Paul’s Advice to Believers Married to Usaved Partners, Rev Dr John Kwasi Fosu

Amazing Grace Baptist Church, Hamburg Bible Study Material on 1 Cor. 7:10-24

Introduction

This lesson continues the studies on Paul’s response to the questions that the Corinthians had asked him about in their letter (1 Cor. 7:1; 8:1; 12:1; and 16:1). 1 Cor. 7 specifically deals with problems associated with marriage and the home. It is important to keep in mind as we read 1 Cor 7 that, in the first place, Corinth was noted for its immorality and lack of standards for the home. In the second place, Paul was dealing with local problems that we may not face in the same way today. It was a time of persecution for the believers as 1 Cor. 7:26 denotes.

Last week, we studied Paul’s response to the issue pertaining to unmarried believers. This lesson focuses on problems pertaining to believers who are married to unsaved partners (1 Cor. 7:10-24).

Understanding the issue

Believers are to marry other believers (See 1 Cor. 7:39, —“married…in the Lord”—and see 2 Corinthians 6:14-18). But some of the Corinthians were saved after they had married. What should they do? Should they leave their unsaved mates? Should they refuse sexual relations? What if the unsaved mate wants to end the marriage? These were the issues that Paul responded to.

Paul’s Advice

Paul’s counsel is clear: stay where you are and use every opportunity to try to win the lost mate. If the unsaved mate is willing to live with you, remain in the home and be a good witness. The believer might win the unsaved mate. The children from such a marriage are not “unclean” (illegitimate), as would be the case if an Old Testament Jew married a Gentile.  Their children would not be accepted into the covenant. (Verse 14 does not mean that children born in a believing home are saved. But it means only that the believing mate “sets apart” for God’s blessing the unsaved in the home. God blesses the lost because of the saved.) However, if an unsaved mate refuses to continue in the home, then the believer can do nothing but let the mate depart. “God has called us to peace.”

Does the abandoned wife or husband have the right to remarry? Verses 10-11 would indicate that the ideal is to work toward reconciliation.  But verse 15 seems to teach that abandonment does break the marriage relationship and thus gives the faithful partner the right to divorce and remarry. Jesus taught that unfaithfulness breaks the marriage bond and is grounds for the innocent party to remarry. Keep in mind that Paul is not commanding separation.  He is permitting it in certain cases. Ideally, the believer is to patiently bear the burdens and seek to win the lost mate. (See 1 Peter 3 for further counsel).

Conclusion

The fact that a person becomes a believer does not change his or her status in society. In verses 17-24, Paul tells the Corinthians not to try to “undo” their situation but to abide in their calling and allow the Messiah to make the changes in His way and His time.