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"Bound by law..."

Text: 1 Corinthians 7:39

MARRIAGE TIES

Paul’s concluding words about marriage ties are important to note. His words as an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ must be given due consideration.

“A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives;
but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married
to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. But she is happier
if she remains as she is, according to my judgment-
and I think I also have the Spirit of God.”
1 Corinthians 7:39-40

1. Marriage ties

a) Marriage ties are for life!

b) Only death ends the marriage bond.

2. Focus on the wife

a) Throughout the whole chapter, Paul was very careful to describe multiple perspectives.

i) The perspective of the single (man and woman).

ii) The perspective of the widowed (man and woman).

b) In the conclusion, Paul focused only on the widow’s choices rather than that of the widower.

c) Some reasons why this may have been the case:

i) Many wives were much younger than their husbands.

ii) If their husbands died much earlier, they would be very young widows.

iii) Causes of death were many (illness, age, accidents at the work place etc).

iv) Concern for widows were already currently known to the Church (Acts 6; 1 Timothy 5).

v) Work for women was not easily found.

vi) The issue of looking after the widows was challenging.

d) Paul’s advice:

i) The widow is given the liberty to re-marry.

ii) But the strong advice is that she must marry one who shared the same faith in the Lord.

3. Paul’s personal opinion given

a) He believed that she would be happier if she remained a widow.

b) This was his own personal judgment (not a command from the Lord).

4. “And I think I also have the Spirit of the Lord”

What Paul meant was that his opinion ought to be given careful thought and consideration! He was one who has truly shown that he was filled with the Holy Spirit in wisdom and in knowledge!