1 Corinthians 7:39-40
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. In my judgment, she is happier if she stays as she is—and I think that I too have the Spirit of God.
Paul is reflecting on the idea behind the vow of marriage: “until death do us part.” Marriage should last our whole lifetime until one of us dies. That is because marriage is part of this life, not eternity, as Jesus said in Matthew 22:20. Paul gives two options when a person is a widow. One is to remarry. He will give further directions about this to Timothy in 1 Timothy 5:14. But if one remarries, make sure the new spouse is a Christian lest there be more struggles described earlier in this chapter. The most important decision one can make outside of accepting Christ as savior is who one marries. Hormonal eros cannot replace holy agape to God and to others. A Christian couple will experience more joy, peace, and purpose in this life. Why replace this for troubles and doubts?
The second option is to remain single. This allows a person to serve God more. It is difficult to know all the economic factors of this in Paul’s day, but it was possible for a woman to remain single. He is giving his “judgment,” or opinion on this matter. Again, as stated in other reflections this week, it is crucial to keep in mind his motive: the time is short; let’s be about God’s business with fully Spirit-empowered living.
The last phrase is a bit odd: “and I think I too have the Spirit of God.” This serves to legitimate Paul’s directions in this chapter. Paul has not simply given some whimsical opinions in this chapter. He has used wisdom and insight that comes from being Spirit-filled and Spirit-led. As we have worked through this challenging chapter, we have discovered many times that Paul’s opinions really have sound wisdom that make logical sense and are consistent with instructions found throughout the Bible.
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