Here is a teaching on part 3 of chapter 7 of the book of 1 Corinthians. If you want to check out previous Bible studies and chapters from now on, join our group here. Once you get added to that Facebook group, you can go to the "units" tab and see all the chapters and their study guides as they are being taught.
I did want to say a quick prayer... LORD, I pray that You lift up every person reading this right now. Please open up our eyes, our ears, our hearts, and our minds to You LORD. Please give us knowledge and understanding to know exactly what it is that we are reading and the wisdom to implement it in our daily lives. LORD, I pray that whatever it is that each person is supposed to receive from this Bible study they receive it and implement it in their daily lives. I love You with every ounce of my being. In Jesus' name, Amen.
1 Corinthians Chapter 7 Part 3:
25 Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. 26 Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for you to remain as you are. 27 Are you married? Do not seek a divorce. Are you unmarried? Do not look for a wife. 28 But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.
29 What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; 30 those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; 31 those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.
32 I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord. 33 But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— 34 and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. 35 I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.
Alright, so I am going to stop right there and discuss these verses with you guys here. In verse 25, Paul is addressing unmarried people here but he says virgins because most people back in those days in a Christian household would be a virgin if they were unmarried. What Paul says in verse 26, it seems like in that time there was a persecution or a certain crisis that was going on in the city of Corinth, so he says in that present time that he thought it was good for them to remain as they were. So if they were married to remain married, and if they were unmarried to remain unmarried. In that present time with the certain circumstances that they were facing, it wasn't important for them to go and try to find a husband or wife or to get divorced in that time, but to just remain where they were.
Paul says in verse 28 that those who marry will face many troubles in life, so he wants to spare them from this. Whenever we are married, we no longer have to just worry about ourselves and what God wants us to do but we also have another person that we have to worry about their well-being, making them happy, and supporting and loving them. So you are going to face troubles not just in everyday life, but also in marriage life and just having to navigate living with another person and not only worrying about yourself but also worrying about that other person and your kids and all of the different things. So Paul is saying here that if they are not married then not to try and get married in that present time because there would be a lot more troubles that they would face with marriage and there was already a crisis going on in the city of Corinth. There was already persecution or different things that were going on at that time so Paul wanted to spare them from having the added trouble of marriage. Marriage is not all trouble and hardships, but there are a lot of trouble and hardships in marriage and if you are married then you know what I'm talking about. I'm not married but I know that there are different things that you have to face and you do have to make sure that you are not just living for yourself but also for your husband or wife, and for your kids. There is just a lot more to it than just worrying about yourself and being fully submitted to the LORD, you also have to be submitted to your husband or wife.
So in verse 29 when Paul says that the time is short, we can see in Matthew chapter 24 in verse 44 it says: "So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." In that whole chapter (Matthew 24) Jesus is talking about the signs of the end of the age and the day and hour are unknown of Jesus's return. So we always have to be ready because no one will know when Jesus comes back. So like Paul says in these verses here, people that have wives should live as if they have none, and of all of the different things that are going on in our lives, the most important thing is being ready for when Jesus returns. This means we need to be spreading the gospel, teaching people about the truth of God's words, staying in constant prayer and relationship with Christ, seeking to live and have a heart like Jesus, living our lives for the LORD, and letting as many people as we possibly can know about Jesus and how He's changed our lives in hopes that they may be saved by Jesus and go to heaven also when it's their time to go. So the most important thing wasn't about who is married or unmarried, but being ready for when Jesus returns. That is still the most important thing today.
In verses 32-35, Paul is telling these people that whenever you are married you are not only concerned about the LORD but you are also concerned about the world and how you can please your husband or wife. As someone that is unmarried, you can devote all of your time and attention to pleasing the LORD and being concerned about God's will, and being fully submitted to it. In verse 35 Paul is saying that he is saying these things for their own good and not to restrict them but that they may have an undivided devotion to the LORD. It's so important for us to be fully devoted to the LORD and even if we are married or not we should always put God first, and have God in the center of our relationships, our marriages, the center of our lives, and always put Him first and be fully submitted to His will no matter what.
Oh hey friend, sorry to interrupt this blog post, but I just wanted to remind you guys that "Christ Transforms Me," my 90-day journal is available in a different color. I decided to make a neutral or men's journal. The scripture and everything are still the same (except for one page that I changed because it was specifically for women) but the color scheme and design are different. To learn more about the journal or to purchase one, go to www.faithfuelsmyfire.com/journal
36 If anyone thinks he is acting improperly toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if she is getting along in years and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married. 37 But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin—this man also does the right thing. 38 So then, he who marries the virgin does right, but he who does not marry her does even better.
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.
Alright, those are all of the verses of part 3 chapter 7 of the book of 1 Corinthians, but I'm going to discuss these verses with you guys here. In verses 36-38, like Paul has been saying in the other verses, it's okay to marry and it's okay not to marry. It's even better not to marry because then you don't have to worry about being devoted to someone else but you can be fully devoted to the LORD and you can be undivided in making sure that you are only pleasing the LORD. That's why it is so important when we are making any decision in life that we are praying and staying in constant relationship with God, studying our Bible, learning the truth of God's words, and making sure that before we do make any decision that it is what God has intended for us, it feels right in our heart, and that is what the Holy Spirit has guided us to do. In verses 39-40, Paul is saying here that if a woman's husband dies then she is free to marry but it's better for her to just stay unmarried. Paul was unmarried and he liked being unmarried because he was fully submitted to the will of God, he let the Holy Spirit guide him, he went and preached the gospel of Jesus, and devoted all of his time to preaching the gospel, living his life for Jesus, and seeking to live and have a heart like Jesus. Paul didn't have to worry about the added stresses of marriage and trying to make someone else happy, but he did everything to please the LORD.
1 Corinthians part 3 Ch 7 Study Guide
Why did Paul think it was best for each person to remain as they were?
Why do married people face many troubles in life?
What is the most important thing for us to focus on?
What is your biggest takeaway from this Bible study?
So that concludes this Bible study on part 3 of chapter 7 of the Book of 1 Corinthians. Next time we're going to go into chapter 8 so make sure that you stay tuned for that.
I love you guys so much.
Never forget to choose faith over fear.
-Lorena Camille (Faith Fuels My Fire)
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Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights