Daily Scripture Reading 1Corinthians 7:32 - 8:10
Many centuries ago, there were many monasteries and convents in which there were monks and nuns who had taken vows of chastity. They remained single their entire lives so they could dedicate every waking moment to serving the Lord without the distractions of spouses or children.
Today, that practice is rare. Monks and nuns still exist, but they are not as prevalent as they were in past centuries.
Today we will read a passage of scripture which encourages believers to choose a life of singleness so that they can be fully devoted to the Lord.
When we stopped reading yesterday, Paul was giving his opinion regarding the advisability of marriage. It was good for the unmarried to remain unmarried, but those who were married should not seek to be released. Meanwhile, it was not a sin to seek to be married.
1Cor. 7:32 ¶ But I want you to be free from concern. One who is unmarried is concerned about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord.
1Cor. 7:33 But one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife,
1Cor. 7:34 and his interests have been divided. The woman who is unmarried, and the virgin, is concerned about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit. But one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how she may please her husband.
1Cor. 7:35 Now this I say for your own benefit, not to put a restraint upon you, but to promote propriety and undistracted devotion to the Lord.
Note the word “promote”. Note also that Paul was promoting singleness as a way to have undistracted devotion to the Lord.
Paul himself was unmarried and understood the benefit of not being distracted by a wife. He encouraged the Corinthians that anyone who wanted to be fully devoted to the Lord should consider singleness. This is the philosophy that led to the proliferation of monks and nuns in prior generations.
Today, there is very little emphasis upon the option of remaining single so as to be fully devoted to ministry. It is not for everyone, but Paul’s exhortation is true today. Anyone who remains single can be devoted to scripture, prayer, and ministry in a way that a married person cannot match.
1Cor. 7:36 ¶ But if any man thinks that he is acting unbecomingly toward his virgin daughter, if she is past her youth, and if it must be so, let him do what he wishes, he does not sin; let her marry.
1Cor. 7:37 But he who stands firm in his heart, being under no compulsion, but has authority over his own will, and has decided this in his own heart, to keep his own virgin daughter, he will do well.
1Cor. 7:38 So then both he who gives his own virgin daughter in marriage does well, and he who does not give her in marriage will do better.
Note that it was the father’s decision whether or not his daughter ever got married. That is a very different mindset than exists in the modern world.
There has been a tradition for many centuries of young men asking a girl’s father for permission to marry her. At one time, asking permission was required because the father could legitimately say no. Today, this tradition is mostly symbolic and meaningless. If a father would try to say no, the young couple could easily get married anyway. Furthermore, society would be against a father who tried to prevent his daughter from getting married to the man of her choice.
1Cor. 7:39 ¶ A wife is bound as long as her husband lives; but if her husband has fallen asleep, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.
1Cor. 7:40 But in my opinion she is happier if she remains as she is. And I think that I also have the Spirit of God.
1Cor. 8:1 ¶ Now concerning things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.
1Cor. 8:2 If anyone thinks that he has known anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know;
1Cor. 8:3 but if anyone loves God, he has been known by Him.
1Cor. 8:4 ¶ Therefore, concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no God but one.
In this letter, Paul was giving answers to some questions the Corinthians had posed to Paul. One of them had to do with whether it was okay to eat meat that had been sacrificed to idols. The book of Acts makes it clear idolatry was very prevalent in the Roman Empire, so this was a relevant question for many believers, not just those in Corinth.
1Cor. 8:5 For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords,
1Cor. 8:6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.
Paul did not directly answer the question, but by emphasizing the reality that there is only one true God, he essentially said eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols was meaningless.
1Cor. 8:7 ¶ However, not all men have this knowledge; but some, being accustomed to the idol until now, eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.
1Cor. 8:8 But food will not commend us to God. We neither lack if we do not eat, nor abound if we do eat.
1Cor. 8:9 But see to it that this authority of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.
While a mature Christian can eat meat that had been sacrificed to an idol without feeling he was worshipping an idol, not everyone was able to do that. Furthermore, a Jew who grew up not eating meat sacrificed to idols would not think he was revering a false God by eating meat that had been sacrificed to an idol.
On the other hand, a Corinthian who grew up following a false god and treating the food that had been offered to that false god as having religious significance would feel defiled if he ate that food after becoming a believer. Furthermore, he would likely be confused and offended if any other believer ate food that had been offered to an idol.
Paul exhorted the mature Christians to be aware of those realities and take care to avoid offending immature believers.
1Cor. 8:10 For if someone sees you, who have knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be built up to eat things sacrificed to idols?
Many centuries ago, there were many monasteries and convents in which there were monks and nuns who had taken vows of chastity. They remained single their entire lives so they could dedicate every waking moment to serving the Lord without the distractions of spouses or children.
Today, there is very little emphasis upon the option of remaining single so as to be fully devoted to ministry. It is not for everyone, but Paul’s exhortation is true today. Anyone who remains single can be devoted to scripture, prayer, and ministry in a way that a married person cannot match.
Does your church and pastor ever teach on this passage and encourage people to choose this high calling?
What has to change in your church so that the choice of a life of singleness would be admired and respected?
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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”