Prayer of Thanksgiving: Thank God for the blessings of church, family, and the love of Jesus.

Prayer of Supplication: Pray for the needs of those in our church and your community.

Bible reading and commentary:

Read: 1 Corinthians 7:1-16

Having addressed the problem of sexual immorality among the Corinthian Christians, Paul turns his attention to the related issues that the Corinthians had raised in a letter (7:1, 25; 8:1; 12:11) of marriage, celibacy, separation, and divorce. These verses trigger much discussion raising questions as to the nature of human sexuality, the purposes of marriage, the advantages and dangers of the celibate life, and the warrants for divorce. While Catholic interpreters affirm the sacramental nature of marriage, many of them present human sexuality and marriage as a hindrance to the spiritual life, promoting instead a celibate life devoted to Christian service and prayer. By contrast, Protestant commentators find in Paul’s words a clear testimony of the goodness of marriage (see 1 Timothy 4:3) and identify various God-ordained purposes for it: marriage provides appropriate means of sexual fulfillment, and therefore avoiding temptation and sin, marriage makes young children “holy” by bringing them into covenant relationship with God through the belief of at least one parent – whose belief apparently can cover the unholiness of an unbelieving spouse in terms of the child’s covenant status before God (Acts 2:39; 16:31).; and marriage sometimes leads to the salvation of an unbelieving spouse.

Paul’s words here underscore two redemptive patterns that together point us to the incarnation of Christ. First, the work of Christ fundamentally changes our identity and our priorities. The most significant thing about Christians is not our marital status, cultural background, psychological state, or economic activity. Not even social conditions as extreme as slavery or freedom determines our identity. What is most important is that we belong to Christ:”You were bought with a price.” Since we belong to him, our calling is not to follow human religious “wisdom” (like that of the anti-marriage party in Corinth), but to devote ourselves “to the Lord” with undivided hearts. This devotion can express itself in a variety of ways, depending on the gifts God gives; thus Paul can commend single life to some, and married life to others.

Martin Luther on 1 Cor. 7:15 – (God has called us to peace). We should live peaceably with one another. Therefore a Christian spouse should not quarrel with their non-Christian mate concerning belief or unbelief nor separate from their mate if that non-Christian mate permits them to lead a Christian life. Each one should leave the other to their faith and commend the whole matter to God. For no one can be driven or forced to believe; instead, God must draw them in grace, and we should teach, admonish, and supplicate, not force. And so a Christian spouse should conduct the outward forms of the married state peaceably with their non-Christian mate and not threaten or defy their partner either with running away or turning him away. For God is not a God of dissension but a God of peace.

John Calvin on 1 Cor. 7:16 – (God can convert unbelieving spouses). In my opinion, this word of encouragement is drawn from the benefit to be gained, for it is a great and excellent blessing when a wife wins over a husband. Now unbelievers are not in so hopeless a condition that they cannot be brought to faith. They are dead, it is true, but God is able to raise the dead. Therefore, as long as there remains some hope of progress, and the godly wife cannot tell but that she may, through her holy life, be able to bring her husband to the right path, she ought to try every means before leaving him. For as long as a person’s salvation is uncertain, we ought to be all the more disposed toward optimism. However that may be, Paul’s statement that the wife is able to save her husband is certainly incorrect, since he is ascribing to humans what properly belong to God, but there is nothing absurd in this. For since God works efficaciously by means of the instrument he uses, he imparts his power to them to a certain extent, or, at least, he connects it with their ministry so that what is achieved, he says is done by them. And so God has sometimes ascribed to [human instruments] the honor that belongs to him alone. Let us remember, however, that we are able to do nothing on our own, except insofar as we are directed by him as instruments.