1 Corinthians 9:8-10

"Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the Law say the same? For it is written in the Law of Moses, 'You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.' Is it for oxen that God is concerned? Does he not speak entirely for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop."

Further explaining that he could legitimately expect compensation for ministering to the Corinthians, Paul appeals to God's word.

God does not expect us to labor tirelessly with no hope of rewards. We are to work in hope. Sometimes people say that it is wrong to expect rewards for serving God. I remember one pastor's response to that idea: "don't try to be more spiritual than God." If God offers rewards and we are told to work in hope of reward, then it is right to do this.

1 Corinthians 9:3-7

"This is my defense to those who would examine me. Do we not have the right to eat and drink? Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living? Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk?"

Why would Paul defend his rights here if he intends to surrender them? So why waste these five verses? It seems to fit with the previous chapter on Christian liberty. He has stated that, out of love, a Christian may need to surrender his rights for the good of a fellow-Christian. And now Paul gives an example of how he has done this himself. He goes through several things that were well within his rights to do. Then he explains that he has chosen not to claim these rights "rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ" (9:12).

So why take the time to enumerate his rights? Why show that he is giving something up? I don't believe that it was done to make other people think better of him. It was done to set an example—to show that you can sacrifice your rights for the good of others. He sacrificed certain foods. He sacrificed relationships that most people desire (and that most apostles had). And he sacrificed the remuneration that was rightly his for the ministerial work that he was doing. His example shows us that the things you give up don't have to even be morally questionable things. Love your brother, and be willing to surrender your rights for him.

1 Corinthians 9:1-2

"Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord."

The non-inspired heading for this chapter reads, "Paul surrenders his rights." It could just as well read, Paul defends and surrenders his rights. Before surrendering what was rightfully his, he made it clear that he could have justly claimed it. The Corinthians had called his position and his privileges into question.

Of all people, the Corinthians had cause to recognize Paul's authority. Perhaps they recognized it in others, but Paul's refusal to insist that his rights be given had lead them to take him for granted. It is sad but not surprising that someone who did so much for the believers would be taken for granted. We need to recognize the value of what those close to us have done for us and give them the respect that is due them. Otherwise, we will be guilty of gross ingratitude.

1 Corinthians 8:7-13

"However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble."

The Christian who understands that he has the freedom to do something (in this case, eat meat once offered to a fake thing) has the responsibility to make loving choices that will build up other Christians, making them stronger and bringing them into a closer relationship with God. If, on the other hand, the knowledgeable Christian over-values his freedom to do something, he will make choices that will be destructive. The choices may not be self-destructive, but they will hurt others.

If another Christian is unsure about doing something and he sees you doing it, he may be encouraged to do that thing, which to him seems like a sin. Then after he has done it, his conscience plagues him. He may think himself to be a failure, and acting on his presumed failure, he may turn away from Christianity and return to his former practices.

Knowing the potentially damaging effects of your choices, you must sensitively seek to build you fellow Christians up in love. Christ died for your brother. Can you fail to love him? But one protests, “I know that I am allowed to engage in this activity,” remember the words of verse two: “If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know.”

1 Corinthians 8:4-6

"Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that 'an idol has no real existence,' and that 'there is no God but one.' For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many 'gods' and many 'lords'—yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist."

There is only one God. He is the true God, and He actually exists. The rest are not really gods. They are fakes. They have no real existence. The true God is the creator of all things. We all owe Him our beginning and our continued existence. Without Him we would not be. An idol (and other false gods) does nothing. It creates nothing. It sustains nothing. You owe nothing to an idol. False gods are man's creation. Man makes them and without man they would cease to exist.

When someone worships an idol, he is praising something that has no real existence. We look upon such actions as worthless and ridiculous. But what of eating food offered to idols? I suppose the next verses will deal with that.

1 Corinthians 8:1-3

"Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that 'all of us possess knowledge.' This 'knowledge' puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God."

Knowledge is concerned about what can be done, but love is concerned with what should be done. When someone thinks that he knows better and thinks that he can do as he pleases, he has a "knowledge" that puffs up. But it is an incomplete knowledge. It is a knowledge that will act without regard for how his actions effect other people. It is a knowledge without love. That kind of knowledge is not true knowledge, and the person with that kind of knowledge "does not yet know as he ought to know."

It would be far better to be known by God. Now obviously God knows all of us, but when a person truly loves God, he is in a relationship with God. That is, God knows him relationally. When a person loves God and has an understanding of who God is and what He is like (a knowledge that "he ought to know"), the person will not be puffed up by this knowledge. He will be humbled, and he will act out of a desire to build up those who love God and are loved by God.

1 Corinthians 7:39-40

"A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. Yet in my judgment she is happier if she remains as she is. And I think that I too have the Spirit of God."

One family member of ours has the words "until death" engraved on the inside of his wedding band. Laurel and I have joked about this repeatedly saying things like "until you die" and other heart-warming affirmations. But "until death" is what we all pledge when we get married. We are bound, and nothing should break that bond (except death).

I suppose that some people might look at such an arrangement and believe it to be to restrictive. It's true that before you enter the marriage, you should carefully consider the life-long commitment that you are making with seriousness, care, and sobriety. But after you are married, you should treat this bond with a joyful sense of security. It should never be used to take your spouse for granted but should give great confidence in your relationship with you spouse.

If your partner dies, you are free to remarry without any sense of guilt, abandonment, or betrayal. Upon death, you are no longer bound to your former mate. You may marry whoever you wish (provided it's in the Lord).

Again we are told (I think for the last time) that it would be better for such a person (widow or widower) to remain single. Actually it says that the newly widowed will be "happier" if they do not remarry. In some cases and in some places this may be true even today, but it was especially so during the aforementioned persecution.

1 Corinthians 7:36-38

"If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed, if his passions are strong, and it has to be, let him do as he wishes: let them marry—it is no sin. But whoever is firmly established in his heart, being under no necessity but having his desire under control, and has determined this in his heart, to keep her as his betrothed, he will do well. So then he who marries his betrothed does well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better."

It is not a sin to get married (not even during a time of persecution). Again the decision to marry in time of persecution or not to marry comes down to what is best in your situation. It is the larger situation, the persecution, that makes refraining a better option in the first place. And it is the specific situation, your being unable to refrain from marriage, that overrides the call to refrain from marriage in the first place.

We can see from these verses, that sometimes your circumstances influence what is best for you. This could easily be used as justification for situational ethics. But an important distinction must be made. In situational ethics, the situation determines right and wrong. But in this passage, the situation influences what is best; it has no bearing on right or wrong. It is never wrong to marry in the Lord (if you are single). Therefore, the situation does not alter morality. The situation can help us determine what is best, but it never effects moral absolutes.

1 Corinthians 7:32-35

"I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord."

This is a rather puzzling passage. It seems to be arguing against marriage on the basis of the devotional division it causes. It seems to be saying that single people can be entirely devoted to the Lord (without any major distractions), but married people's devotion is naturally divided between the Lord and the spouse. In the past I've discounted this argument by assuming that it was said because of the persecution of the day, but I now think that past line of reasoning was flawed.

I believe that the persecution is a factor here, but more than that, the passage seems to be addressing what normally happens when people get married. And yet, I do not believe that the verses teach that it must be this way. These words are written, "not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord." We are not being told to abstain from marriage. We are being told that marriage can distract you from devotion to God. Don't be distracted. And if marriage is going to distract you, you probably shouldn't get married.

1 Corinthians 7:29-31

"This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away."

Our time on the earth is very short. I think that this reality would be felt more strongly by those facing persecution (even death) for their faith. Knowing our end and the earthly trouble that is before us, we should take a note from the founders and avoid entangling alliances.

During our short time on the earth there are many things that can distract us. And if we allow them, they can keep us from having the right focus. Family, sadness, joy, possessions, and business can all keep us from service to the Lord. The trouble that can come from these things can become so distracting that we loose sight of the Lord.

For some people, the answer is to avoid these things all together. But the verses don't command this. Instead the verses tell us to be as though we didn't have such things. I do not think that this means that we ignore our responsibilities but that we put them in their proper place (a place or insignificance relative to the Lord).

1 Corinthians 7:25-28

"Now concerning the betrothed, I have no command from the Lord, but I give my judgment as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy. I think that in view of the present distress it is good for a person to remain as he is. Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife. But if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if a betrothed woman marries, she has not sinned. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that."

Avoid unnecessary trouble. Marriage is honorable and can bring glory to God. But in times of persecution, marriage can bring worldly troubles. If you are being persecuted, that persecution is going to be more painful for you if you have a family that is affected by it. This does not mean that it is wrong for a person to marry under such circumstances. It may be the right thing to do. However, you should know what you will be facing so that you can avoid unnecessary and unexpected trouble. If you are unable to deal with or unprepared for the persecution, it might cause you to crack. Therefore, know what you are getting into, and avoid unnecessary trouble.

1 Corinthians 7:20-24

"Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. Were you a slave when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) For he who was called in the Lord as a slave is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a slave of Christ. You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men. So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God."

The previous verses showed that God is not concerned about your earthly citizenship (that is, it doesn’t earn you any favor with him). You are under no directive to change after you become a Christian.

These verses here indicate that in addition to citizenship, a person’s socio-economic status earns him no favor with God, and they indicate that the Christian is not under divine directive to climb the economic ladder as if it were some sort of moral imperative. If you are a Christian born-again in poverty or even in slavery (which is a horrible state), don’t let you economic condition concern you. If you are able to improve your condition, that’s fine. But it shouldn’t consume you. You are free in Christ (freed from slaver to sin) and are in a position of great privilege in Him (beneficiary of all spiritual blessings in Christ).

For those born in freedom and privilege, do not get a big head about it. You are Christ’s purchased possession. He purchased you with His self-sacrificing death on the cross. Does this mean that the high-born should become an earthly slave? No, quite the opposite. The fact that you belong to Christ, should keep you from selling yourself to another.

Whatever nationality or socio-economic class you may be in, you can walk with God. God will not accept you any more or less if you are rich or poor, American or Pakistani. Your relationship to Him is what matters, not your class or citizenship. When you become a Christian, you will be a new person. But the newness deals with your nature, desires, and purposes. It doesn’t necessarily give you a new earthly place.

1 Corinthians 7:17-19

"Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches. Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? Let him not seek circumcision. For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God."

The gospel is fundamentally life-altering. It changes the very essence of who you are and what matters to you. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that a person who embraces the gospel becomes a new creation or a new creature. How does that fit with the call in these verses for a person to “lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him”? Two examples are given for our clarification (circumcision and slavery). Examining the directives concerning these matters will help the Christian to understand in what way God wants him to live the life “to which God has called him.”

In America, virtually all male babies are circumcised shortly after birth. This is done (with few exceptions) merely for health/sanitation. So it might not be immediately clear to us how circumcision could have anything to do with living as you are called. But in Israel, circumcision was much more than a medical procedure. It was a physical mark, identifying you with the nation Israel. It was an important, long-standing tradition that every male Israelite was required to undergo (and was supposed to undergo on the eight day of his life). If he did not go through with it, he did not have full Jewish privileges.

New Testament followers of Yahweh, do not have to physically identify themselves with the nation of Israel. You were born an American, Australian, Indian, Korean, Iranian, South African or Romanian. You do not need to change. You do not need to become a citizen of another country because of your relationship or to gain a relationship with the Holy One of Israel. This is not a prohibition against changing citizenship. It is a clarification that citizenship doesn’t matter with God. It doesn’t count for anything with God (i.e. it doesn’t win you any special favor). What matters is your keeping God’s commandments, living like the new creation that you are.

1 Corinthians 7:14-16

"For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace. For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?"

In what sense is an unbelieving spouse "made holy" because of a believing spouse. Perhaps being made holy refers to positive influences that the believer can have on the unbeliever. That would explain why the children are also holy. If they were left to the unbeliever alone, they would surely follow after the unbelievers ways. But if a believing spouse can positively influence the unbelieving spouse, the children will also be kept from much uncleanness.

But the verses seem to go beyond mere external restraint and reach to the heart of the unbeliever. The testimony of the believer may so move the unbeliever that (s)he trusts Christ herself. Verse sixteen indicates that this is a real possibility that ought to be hoped for. And it is this possibility that motivates believers to stay with their unbelieving spouses.

Because of verse sixteen, the second explanation seems more likely to me. In addition to this, the eventual/possible salvation of the unbelieving spouse also explains the spouse being "made holy." Salvation or more specifically justification does not equal being "made holy." But salvation results in one being made holy. And all that was said about the positive influence would be true, in a deeper sense, of one who has come to know Christ.

1 Corinthians 7:12-13

To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him.

The general truth is that God wants married people to stay together. But some situations are really bad. Is there any direction given about those kind of specific situations?

Two situations are given, and both of them have to do with mixed marriages (between a believer and an unbeliever), which could have the potential of being very difficult. No information is given about the conditions that the partners faced in dealing with the other. The unbeliever may have been kind or reprehensibly cruel. Such information is absent.

The issue dealt with in the marriage is the unbelievers willingness or refusal to remain in the marriage. If the unbeliever is willing to stay in the marriage, the believer should stay. If the unbeliever is not willing to stay in the marriage, the unbeliever should not feel bound to the unbeliever (even though God generally doesn’t want people to break up). No out is given for the believer if (s)he is unhappy or having difficulty. If the unbeliever wants to stay married, the believer should not leave.

1 Corinthians 7:10-11

"To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife."

If you are married, it is God's will for you to remain married. You have a holy charge from God. Husband and wife alike are directed to stay in their marriage. You should not get a divorce. But the objection comes, you do not know my spouse. It is true that no other person knows what it is like to be married to your spouse. But it was not a person who gave this directive. God commanded it, and God knows what your situation is like. In fact, He has a more realistic view of the relationship than you do.

Your situation is not irrelevant. In fact the next several verses are going to deal with specific situations. But in all the different situations, one thing remains constant. God wants the married person to stay married.