1 Corinthians 7:25-40. Simple life –stay as you are – (devoted to the Lord) spare you worldly trouble.

1 Corinthians 7:25-40. Simple life –stay as you are – (devoted to the Lord) spare you worldly trouble.

Paul will continue and finish his answer to questions about sex, marriage singleness, as Paul has written earlier, he will explain why he thinks it is good to remain in the condition they were when they were saved by Jesus. Paul wrote: it is to have a single focus and less worldly concerns – and to have only one goal please Jesus the Lord. (Marriage is a gift from God (one man and one woman to death), to show the world – Jesus and the Church – and singleness is also a gift from God – to have a single focus and mission in life to only please Jesus, with all of one self).  – (See statement of faith and earlier sermons for marriage and sex explanations).

In 25 Paul gives kind of the same response as earlier, that Jesus did not give a command about the people that are betrothed to be married – Paul gives his advice as someone who is trustworthy my Gods mercy.  

Paul addresses that because of the circumstances – the present distress (1. coming famine, 2. Jesus coming), Paul writes that it would be good to stay that way they are. Stay with your wife, - stay single. Then he adds, it is not a sin if you do marry, - Paul now will write why he thinks it is better to stay the way they are – to spare them form worldly troubles. (To have full devotion to the mission and living for Jesus and to live in the coming distress.)

In Paul’s view there is little time left, - the time as grown very short, - live for Jesus now.

Then it seems like Paul is writing like Eccl 3:1-8 And the coming destress is a time to say as they are. – A time to… And a time to. - Live as you were not grieving?  - not rejoicing? Even if you are? Like you don’t have gods? – there is a time for this and that. – Wisdom is needed and Paul is trying to guide the Corinthians.

- Not dealing with the world /rulers of the world. Don’t punt your hopes in worlds wisdom, government, prime-misters and presidents and kings NGO’s and influencers - they are not eternal – the present form of this world is passing away, - things are going to be different. Jesus is the only one that saves and changes people and the world.

Paul wants the Corinthians to be free from anxieties, - focusing on pleasing the Lord and of the things of the Lord. – And there is freedom in not having that responsibility to please a husband or wife. Not having divided interests, and worldly trouble. Unmarried Woman thinking about how to be holy in body and spirt (The whole person).

The married woman is also anxious about worldly things how to please her husband. 

Paul is wanting to explain why he thinks it is good to remain – single – and does – but he does not forbid marriage, but soberly explain that they are freer to have a single focus, if they don’t have the obligation to serve and please a spouse. They have total flexible time – to go where the spirt leads, - to stay late not having to call and explain – not having Aula or parent teacher meetings kids’ sports, no other person’s feelings to consider before making decisions, no time devoted to severe and please one’s spouse. The would be no one to hold one back from going to jail, or getting beat and so on.

(Jesus’ example – no wife and children to hold him back from his death on the cross). Paul is kind of the same, beatings, jail, shipwrecked and more. (That is more workable without a family).

In 35 I say this for your own benefit, not to restrain you, - to promote good order and secure you undivided devotion to the Lord. – This is Paul’s motive.  

36 Marry if need you are not able to /or don’t think you are behaving correct towards his betrothed, marry it is no sin. (What is the family expectations and promises). (cultural context – Agustus made laws to get people to marry and have kids to boost the population in Roman empire -Paul’s advice goes against this view).

37 if you don’t need to then stay as you are –

28 If you marry you do well, but Paul thinks it is better not to. Do even better. Because of the impending distress – marriage is not a sin.  

Then in 39 it seems Paul is responding to another question or thinks the needs to explains what marriage is. Where we are bound to one anomer til death, - If we are to marry after the spouse died then only a one who is in Christ the Lord.

40 Paul will write again I think it is better to stay as she is and she would be happier. And ending with I thin that I too have the spirt of God.

Gifting and what time – and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Okay we learned that marriage is for the gifted and so is singleness, marriage and singleness is to be taken seriously, what is God calling you to? (If your married you are to remain married). You have duties to please your spouse also sexually as Paul wrote about earlier. And you will have some more worldly troubles and will have to navigate pleasing Jesus and your spouse and take care of your family. You will have les flexibility and more responsibility. (Also, in trouble times).

Marriage is for life, - if one’s spouse dies, it is possible to marry a believer in Jesus. – Paul’s judgment is that is better to not marry again.  

(Complicated family structures, - memory’s -)

Paul; for your benefit, promote good order, undivided attention,  

Paul is promoting a simple life, one goal please Jesus, with all of you, - let the Spirt lead you.

Then do we all have to be single as Jesus and Paul, - no, I don’t think so, both also said, that marriage is gift some have and some don’t have. Each gift comes with its blessings and challenges, we are to live for Jesus, in the state we are in. As a child, single, married, old, widowed, - and live in the time we live in.

I would say with Jesus and Paul, - before you consider marriage or finding a spouse, understand what is required of you, in marriage also the limitations that it will have. Also, if you have the gift of marriage.

Marriage is not a sin and has its own blessings and challenges – it will divide your attention and limit your independency , - you are also called to show the world Christ and the Church -    

Singleness and celibacy is also a gift, a life that has less worldly trouble and you can devote more time and focus to Jesus more flexibility to go where ever (also dangerous places).

What did God make you for what gifts do you have, what good works has God laid out for you to walk in? What gift or gifts did God give you when you were saved by Jesus as the Holy Spirt opened your eyes?   - Do you know Jesus?

Paul writes to the Corinthians that have done and are ding many things wrong, he reminds them about the grace of God that saved them – that they are holy in Christ and that Jesus will keep them til Jesus comes again. – The Gospel is that Jesus did it, not that we did nor we did not fail, not that we all failed and lived as we were our own God, - but God loved the world and send Jesus as we celebrate at Christmas, to live perfect life, to did (for sin), to rise (wining over death), - went to the father and is waiting to come back. God came to save us in Jesus Christ – we can celebrate that everyday, and rejoice with Joy because of what God has done.  (forgiveness in Jesus Christ),.