Twin City church of Christ Blog
“Apr 12, 2024 - Marriage Is for Life”
Categories: 2024 Reading DevotionalsMarriage Is for Life
Reading: 1 Corinthians 7:36-40
Paul gives advice regarding the “betrothed”(or “virgins”), although it is unclear whether he is referring to engagements or the arrangements parents make for their children’s marriage. His point is the same in either case: “if his passions are strong and it has to be, let him do as he wishes: let them marry—it is no sin”(1 Cor 7:36). Some versions add “if she is past her youth,” suggesting yet another pressure that leads the Corinthians to feel urgency about marriage. Paul does not suggest that marriage is wrong (“it is no sin”), just unwise due to the current circumstances. “So then he who marries his betrothed does well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better”(1 Cor 7:38).
Why all this careful talk about marriage? God intends marriage to be permanent. “A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord”(1 Cor 7:39). Marriage is for life. Only when her husband dies is a wife free to be married to another. Yet even here, Paul thinks it would be better for her to remain a widow: “Yet in my judgment she is happier if she remains as she is”(1 Cor 7:40). This is Paul’s judgment, to which he enigmatically adds “and I think that I too have the Spirit of God”(1 Cor 7:40).
Marriage is for life. It is not like changing clothes, jobs, or houses. This suggests that marriage should not be rushed into without consideration of all the ramifications. Marriage gains strength from its permanence. Only when both parties are committed to one another can conflicts be successfully resolved, love affirmed, and intimacy enjoyed. “Marriage is for life” is a principle that must not just be stated, but lived out.
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One Thing to Think About: Am I committed to my mate “till death do us part”?
One Thing to Pray For: Wisdom about whether to marry, whom to marry, and how to make peace
