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"Now to the married I command..."

Text: 1 Corinthians 7:10

THE EXERCISE OF APOSTOLIC AUTHORITY

Paul was a skilled apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. He knew how to exercise apostolic authority wisely.

“Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord:
A wife is not to depart from her husband.
But even if she does depart,
let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband.
And a husband is not to divorce his wife.”
1 Corinthians 7:10-11

1. “I command, yet not I but the Lord”

a) Paul was exercising his authority as an apostle.

i) He could say “I command”.

ii) This authority must of course be anchored in the Lord and the Scriptures.

b) “Not I but the Lord”

i) Paul was aware of the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 19:1-12).

ii) Thus, he knew that what he was teaching was the Lord’s own word.

iii) The Lord was speaking through the Apostle Paul.

2. “A wife is not to depart from her husband”

a) In ordinary circumstances, the wife should not depart from her husband.

b) This is a straightforward command from the Lord, as Paul taught it.

3. “But even if she does depart”

a) This could happen in special circumstances.

i) Physical abuse of herself or the children.

ii) Life endangered.

b) In such circumstances departure from the husband was allowed.

4. Two conditions were to be borne in mind

a) She is to remain unmarried.

b) Or she could return to her husband (reconciliation).

5. “And a husband is not to divorce his wife”

a) The husband is not to divorce his wife as an easy option.

b) In the ancient days, untold hardship would have to be borne by the woman, if she is divorced. Making a living for a woman was no easy task!