Skip to content Marriage and Celibacy as Taught in 1 Corinthians 7-8 Sep 29 · 12 min ...more
Marriage and Celibacy as Taught in 1 Corinthians 7-8
September 29, 2025 · 12 min
Learn from Paul's guidance on marriage and celibacy as relevant lessons for modern believers.
Series Stand on the Word - Video On Demand Support this leader Liking this video? Support this ministry.
Support this leader
Liking this video? Support this ministry.
Give
Support this leader Liking this video? Support this ministry.
Guidance on Marriage and Celibacy 0:09 Good morning. Welcome to Stand on the Word. Today, we're looking at first Corinthians chapter 7 and 8. Verse 12 of chapter 8. But when you thus sin against the brethren and wound their weak conscience, you0:21 sin against Christ. In these 2 chapters, Paul responds to questions from the Corinthians that they had asked in a letter. Look at verse 1. Now concerning the things which you wrote0:33 to me, it is good for a man not to touch a woman. Now we don't have this letter, but we have Paul's response. Alright? As we noted before, there were other letters that Paul wrote, which we do not have0:45 as they were lost to history or they were not preserved by God for, inclusion in the canon of scripture. So this is what we have. In chapter 5, which we read over the weekend, Paul0:57 discussed the blatant immorality that was in the church and how it was to be dealt with by the church, you know, the church leadership and by the, the fellowship as a whole. In1:09 chapter 6, Paul answers questions regarding celibacy, marriage, and divorce. Now this is not a full teaching on marriage. He is answering questions that were sent to him. As these new believers, they1:20 were looking for direction on how to follow Christ in a in a pagan world. Right? So this all has relevance to us. Now Paul teaches more on marriage and the roles of husbands and wives over1:32 in Ephesians chapter 5, which we're actually gonna cover in the first part of, November. Verse 2. Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. Let1:44 the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. Celibacy is good, but as he points out in verse 7, not everyone has that gift. For I1:56 wish that all men were even as I myself, but each 1 has his own gift from God, 1 in this manner and another in that. Notice different gifts. People are2:08 created differently and can, and are given gifts to do different things. So that means we shouldn't be comparing ourselves to 1 another as we've seen before. But I say to the unmarried2:20 and to the widows, it is good for them if they remain even as I. But if they cannot exercise self control, let them marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion. Notice what he wrote2:32 in verse 6. But I say this is a concession, not as a commandment. Now to the married, I command yet not I, but the lord. A wife2:44 is not to depart from her husband. Now he's moving on to what the lord taught. Okay? Verse 11, but even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband,3:06 of what what Jesus had to say as he was teaching about marriage. The Pharisees came to him, testing him, saying to him, is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason? And he answered and said to them,3:18 have you not read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female, talking about gender there, and said, for this reason, a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and the3:27 2 shall become 1 flesh? So then they are no longer 2, but 1 flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let not man separate. They said to him, why then did Moses command to give3:39 a certificate of divorce and to put her away? He said to them, Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning, it was not so. And I say to you, whoever3:51 divorces his wife except for sexual immorality and marries another commits adultery, and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery. His disciples said to him, if such4:03 is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry. And he said to them, all cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given. Now this is4:14 what Paul is teaching, that celibacy is a gift. Not everyone has it, but those who do can walk confidently in that calling. Alright. In verse 23, chapter 7, you were bought at a price. Do4:26 not become slaves of men. Brethren, let each 1 remain with god in that state in which he was called. Now concerning virgins, I have no commandment from the lord, yet I give judgment as 14:38 whom the lord in his mercy has made trustworthy. I suppose therefore that this is good because of the present distress, that it is good for a man to remain as he4:50 is. Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife. But even if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Nevertheless,5:01 such will have trouble in the flesh, but I would spare you. So he's saying, look. Things are happening. You'd be better if you were single, but don't change your situation. And he just says, you know, if5:13 you listen to me and you don't get married, I'll spare you some trouble. Verse 29. But this I say, brethren, the time is short so that from now on, even those who have wives should be as though they had none. None.5:25 Those who weep as though they did not weep. Those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice. Those who buy as though they did not possess. And those who use this world as not misusing it, for the form of the5:37 world is passing away. So Paul continues on with further guidance and direction, but there are 2 main concerns that Paul is communicating in this instruction that should guide the decisions that the Corinthians5:49 and, frankly, we make. Number 1, time is short. We should live with a sense of urgency and expectation and and expectancy regarding the kingdom of God. I mean, think about it. Paul6:01 was living with a sense of urgency 1970 years ago or so. How should we be living today with urgency and expectancy?6:13 And then secondly is holiness to the lord. We are not to be given over to sexual immorality. I mean, recall what Paul wrote in chapter 6. Let me read it. Verse6:25 18. Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual sin sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy SpiritChristian Liberty and Love 6:37 who is in you, whom you have from God and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. So he there is a6:49 distinction. Yes. All sin is sin. Alright? But there is a distinct a distinction here as he talks about sexual sin because it is not just against the body. It is not he said every sin7:00 that a man does is outside the body, but the sexual sexual immorality sins against one's own body. And as we read before and we're gonna see more. He's gonna talk a lot more about this. So let me move on. Chapter 8 is a7:12 short response to questions about eating the meat that has been offered to idols. Verse 1, now concerning things offered to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up,7:24 but love edifies. Alright. We have the knowledge that these idols mean nothing. Alright? So, you know, that that but that creates arrogance when we know that, yeah, it's nothing, not a problem, But love edifies. What's7:36 he getting at? And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. But if anyone loves god, this 1 is known by him. Therefore, concerning the eating of things offered to7:48 idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world and that there is no other god but 1. For even if there are so called gods, whether in heaven or on earth, as there are many gods and many8:00 lords, for, yet for us, there is 1 god, the father, of whom are all things, and we for him and and 1 lord Jesus Christ through whom are all things and through whom we8:11 live. However, there is not in everyone that knowledge. For some, with conscience the consciousness of the idol until now eating it as a thing offered to an8:23 idol and their conscience being weak is defiled. Now this is what we have here in this chapter, you we might be quick to dismiss it saying, well, we don't have idols. This is an excellent8:35 example of applying biblical principles to our lives. Now most of us, you know, never face the issue of eating food sacrificed to idols. You know, I've traveled around the the world,8:47 never had to deal with this. But the principle does apply. It applies directly to how we as Christians use our Christian liberty. And Paul is gonna expand on this much more in chapter 10. Let8:59 me just read 1 verse from chapter 10. All things this is verse 23 of chapter 10. All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful for me, but not9:11 all things edify. You know, as we grow in our knowledge and understanding, we understand we have liberty in Christ, but how we exercise this liberty matters. Just because9:23 we can do something doesn't mean that we should. If our actions cause a fellow believer to stumble, what does it say? Paul actually says we're sinning against Christ himself. This is9:34 especially critical for for leaders whose examples carry even greater weight. Now look at how Paul concludes here in chapter 8 verse 11. And because of your knowledge, shall the weak brother perish9:46 for whom Christ died? But when you thus sin against the brother and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never9:58 eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble. The principle here is very clear. Knowledge must lead to wisdom, and wisdom must be guided by love. Christian liberty is not about demanding10:10 our rights, but about laying them down for the sake of others, for other believers that we're trying to strengthen and build up and edify. If love does not govern our actions, our knowledge becomes10:22 destructive rather than edifying. Some good stuff. And so, I encourage you to consider inviting someone else to join us on this journey. And by the way,10:35 just putting this out there, beginning in January will be another journey through the Bible. We'll start again with Genesis. So be thinking even now. Pray about who you might invite to, to be a10:47 part of this journey through the scripture. Father, we thank you for your word, and we thank you for this teaching, how practical it is as Paul was writing to the Corinthians as they were just asking how to live10:59 in a in a way that honors you, builds up others in a culture, Lord, that's rejected truth, a pagan culture. Lord, increasingly, we see that around us. But, Lord, may we11:11 may we not use the liberty that you've given us in such a way that it causes others to stumble. But, lord, through love, may we build up others and strengthen11:23 them in their walk with you. Thank you, Lord, for the Holy Spirit as he guides us on this journey. For we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Alright. Thanks for joining me this morning. And until next time, keep11:34 standing on the word.11:39 Today's study comes from the stand on the word Bible reading plan available for free at f r c dot o r g slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day, you11:51 can read through the entire Bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at frc dot org slash bible.In this video 0:00 Guidance on Marriage and Celibacy6:25 Christian Liberty and Love93.9K followers
Family Research Council is serving in the kingdom of God by championing faith, family, & freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview.
93.9K followers
Comments No comments yet. Start the conversation.
Comments
Keep it kind. Comments are public.