When my wife and I moved from California to Missouri, we possessed 8 tons of stuff. At least that’s what the moving company told us. My books weighed 3.5 tons, almost half the weight of our entire shipment. Some people would say I own too many books. Specifically, my wife says I own too many books. To which my reply is… Well, I don’t really have a good reply since I do, in fact, own too many books. But I don’t want to part with what I call, borrowing a phrase from Gollum, “my preciouses.” Jefferson said, “I cannot live … Continue reading The Existential Reality of an Eschatological Hermeneutic (1 Corinthians 7:29-31)

First Corinthians 7:25-40 is a difficult passage of Scripture to interpret. There are disputes about the meanings of specific words. And the cultural context in which Paul offers his advice is very different than our own. Let’s try to interpret it anyway, beginning with 7:25-28: 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. Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for you to remain as you are. Are you married? Do not seek a divorce. Are you unmarried? Do not … Continue reading Regarding Engagement (1 Corinthians 7:25-28)

The underlying message of 1 Corinthians 7:1-24 is that social status is irrelevant to spirituality. One can be celibate or married, and spiritual (verses 1-16). One can be circumcised or uncircumcised—that is, Jew or Gentile—and spiritual. And according to verses 20-24, one can also be enslaved or free and, and spiritual. Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him. Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so. For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord … Continue reading Social Status and Spirituality, Part 2 (1 Corinthians 7:20-24)

Is celibacy more spiritual than marriage? Some Corinthians evidently thought so. They argued, “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman” (1 Corinthians 7:1 TNIV). In consequence, they urged married Christians to practice celibacy within marriage, widows and widowers not to remarry, Christian spouses to divorce, and Christians to divorce unbelieving spouses. None of this advice makes sense unless the Corinthians believed that marital status and sexual activity were spiritually inferior to celibacy. In reply, Paul argued that if married, Christian spouses should maintain regular sexual relations with one another (verses 2-6). If widowed, … Continue reading Social Status and Spirituality, Part 1 (1 Corinthians 7:17-19)

In 1 Corinthians 7:10-11, Paul offers a commandment against divorce between Christians. To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife. Notice several things about these two verses: First, they state a commandment. Paul writes, “I give this command” (regarding divorce), then he immediately qualifies it by saying, “not I, but the Lord.” As “an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God” (1:1), Paul … Continue reading Against Divorce between Christians (1 Corinthians 7:10-11)

For Christians, the rule of sex is this: fidelity within marriage, chastity without it. Against extreme ascetics among Corinthian Christians, who encouraged celibacy even within marriage, Paul encouraged Christians to maintain regular sexual relations with their spouses. And yet, he also reminded them that lifelong celibacy was a viable option, one that he himself had chosen based on his spiritual gifting. See 1 Corinthians 7:1-7. Now, in verses 8-9, Paul goes on to apply the Christian rule to sexual relationships among de-married Christians, that is, men and women who had been married but are now widowed. Now to the unmarried … Continue reading Sex and the De-married Christian (1 Corinthians 7:8-9)