1 Corinthians 7:8

Say therefore to the unmarried and widows, it is good for them to abide even as I. But if they cannot contain or exercise self-control, let them marry, for it is better to marry than to burn.

And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord: let not the wife depart from her husband. But if she departs, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And let not the husband put away his wife.

But to the rest I speak, not the Lord. If any brother has a wife that believes not, and she is pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman who has a husband that believes not, if he is pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband. Else were their children unclean, but now they are holy.

But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us unto peace. For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? Or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?

Father, as we look into your word, we are reminded that nothing has the power to save but your name. And Lord, how true that is. Only in and through you is true salvation spiritually. But Lord, you are also able to sanctify and cleanse us. You are able to wash us by the washing of the water of your word and to renew our minds.

We need our minds to be renewed because we have, in some ways, been conformed to this world, pressed into its mold. As we have been considering over the last several weeks in 1 Corinthians, there are many areas in which our lives have been affected by the view of our culture and not the value of your word.

So as we look into your word today, we pray that you would continue to renew our minds and continue to speak to us. God, that we as students of your word would seek to rightly divide it.

That we would understand and know what it is that You've called us to. That we would apply the things that we see. Father, help us to be doers of Your Word and not hearers only, self-deceived. Help us to hear and do what we see in Your Word today. For we ask it in Jesus' name, and all God's people agreed, saying, Amen. You can be seated.

The book of 1 Corinthians is a challenging book. I'm sure you've recognized that as we've been going through it verse by verse over the last several weeks, especially chapters 5, 6, and 7. As we discussed in our last study, in the first seven verses of 1 Corinthians 7, those who are walking in singleness in Christ, those who are seeking to honor God in that single state, to glorify Him, and to remain pure with self-control, need the gifting of the Lord to be able to do that. Those who are married also need the gifting of the Lord to continue in marriage.

Marriage is an extremely important institution, as we see in the Scriptures. It was created by God. In an era like ours, where more than 50% of marriages end in divorce, instruction about the institution of marriage is as important as the institution itself. The exhortations that we find in 1 Corinthians 7 are incredibly applicable to us.

The culture of 1st century Corinth was not all that different from the culture of 21st century California. It may be hard for us to imagine, but not as much has changed in 2,000 years as we sometimes would like to think. Marriage problems are not new; they were rampant in the church at Corinth, and Christians are not immune from such issues. It appears that because of the problems taking place in marriages among the believers there at Corinth, some began to say that singleness was the answer. They believed that if you were married and faced all sorts of problems that come along with marriage, then perhaps singleness was the better option.

You might as well be single, so depart from your spouse, and things would be okay. There were people in the church that seemed to be saying that. We saw last week that Paul did not endorse that view. He did, however, recognize that celibacy or singleness can be a good thing. He personally understood the benefits of singleness, but he also recognized the blessings of marriage.

Paul wisely explained that some are gifted for singleness, but most are called and gifted to be married. The practical instruction about marriage continues as we pick it up here in verse 8, where Paul starts by speaking to the unmarried Christian, to the person who is single. He makes a distinction between the unmarried and widows. In verse 7, Paul expressed a desire that the unmarried within the church at Corinth would remain unmarried. He saw that there were benefits in being single and serving the Lord.

He understood, again, that both marriage and singleness require gifts from the Lord, and that the majority of people within the body of Christ would be called to marriage. However, singleness, in Paul's eyes, was good from a very practical point of view. Some in the church may have thought this exhortation or encouragement from Paul to be a little odd, especially those who came from a Jewish background, which said that being unmarried was a curse. Nevertheless, he states that singleness can be good.

We saw last week that singleness is good, but it's tempting. Celibacy is not for married couples. Paul recognized the giftedness of those who are called to be single. But how is it that Paul would desire people to remain in that position, especially considering that God created man and woman and created marriage for the two to come together as one flesh?

It only really becomes clear when we see Paul's further explanation later on in 1 Corinthians 7. Look down at verse 28. Paul says, "If you do marry, you have not sinned." Amen? "And if a betrothed woman marries, she has not sinned." Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you. Those who get married will experience certain cares of this world and concerns of this life that the single person will not experience.

Paul, in his position in ministry as an apostle, looked at the culture he was living in and the world at that time, observing the various happenings in the Roman world. He noted that there are certain cares and worldly troubles, and he expressed a desire to spare us from them. How many of you recognize today that there are certain worldly concerns in marriage? It's not a bad thing; Paul simply acknowledges that this is one of the realities.

In verse 29, he states, "Brothers, the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none." In verse 32, he adds, "I want you to be free from anxieties." Then, in verse 33, he explains that the married man is concerned about worldly things, specifically how to please his wife. While this is not a bad thing, it is simply the way it is. The one who is married has concerns for his spouse, and his interests are divided. The same applies to the married woman; she is anxious about the things of this world and how to please her husband.

Thus, Paul suggests that it would be better for you to be as unencumbered as possible. Those who have wives should live, so to speak, as though they had none. He encourages us to be free from worldly entanglements as much as possible. If you are single, we receive the exhortation in verse 8 of 1 Corinthians 7: "I say therefore to the unmarried and to the widows, it is good for them to abide even as I." This indicates that Paul, at this point in time, was himself single. Whether or not he was married prior to this point doesn't really matter; we know that when he wrote 1 Corinthians, he was single. He recognized certain benefits in ministry and in the kingdom of God that come from being in that position.

Paul writes to the unmarried and to the widows of the church at Corinth. The term "widows" is easy to define in this passage; it is a Greek word that is feminine, referring to those women in the church who had been married and whose husbands had died. As a result, they had the liberty to remarry.

Looking down at verse 39 of the same chapter, 1 Corinthians 7:39 states, "The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband lives, but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to marry to whom she will." She is able to remarry once again, but Paul gives one requirement: she is to only remarry a believer, as he concludes at the end of verse 39, "only in the Lord." She is able to marry whom she will, but only in the Lord.

If a woman was married to a man and he died, she is now freed from that marriage and she could remarry again. However, Paul expresses his desire that she would remain single and serve the Lord. He does not only address widows; he also speaks to the unmarried in verse 8.

The term "unmarried" is perhaps a little more difficult to define than the Greek word translated as "widows." This is because the Greek word for "unmarried" is only used four times in the New Testament, and all four instances are found in 1 Corinthians 7. The difficulty in defining it arises from the lack of cross-references in other passages of Scripture to determine its contextual meaning. The word "unmarried" is the Greek word "agamos." The Greek word "gamos" means to be married, and adding the letter "A" as a prefix makes it negative, simply meaning "not married."

Most Bible teachers interpret "agamos" as referring to a person who has never been married and is still single. However, when we look down to verse 11 of 1 Corinthians 7, we see that the word "unmarried" can also apply to a person who has been divorced. The verse states, "But if she departs, if the wife departs from her husband, let her remain unmarried." Thus, we recognize that in this passage, "agamos" seems to mean unmarried by reason of divorce.

Why is this important? Why is it interesting? If we examine what Paul says in the next verse, verse 9, he addresses the unmarried by reason of divorce, stating that if they cannot live with self-control, they should get married again, for it is better to marry than to burn. This creates an issue when we consider Jesus' teaching in Matthew chapter 19 and Mark chapter 10, where He states that if someone departs from a husband or wife and remarries, they commit adultery.

We must look at these two passages and discern what Jesus is saying and what Paul is teaching. Notice that Paul says if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. His teaching emphasizes that singleness is good, but not if one is not gifted with sexual self-control. If a person cannot remain pure and flee sexual immorality, then marriage is a viable option.

Like we saw in 1 Corinthians 6:18, Paul's exhortation cannot get any clearer. We are to flee sexual immorality. In 2 Timothy 2:22, we are to flee youthful lusts. We are to deny ourselves. However, if we have the desire to be married and to experience the physical intimacy and companionship that comes with marriage, then Paul suggests that we are probably not called to celibacy. It would be plain foolish to try and remain in that state, burning with passion, and not get married.

As Paul sees it, the least desirable situation is that of an individual who clearly needs marriage as a way of expressing their sexuality, but for whatever reason, feels compelled or tries very hard to remain unmarried, thinking that it earns them points. As we discussed last week, being unmarried or single does not make you more spiritual. Paul was addressing the church at Corinth, where there were people who were separated, divorced, or had lost a husband through death. He said that if you cannot contain yourself with self-control, then get married, for it is better to marry than to burn.

The word "burn" in the Greek is "pyro." I have nothing really to say about the word; I just like the word "pyro." As a kid, I wanted to be a pyrotechnician. The idea here is that it is better to get married than to burn with exceedingly great passion and fervent desire.

It is important to make it very clear that there are singles who have never been married and who feel the heat of marital desire, but God has not brought a spouse to them. He has not given them the opportunity to be married at this point in their lives. So, what should they do? Clearly, Paul says that you may be called to be married, but if God has not brought a spouse into your life, then what ought you to do? Paul's exhortation in 2 Timothy 2 is very important. Turn in your Bibles to 2 Timothy 2. If you are in 1 Corinthians, turn to the right. Right after the book of 2 Thessalonians, you will find 1 Timothy and then 2 Timothy 2:22. Paul there addresses a young and very likely single individual.

Timothy says to flee also youthful lusts. Flee youthful lusts. And do what? Follow righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

If you are single today and desire marriage, but God has not brought into your life the prospect of a spouse, then focus your intense desires on pursuing righteousness, faith, love, and peace. Pursue the fruit of the Spirit and seek God. Surround yourself with other people who are also pursuing the same sort of purity. If you're single, desiring marriage, and God has not brought a spouse, seek first the kingdom of God. Seek not a spouse, but seek the Lord, and in His timing, He will bring to you that which you desire. As we delight ourselves in the Lord, He gives us the desires of our hearts. He would not have allowed that desire to be there if He was not able to fill it.

Now, that said, if you are in that place, God can even be the one who ministers to your emotional needs and at the physical level. You may wonder what that is all about. In John chapter 4, Jesus met with the woman at the well in the region of Samaria. His disciples went into the city of Sychar to buy food for Jesus and for themselves. When they came out to Him, He had not eaten. He was probably very hungry before this whole event took place. They tried to give Him food, and He said, "No, I'm not hungry." They wondered if someone had brought Him food. He then told His disciples something very important: "My food is to do the will of Him who sent me."

Apparently, God can minister to our physical needs and desires, our appetites, as we seek first Him and serve Him. If you're in a single position today and desire marriage, focus that desire on serving the Lord and following Him wholeheartedly. God will minister to you as you minister to Him. If you desire to be married, give that to the Lord, and He will return it to you if that is His desire for you. It is better to marry than to burn with passion.

In verse 8, Paul speaks to those who are unmarried in the church. Now, in verses 10 and 11, he speaks to those who are married within the body of Christ.

I command, yet not I, but the Lord: let not the wife depart from her husband. But if she departs, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband, and let not the husband put away his wife.

In Corinth, it seems there were also those who were married but desired to be divorced or separated. Unfortunately, there are no doubt some even in this room today who are in that position. You are married, and you don't want to be married any longer. We meet people on a regular basis who say they no longer need marriage, no longer want marriage, or no longer like marriage. Some are quite convinced that they made a mistake when they got married or that they made a mistake when they chose the person they married. Others feel that they could be far more useful to God if they were single.

What does Paul say to the person in the church who is married? Stay married. He emphasizes that this isn't even his command; this is the command of the Lord. Not I, but the Lord, he says: remain married.

Where did Jesus say that? In Matthew chapter 19, verses 3 through 9, Jesus speaks about marriage. In Mark chapter 10, verses 2 through 12, each time that Jesus speaks about marriage, he brings us back to the Old Testament, to Genesis chapter 2, where it says that when God created man, He created them male and female. For this cause, He said, a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. Jesus says, "What God has joined together, let no man separate."

So, if you are married today, He says do not depart, do not divorce. However, in verse 11, if she departs, He does not say she is free to depart. If she disobeys the Lord's command and departs, she has one of two options: she can remain unmarried indefinitely or she can be reconciled to her husband. Those are the two options. If a Christian departs from their Christian spouse, the two options remain: remain unmarried indefinitely or reconcile with your spouse.

Let not the husband put away his wife. This is the command of the Lord to both the husband and the wife: remain in that position of marriage. The biblical teaching on marriage is clear. Even though there is a lot of confusion about marriage in our culture and in our day, the Bible is very, very clear. Marriage is for life. Marriage is underwritten.

By God, marriage is not to be tampered with by human beings. God created marriage. The bottom line for anyone considering the possibility of divorce today is this: don't consider it. That's the bottom line.

Now, I'm certain that at this point, there are many of you who have at least a half a dozen other exceptions as to why a person can get divorced, because that's where our minds go. We think, "What about this?" or "Can you divorce someone for that?" We need to recognize that before we even get into the exceptions— and there are some that are given in the Scriptures— we must see that God hates divorce. Malachi chapter 2, verse 16, cannot be any clearer. For the Lord God of Israel says that He hates divorce.

With that in mind, what are the biblical exceptions for divorce? Notice that when we look at these, we are not seeing that these are grounds for immediate divorce, but they are grounds for the allowance of divorce.

Number one: Matthew chapter 19, verse 9, makes it clear that the exception God gives is that of fornication, sexual immorality, or adultery. Matthew chapter 19, verse 9 states, "I say to you, whoever puts away his wife, except for immorality, fornication, or adultery." So, there is the exception that Jesus gives in Matthew 19.

Another exception for the dissolving of a marriage is given in 1 Corinthians chapter 7, verse 39, where we read that death dissolves marriage. The third exception that we find in the Scriptures is in 1 Corinthians 7, verse 15, which states that abandonment by an unbelieving spouse is grounds for the allowance of divorce.

So, those are really the only three that we find in the Scripture as biblical exceptions for the dissolving of a marriage: adultery, abandonment by an unbelieving spouse, or death.

Of course, there are other exceptions that people often point to. They say, "What about spousal or child abuse? Is that grounds for divorce?" The first thing I say is that it's grounds to call the cops. If you are being abused by your spouse, you need to seek help immediately.

Call the police at 911; they made it really easy. You ought not to put yourself in a dangerous position if someone is going to harm you or harm your children. Call the police.

Now, most of the time, we would be speaking to ladies because, for the most part, it is ladies who find themselves in an abusive situation. However, there are guys who are beaten up by their wives. I see some guys nodding their heads. What ought we to do? The desire ultimately is that the spouse who is involved in abusing another would come to the place where they recognize their need for salvation. If they say they're saved, they need to stop living in a way that does not mirror the Scriptures or God's commands. So, call the cops and don't wait on it.

The scary part to me is how many times a woman in an abusive marriage relationship waits and waits, thinking, "Well, it'll get better. Oh, this will be the last time; he bought me flowers." You know, call the police. Let them take care of it. Let the individual feel the weight of the law and realize that what they're doing is criminal—criminal in our culture, criminal before God. They will be judged; if not judged by this culture or the justice system, they will be judged by God.

What about addictions to alcohol, drugs, or pornography? Are those grounds for divorce? The Bible doesn't speak about those sorts of things. Can God turn that around? Yes, He can. Ultimately, separation and divorce are final steps after every possible avenue has been exhausted. It ought not to be considered lightly. It should always be seen as a failure of the flesh and of sin, not God's will.

I've had people tell me it is God's will that they get a divorce. Show me that in the Scriptures. There's no biblically legitimate reason for divorce, but they say, "Well, God told me." How did God tell you that? Because that's against His word.

I think it's important that rather than asking, "Can I divorce him or her for fill in the blank?" why not ask, "Can I forgive him or her? Can I reconcile with him or her? Can there be counseling? Can there be a way in which this can be turned around for good?" Because there have been a great many people, even in our church, who have experienced this.

Many have seen God transform their broken marriages, and that transformation is such an incredible witness to our culture. In our culture, the common response to marital issues is simply to get a divorce. A quick search on Google this past week revealed the top ten reasons for divorce in America. Only one or two of those reasons actually fall under legitimate biblical grounds. For the most part, the reasons given are that we just don't love each other anymore, or that we are not compatible due to irreconcilable differences. What does that even mean?

In our culture, more than 50% of marriages end in divorce—one in every two. That is astounding. God has called us to something different. Marriage is under attack by the enemy because it is created by God as an illustration of the relationship He desires to have with man. We must recognize that marriage is under attack, and yes, the values of the Bible regarding marriage are quite different from our culture's understanding. Our culture is extremely confused about marriage, but the Scriptures speak clearly.

In verse 12, Paul continues by addressing those who are married, specifically believers married to unbelievers. He states, "But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother has a wife that believes not, and she is pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman which has a husband that believes not, if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; else your children were unclean, but now they are holy."

When Paul says in verse 12 that he speaks but not the Lord, this has confused many people. Some may wonder if this means that this passage is not inspired. No, it does not. In verse 10, Paul states that the Lord gives a command on this matter, making it clear that God had revealed something about what he was going to say. However, when we get to verse 12, he indicates that Jesus gave no revelation about this specific issue. Yet, with apostolic authority, Paul speaks, and this is still inspired by the Lord.

Some in Corinth were teaching that a believer should not remain married to an unbeliever, perhaps even using some of Paul's teachings to support this view.

Paul said a believer ought not to marry an unbeliever. Some may have extrapolated that to mean if two unbelievers got married and one became a Christian, then they ought to divorce the unbeliever. However, Paul clarifies that this is not what he was teaching. Rather, if the unbelieving wife or husband is content to remain married, then they should not get a divorce. The Corinthians were not to divorce their spouse even to marry another Christian.

Some may have thought, "Well, I'm married to this unbeliever, and I'll get rid of this guy and marry a Christian because God would be most glorified by that." Not so. Conversion to Christianity cannot be used as an excuse for divorce. The early church was being accused of destroying family relationships by divorcing their spouses based on their newfound faith. Tertullian wrote about heathen husbands being angry with their Christian wives because their Christian wives wanted to kiss the martyrs' bonds, embrace Christian brothers and sisters, and go along the streets to the cottages of the poor to meet their needs.

In the Roman Empire, some non-believers married to Christians expressed their dissatisfaction, saying, "I don't like being married to a Christian because look at all these holy things they're doing now. I liked you a lot better when you were a pagan." This seems to be the kind of idea that Paul addresses. He states that if the unbelieving spouse is content to remain in the marriage, then the two ought not to separate. Paul explains that the unbelieving spouse is sanctified by the believing spouse.

Clearly, Paul is not saying that spiritual sanctification or salvation is imparted to an unbelieving spouse because of the faith of the believing one. An unbeliever is not saved by a believing family member or spouse. We are saved by grace through faith individually as we put our confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Some believers were concerned, however, that they or their children would somehow be spiritually defiled by an unbelieving family member, leading them to feel that they would be defiled.

By this unbelieving family member, Paul says, "No, that's not the case. In fact, it's quite the contrary." You see, when an unbelieving spouse remains in a marriage with a believing spouse, the believing spouse has an opportunity to be a great witness for the Lord in that relationship. If the unbeliever is content to remain in the marriage, Paul says, then stay there, because there is a sanctifying effect that takes place.

This is much like what we see in Acts chapter 16 when Paul and Silas were in the city of Philippi. They were beaten by the magistrates of the Philippian city and cast into prison. You may remember that in the middle of the night, they were singing praise to God, and a great earthquake happened. Their bonds were loosed, and the doors were opened. Yet, they remained in the prison. When the Philippian jailer saw the doors were open, he got ready to take his sword and kill himself because it would have been a capital crime for him to lose the prisoners under his care. Paul called out to him and said, "Hey, we're all still here." Ultimately, Paul was able to share the gospel with the jailer there in Philippi, and he believed on the Lord.

In Acts 16:31, Paul said to this man, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved, and your household." The Philippian jailer's household was not saved because of the faith of this individual just by proxy, but the jailer's faith no doubt inspired his family members to believe as well. When a believing spouse remains in a marriage with an unbelieving spouse, their faith may inspire the faith of their husband or wife.

There is also a very practical blessing for the family. John MacArthur notes that it's similar to your spouse receiving a huge inheritance. You have nothing to do with it; you are not even related to the giver. Nevertheless, you receive the gift. There are practical blessings and benefits to the unbelieving spouse in the marriage. Paul encourages believers to stay, as there is a sanctified blessing. Not only is there a sanctified blessing for the spouse, but he also says that your children are affected.

More than once, I've talked with broken-hearted divorced believers who see their children influenced by their unbelieving ex-spouse's worldliness. Paul says there is an opportunity for a believer to remain in a marriage with an unbeliever to have a positive impact.

A sanctifying effect is present upon the children. The salvation of the children is not assured if the believing spouse remains in the marriage, but there is a great opportunity for it. I’m sure that there are some here this morning who grew up in a household where one of your parents was a believer in the Lord. Their influence spiritually affected your life, and you came to faith as a result of it.

Paul says to the believing individual married to an unbeliever: if your unbelieving spouse desires to stay with you in marriage, then remain there. A divorce ought never to be initiated by the believer. However, in verse 15, he speaks to the believing spouse married to an unbeliever who wants to depart. He states, "But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us to peace."

For what knowest thou, wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? Or what knowest thou, man, whether thou shalt save thy wife? Paul's instruction was that the believing spouse ought not to be the initiator in separation or divorce. If an unbelieving spouse desires to depart, they are allowed to go. In God's eyes, the bond between a husband and a wife is dissolved.

Number one, marriage is dissolved by death, as stated in 1 Corinthians 7:39 and Romans 7:2. Marriage can also be dissolved by adultery, as mentioned in Matthew 5:32 and 19:9, or by an unbeliever's departure or abandonment of the believing spouse. If divorce occurs for these reasons, Paul makes it clear that the individual who has been separated is free to remarry.

Throughout the Scriptures, wherever legitimate divorce occurs, remarriage is assumed. John MacArthur says that when divorce is permitted, remarriage is permitted under those circumstances. Why? Because God has called us to peace, and it is not wise to try to prop up a marriage where your unbelieving spouse simply wants to be done with you.

Once and for all, it is certainly not to live in the realm of peace. God has called us to peace. For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? Or what knowest thou, husband, whether thou shalt save thy wife? Many Bible teachers see this verse as the great hope and expectation of the believing spouse in a mixed marriage. They say to stay there because God has placed you there to be a witness, and don't let that person go.

The New Living Translation says, "You wives must remember that your husbands might be converted because of you, and you husbands must remember that your wives might be converted because of you." Some will say to stay in that marriage together because who is going to reach your unsaved spouse? However, Paul says if the unbelieving spouse wants to depart, let them go. While that might be a good interpretation of verse 16—that you are to stay there because God wants you to be a witness—there is another interpretation that seems to be more contextually accurate and is rather interesting to consider.

If the unbelieving spouse departs, let them depart. Do you think that you are going to save them? That is another way to read this verse. Many Christians have tried to keep a marriage together even when the unbelieving spouse wanted a divorce, but that seems to be against God's will in this situation. A wife has no assurance that she will save her husband, and a husband has no assurance that he will save his wife. Regardless of a Christian's motives and hopes, the likelihood of leading a partner to Christ who has an antagonistic view toward the gospel is minimal.

Marriage is not an evangelistic tool, and that is very important for people to consider who are not married yet and are thinking about getting married. They might look at an individual and say, "Well, I know he's not a believer, but we love each other, and he'll become a believer." There are so many people I have met who have thought that and ended up burned. Marriage is not an evangelistic tool; missionary dating is a bad idea.

We cannot skip passages of Scripture like this because they are difficult or convicting. We need to approach them with humble and teachable hearts. When we look at this passage in 1 Corinthians chapter 7, we are reminded of the importance of marriage. I think our culture has lost an understanding of just how important this is. Marriage is not something created by man; it is not something created just for man's pleasure. It was created to glorify God and to serve as a witness of the relationship God desires to have with man.

One more thing before I go on: if you are going to marry this person, lead them to Christ. I love something I found from Charles Spurgeon this week. He said that for husbands, instead of trying to reform your wife, you will find it much more profitable to reform yourself as your wife's husband. Similarly, for wives, instead of trying to reform your husband, you will find it much more profitable to reform yourself as your husband's wife. God can bring about great transformation if we commit to that.

In 1 Corinthians 7, we are reminded of the importance of marriage. We are reminded that it is to be a lifelong union of one man with one woman. We are also reminded of the great sadness involved in separation and divorce. However, we must remember that God can restore marriage. He can restore a marriage that is breaking; He can restore a marriage that is broken. He created marriage and unites individuals together as one. He certainly can rebuild a marriage that is falling apart.

What an awesome witness it is to a world that just says to get out, to get a lawyer. You don't even need to get a lawyer anymore; you can get a divorce online for $32. But once again, as we look at this passage before us in Corinthians, we are reminded that we have been influenced by our culture and need to be renewed by the spirit of our minds. We need to have our understanding changed by God's Word. Sometimes, to be quite honest with you, it ticks us off.

We often don't realize that we have a culture until it is challenged by another culture. As individuals influenced by the world come before the culture of God and His kingdom, we find ourselves stepped on and confronted.

In Romans chapter 12, Paul writes in verse 1, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." He continues in verse 2, "And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." The Phillips translation of verse 2 states, "Do not let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, but let God remold your minds from within so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God is for your good, it meets all His demands, and moves towards the goal of true maturity."

We must not allow the world to squeeze us into its mold. I would suggest that many of us have indeed been conformed to the thinking of this world, following its course. When we look at passages of Scripture like 1 Corinthians chapter 7, verses 8 through 16, we are immediately confronted and challenged. We might think, "I don't like that. What do you mean I have to stay in this situation?"

As we will see next week in 1 Corinthians chapter 7, verse 20, "Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called." If God called you married, remain married. If God called you single, remain single until He changes the course of your calling. "Seek not to be loosed from a wife if you are bound; seek not a wife if you are loosed." This is a hard teaching for our culture. We often entertain ourselves with shows like "The Bachelorette," which promote a very different perspective on relationships.

We've been pressed into a mold, and we need to be transformed so that we would think differently, live differently, and redeem marriage. When this world looks at the church, they should see an example of what marriage is all about. We do need to redeem it; it doesn't need to be redefined, just redeemed.

Let's stand and pray. Father, I pray that we would be transformed, that our minds would be remolded from the inside out. Help us to prove in practice what is pleasing to You, what is right, and what is just. I ask that You would help us recognize where we have been influenced by this world.

Let us understand that our wisdom, when influenced by this world and not in line with Your Word, is wrong. May we be willing to accept that we might be wrong, so that we can understand and know what it is that You have called us to and how we are to live.

Let us shine as lights in a dark world, for we ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.