the door of her father’s house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death. She has done a disgraceful thing in Israel by being promiscuous while still in her father’s house. You must purge the evil from among you.
Supposed a woman who had been divorced and without children moved from one part of Israel to another where no one knows she has been married. If a man marries her and discovers she is not a virgin, he may charge her of sexual immorality while still in her father’s house. However, if the woman produces her certificate of divorce, she would be cleared of any charge of sexual immorality. Anyway, the Hebrew words we have cited imply the sense of freedom to remarry because of the implication of the words used is that of freedom from something or someone.
In the NT, the word “divorce” as a verb is used in Matthew 1:19:
Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
The word “divorce” is translated from a Greek word (apoluō) that has other meanings. The word may mean “to release” a prisoner so the person can be free as it is used in the custom of releasing a prisoner to the Jews by the Roman governor during the Passover celebration, as stated in John 18:39:
But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?”
It is in the same sense of setting a prisoner free that the word is used in narrating what Agrippa said regard freeing Apostle Paul if had not appealed to Caesar, as recorded in Acts 26:32:
Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”
So, the Greek verb translated “to divorce” in Matthew 1:19 has a shade of meaning that suggests freedom. Another Greek word (aphiēmi) that means “to divorce” is used in 1 Corinthians 7:13:
And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him.
However, the word also means “to cancel” a debt as it is used in Matthew 18:32:
“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.
Here “debt” is translated from a Greek word (opheilē) that refers to marital duty or obligation as stated in 1 Corinthians 7:3:
The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband.
The implication of the meaning of the word “debt” used in Matthew 18:32 for cancellation of debt is that the Greek word translated “divorce” in 1 Corinthians 7:13 has the implication of freedom from an obligation. The word “divorce” as a noun is used in 1 Corinthians 7:27:
Are you married? Do not seek a divorce. Are you unmarried? Do not look for a wife.
The word “divorce” is translated from a Greek word (lysis) that appears only here in the entire NT Greek. Outside the NT, the word means “loosing or delivering” although it is used in different ways. The word was used with meaning of “redemption of mortgage or pledge.” It is used with the meaning “release” or “discharge” from a financial obligation or anything that binds an individual. As a technical term it has the meaning of “solution of a difficulty.” It is therefore not surprising that the word is used in the sense of “interpretation” or “explanation” in the Septuagint of Ecclesiastes 8:1:
Who is like the wise man? Who knows the explanation of things? Wisdom brightens a man’s face
and changes its hard appearance.
Although many suggest that the word should be translated “divorce” in 1 Corinthians 7:27, it is better to use a general meaning of “release” to translate the Greek word we considered although the use of the meaning “divorce” is not wrong, but the meaning of “release” indicates that the Greek noun translated “divorce” in 1 Corinthians 7:27 has the sense of freedom. Thus, the Greek words used in the NT for divorce we considered imply that divorce carries the concept of freedom from a former husband. Hence, based on the range of meanings of the Greek and Hebrew words we considered, we contend that divorce has the sense of freedom from a previous obligation to a woman’s former husband.
Another reason we contend that biblically approved divorce has the sense of a woman being free from any obligation to the former husband is that the Scripture anticipates that a divorced woman could remarry as we may gather from Deuteronomy 24:2–3:
2 and if after she leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man, 3 and her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, or if he dies,
The idea of a divorced woman being the wife of another man suggests that biblically sanctioned divorce carries with it the right to remarry and so the divorced woman is free of any obligation to the former husband. By the way, the fact that there are two conditions stipulated in verse 3 under which a woman could not return to the first husband tells us that the woman is not obligated to her former husband. The conditions that are stipulated under which the woman could not return to a first husband involve either the death of a second husband or she is again divorced. If being divorced the second time is a condition as well as the death of her second husband for not returning to the first husband then it must mean that the freedom of a woman whose husband dies is the same as that of the woman divorced. In effect, the obligation of a woman to a former husband ends with divorce or death.
Still another reason we know that once a woman is divorced on the grounds supported by the Scripture, she is free of any obligation to a former husband is the concept of vows given in the OT Scripture. A widow or a divorced woman’s vow is binding on her as we read in Numbers 30:9:
“Any vow or obligation taken by a widow or divorced woman will be binding on her.
However, the vow of a woman that is married is not binding on her without the consent of the husband, as we read in Numbers 30:10–13:
10 “If a woman living with her husband makes a vow or obligates herself by a pledge under oath 11 and her husband hears about it but says nothing to her and does not forbid her, then all her vows or the pledges by which she obligated herself will stand. 12 But if her husband nullifies them when he hears about them, then none of the vows or pledges that came from her lips will stand. Her husband has nullified them, and the LORD will release her. 13 Her husband may confirm or nullify any vow she makes or any sworn pledge to deny herself.
A married woman is obligated to the husband and so her vow is affected by her husband’s decision but as we have stated, that is not the case with a widow or a divorced woman implying that a divorced woman stands in the same relationship with the widow when it comes to the matter of obligation to a man. A divorced woman is under no obligation to the former husband, so it is important not to misapply the clause of 1 Corinthians 7:39 as long as he lives.
The Holy Spirit through the apostle states what is true if the husband of a woman dies in the clause of 1 Corinthians 7:39 But if her husband dies. The word “dies” is translated from a Greek word (koimaō) that may mean “to fall asleep” in a literal sense as the word is used to describe Apostle Peter sleeping in jail in Acts 12:6:
The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance.
The word may mean “to fall asleep” figuratively in the sense of “to die” as it is used to describe the death of Lazarus by the Lord Jesus as we may gather from John 11:11–12:
11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.” 12 His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.”
The Lord Jesus described Lazarus of having fallen asleep, but the disciples did not understand that He was speaking figuratively so we have a commentary that indicates He meant death, as we read in John 11:13:
Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.
The figurative usage of the meaning “to fall asleep” is one that used to describe the death of believers in Christ. Thus, Apostle Paul used it to describe believers who have died when he wrote this first epistle to Corinthians that we are considering. For example, the apostle used it to convey that some of the believers who were eyewitnesses to the resurrection of Jesus Christ have died, as he wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:6:
After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
The apostle used the same figurative meaning to describe to the Thessalonians the death of believers who will resurrect in the future in 1 Thessalonians 4:14:
We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
Of course, the Greek word we are considering is outright translated with the meaning “to die” in the passage where Apostle Peter speaks about those who would mock the idea of the second coming of Christ in 2 Peter 3:4:
They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”
It is in the sense of “to be dead” in a physical sense that the word is used in 1 Corinthians 7:39. You may say to yourself that it is pretty clear that physical death is involved so why even bother to make the point that it is physical death that is concerned. The reason we make this point is that as we have already noted the Greek word we said meant “to be dead” means literally “to fall asleep” so it is important to stress that the man is dead in a physical sense. Besides, the word “die” may be used in the sense of coming out of the control of something. It is this that is reflected in what Apostle Paul of coming out of the control of the law stated in Galatians 2:19:
For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God.
It is true that the word “died” is translated from a different Greek word (apothnēskō) than the one used in 1 Corinthians 7:39 but the English reader has no way of knowing that. When the apostle said he died to the law, he meant that he was rescued from its domination and control. Thus, divorce could also be considered being dead from a man since we have noted that divorce implies that a woman is no longer under obligation and so no longer under the control of the former husband. It is for this reason that we want to emphasize that the clause But if her husband dies is concerned with physical death and not divorce.
The freedom of a widow to remarry is stated in the next sentence of 1 Corinthians 7:39 she is free to marry anyone she wishes. The word “free” is translated from a Greek word (eleutheros) that may mean “free” in the sense of being released or not bound by obligation, as it is used to indicate a widow is released from marriage obligation of the deceased husband in Apostle Paul’s statement in Romans 7:3:
So then, if she marries another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress, even though she marries another man.
The sentence she is released from that law is literally she is free from the law. The word may mean “free” in the sense of being free socially and politically, so not to be a slave as the word is used in contrast between being a slave and a free person in the apostle’s teaching that there is no social difference among believers in Christ as stated in Galatians 3:28:
There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 7:39, it is used with the meaning “free,” that is, not under obligation or not under restraint. In effect, there is no restriction put on the widow’s desire to remarry. If she desires to remarry, there is nothing that keeps her from marriage. Her remarriage is not sinful.
A widow’s freedom to marry is not an absolute freedom but a restricted freedom. You see, many people reject the idea that we do not have freewill in the sense of doing whatever we want to do or making decisions of what we like to do. That aside, there is a such thing as freedom of choice that exists within God’s plan. That our freedom of choice is limited within the plan of God is revealed in the limitation placed on the widow that desires to remarry. This limitation is given in the last clause of 1 Corinthians 7:39 but he must belong to the Lord. To say that a person is free to do what the individual wants with a restriction, in my understanding, does not mean a person is totally free to do whatever the individual wants. Here a restriction is given to the field of choice of a husband. A widow is not at liberty to marry any man that comes along with marriage proposal. Her decision is to be guided by the restriction placed on her which is that she must marry a fellow believer.
The requirement that a believing widow who wishes to remarry must marry a fellow believing man is given in the sentence he must belong to the Lord. Literally, the Greek reads only in the Lord. The phrase belong to the Lord or literally in the Lord has been interpreted in two ways by commentators. Some take the view that it means she must remember that she is a member of Christ’s body and act accordingly. Others take the view the phrase is a description of one who is a believer in the Lord Jesus. I am with those who take the second interpretation of the phrase being a description of a Christian for the reasons I will advance. Apostle Paul used the literal phrase to describe himself as a believer as we read in Romans 14:14:
As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean.
The apostle used it in greeting of those that are members of the household of Narcissus that are believers, according to Romans 16:11:
Greet Herodion, my relative. Greet those in the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord.
The literal phrase in the Lord is essentially the same as the phrase in Christ that is used to describe believers as stated in Romans 16:7:
Greet Andronicus and Junias, my relatives who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.
The sentence they were in Christ before I was conveys that those the apostle mentioned were believers or Christians before he. Thus, the translator of the TEV rendered the Greek sentence as they became Christians before I did.
In any case, the sentence he must belong to the Lord of 1 Corinthians 7:39 introduced an important rule or principle that governs a Christian marriage. It is that a believer must marry a fellow believer. Unfortunately, many Christians ignore this rule to their own hurt either because they are ignorant of it or because they rebelled against God’s word. Many young people are eager to marry that they would marry anyone that come along. In some cases, some of these individuals deceive themselves by thinking that after they marry, the other spouse would become a believer due to their influence. That may or may not happen but the believer who marries an unbeliever has placed self in a road of misery because of mixing of persons that should not be mixed in marriage. Believers have nothing in common with unbelievers in what matters most, which is the spiritual life. I mean that two persons who come from the same cultural background, but one is a believer, and the other is not, do not have anything in common that matters. A person may say we have the same cultural background and so we must have something in common. Yes, the two may have the same cultural background but that does not mean that they have anything in common in what matters most in life, the spiritual life. The Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul conveyed the truth that believers have nothing in common with unbelievers in what matters most in life, that is, again, spiritual, in 2 Corinthians 6:14–16:
14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
The command Do not be yoked together with unbelievers is taken by many to refer to prohibition against mixed marriage between believers and unbelievers. This interpretation although correct is limiting the command. It is probably that the Holy Spirit forbids believers of forming close relationships with unbelievers in which marriage is one but not the only one. For example, a believer should not knowingly enter business partnership with an unbeliever. We say this because, we have a case where God expressed His displeasure of this sort of partnership between a believing king of Judah and an unbelieving king of Israel as recorded in 2 Chronicles 20:35–37:
35 Later, Jehoshaphat king of Judah made an alliance with Ahaziah king of Israel, who was guilty of wickedness. 36 He agreed with him to construct a fleet of trading ships. After these were built at Ezion Geber, 37 Eliezer son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have made an alliance with Ahaziah, the LORD will destroy what you have made.” The ships were wrecked and were not able to set sail to trade.
The reason the ships wrecked is because a believer entered business partnership with an unbeliever. That notwithstanding, the passage of 2 Corinthians 6:14 indicates that there is nothing a believer has in common with unbelievers in what matters most in life, the spiritual. Hence, it would be wrong for a believer because of coming from the same cultural background marries a person in that cultural background who is an unbeliever.
The point is that the sentence he must belong to the Lord of 1 Corinthians 7:39 is one that sets a general rule all those who call themselves Christians should follow without exception although some give a pass here. Their point being what if a believer could not find another believer to marry what then should he or she do? Well, such a person should trust the Lord and continue to witness to unbelievers with the trust that one of the unbelievers will respond and be a possible candidate for marriage. We are not concerned with a situation where both husband and wife were unbelievers prior to marriage since the apostle had already dealt with that. Our concern is with one that is a believer and unmarried. Such a person should recognize that it is not permissible for the individual to be married to an unbeliever because the person could not find a fellow believer to marry. It is a test of how real a person’s Christian faith is as it pertains to the rule, we have stated based on the passage we are studying. How? You may ask. It is a test to determine if the believer accepts the truth that all believers form the new humanity in Christ that the Holy Spirit stated through Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:15:
by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace,
The phrase one new man out of the two speaks to the fact that in Christ a new humanity exists that is draw from two ethnic groups generally recognized in the Scripture, that is, the Jews and Gentiles. Thus, the new humanity in Christ has nothing to with one’s ethnicity before salvation. In fact, the Holy Spirit tells us that in Christ there is no distinction of ethnicity as we read in a passage we cited previously, that is, Galatians 3:28:
There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
The implication of the two passages that we have cited is that the pool of potential mates of believers for marriage is the new humanity in Christ. Now, the test of whether a believer believes the truth of the new humanity is if he or she accepts fully or completely that there is no difference between the individual and any other member of the new humanity in Christ regardless of any human factor. Subsequently, when such a person that is ready to marry, he or she would confine the field of looking for a mate to those who belong to Christ regardless of any other human physical distinctions that may exist. A believer may live in a society where people expect others to marry only within their cultural background or class but that is not what the Scripture says. It says only that the mate must be a fellow believer. What this means is that a believer is put to the test as whether to follow the dictates of the society or the instruction of the God of the universe. That to me is the moment of decision where a person’s faith is tested as to its reality. Anyway, I contend that the limitation of 1 Corinthians 7:39 he must belong to the Lord is one that tests one’s faith when it comes to marriage.
We should be clear that the concept of mixed marriage from the perspective of the Scripture is the marriage between a believer and an unbeliever and nothing else. We see this in the instruction of the Lord to Israel as recorded in Deuteronomy 7:2-4:
2 and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy. 3 Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, 4 for they will turn your sons away from following me to serve other gods, and the LORD's anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you.
Who are those that the Lord command Israel not to marry? The list consists of the seven nations the Israelites were to defeat but it also included others not mentioned here in Deuteronomy that are mentioned in the commentary regarding Solomon’s marriage referenced in 1 Kings 11:1-2:
1 King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh's daughter — Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. 2 They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, "You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods." Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love.
The Edomites were Israel’s cousins since they were the descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother. Therefore, it should be clear that the prohibition against marrying from the nations cited have nothing to do with physical characteristic but spiritual. The Lord indicated that women from the nations mentioned would cause the Israelites to be involved in idolatry as in the clause of verse 2 of 1 Kings 11 because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods. The point is that when Christians speak of mixed marriages, they must mean the marriage between believers and unbelievers and nothing else. Anyway, the rule that all believers who contemplate marriage should adhere is that they must marry only their fellow believers.
The apostle having stated the freedom a widow has concludes his teaching on the freedom a widow has to remarry by stating what is to be considered a better situation for the widow. The Holy Spirit through the apostle indicates that remaining unmarried for the widow is a preferred status or a more blessed state. So, we read in the first sentence of 1 Corinthians 7:40 In my judgment, she is happier if she stays as she is. The word “happier” in the sentence In my judgment, she is happier if she stays as she is is translated from a Greek word (makarios) that may mean “fortunate” as Apostle Paul used it to describe his privilege to appear before Agrippa in Acts 26:2:
“King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today as I make my defense against all the accusations of the Jews,
The word may mean “blessed” as it is used to describe a person who receives forgiveness of sins from God in Romans 4:7–8:
7“Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 8Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.”
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 7:40, it means “blessed” in the sense of being characterized by happiness.
The apostle did not explain the reason a widow who remains unmarried would be happier, but the reason is similar to the advantages of being in a single status that he had already discussed. For one thing, the widow would have more time to devote to the things of the Lord than if she remarried. This alone would lead to a state of happiness for the widow. Of course, although the apostle did not state in this passage, but he would have meant that such condition is preferable if the widow does not have desire to have children or does not have an intensified sexual urge. If the widow has strong sexual desires, then the Holy Spirit instructs such a widow to remarry as we may gather from the instruction about those widows the church should support in 1 Timothy 5:11–14:
11 As for younger widows, do not put them on such a list. For when their sensual desires overcome their dedication to Christ, they want to marry. 12 Thus they bring judgment on themselves, because they have broken their first pledge. 13 Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to. 14 So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander.
Be that as it may, there is the tendency for people to think that the judgment or opinion expressed in the statement regarding the preferred status for a widow is the apostle’s opinion. Therefore, to address that misconception, he indicated that he is guided by the Holy Spirit as he writes. It is this that is given in the last sentence of 1 Corinthians 7:40—and I think that I too have the Spirit of God. The apostle did not just mean that he has the Holy residing in him as every believer does but that he was under the control of the Holy Spirit as he stated a preferred state of happiness that would come to a widow that does not remarry. In a sense the apostle conveys that he wrote the advice under the control of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, those who may think that they have wisdom or that they know better than the apostle should accept that he wrote under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Anyway, let me end by reminding you that an important rule that we considered is that a believer should marry a fellow believer.