1 Corinthians 7:6-16 Relationships
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: February 17, 2020 1 Corinthians 7:6-16
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
Now as a concession, not a command, I say this. I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another. To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single, as I am. But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion. To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife. To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace. For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?
(Understanding the Text) Here, Paul gives both his opinions and Jesus’ teachings about divorce and marriage. He gives two opinions. The first one is that it is better to be single and preach the word. However, he recognizes that his gift makes it imperative that he travel, and he does not have the strong physical desires as some people did, so he says that his lifestyle choice is not for everyone. For many people, it is better to be married than to feel sexual temptation. Paul’s second opinion is that if a believer has an unbelieving spouse, it is better to stay married rather than divorce. His logic is that the believer’s faith may rub off on the spouse, and the children will be in a better situation. (I’m not sure exactly how he means his phrase “otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.” Does it mean that they will be looked down upon by society like the Gentiles were looked down upon by the Jews?) Anyway, he says that if a spouse cannot accept being married to a Christian, then the Christian is free to divorce. However, I do not know how all this relates to Jesus’ command which Paul quotes about no divorce, and if the believer separates from the unbelieving spouse, should he or she live a single life and not remarry? I know how my church interprets this, that the believing wife/husband who divorces from an unbelieving wife/husband should live single, but I don’t think that that is what Paul is saying here. However, there are not enough other places where Paul speaks of this to know for sure, which is frustrating because it is valuable advice needed today.
Unfortunately, Paul’s opinion has been set into concrete today, and too many wives have stayed with abusive husbands because of it. Paul made a point that his ideas were not given from God but just his own personal opinion, yet people don’t consider that. He has good logic, but many people do not apply his logic to their own unique situation. They just arbitrarily apply the words that were written for a specific situation in the past to all situations. Paul was not saying for women to stay and get abused because they might ultimately convert their abuser. He was speaking of a marriage where the husband and wife respected each other even though one had chosen to have a strange belief that was not only socially unpopular, but could also get the person who believed it killed. He was not saying to the wife, take a chance of your husband killing you because you might win him over with your willingness to be a punching bag. In fact, he directly stated “In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved.” He uses the word enslavement to show a contrast to the relationship of marriage. If the marriage has become an enslavement, it is not a marriage.
(Revelation of God) Paul is equal opportunity with his advice. He applies it to both men and women in the same way. He does not make a difference. This is because he has studied to understand how God thinks, so he knows that God treats men and women as of equal value and does not raise one higher than another. Paul understands that leadership is really acting the servant to those you are leading. Just as Jesus served fallen despicable humans to save them, Paul understood that love is about mutual service rather than one partner dominating the other. Thus, Paul tried to show the Corinthians principles that would help them to navigate through the messy sinful situations that surrounded them so that they could receive the benefit of God’s gift of marriage.
(Application / Prayer) My application for myself is that it is good to be single and to be able to work for God freely without having to worry about the needs of a spouse. On the other hand, being married has some advantages for working with people of both sexes and families. The team can work together and cover more ground than a single worker. However, I have a lot to catch up on, so my single time is good for me. I wouldn’t be individually studying Your word nearly as much if I were married. I might have more family devotions, but fewer times to just take in the scriptures by myself. I would have to consider someone else’s wishes before following Your leading. Either way is okay as long as I have a strong loving relationship with You.