Troublesome Topic: Why Did Paul Say to Remain as You Are?

1 Corinthians 7:17

Translation

Only to each as THE LORD has divided, to each as THEOS has called, so let him walk. And this I charge in all the churches.

Paraphrase

Based on how THE SUPREME RULER has distributed things to each person, and according to what THE CREATOR AND RULER OF ALL THINGS has called each one to do, that is how each believer should live. I admonish everyone to do this.

Remain as You Are

This is a general principle which Paul taught to everyone, and which applied to various situations. He repeated it again in Vs. 20 “Let each one remain in the calling to which he has been called,” and in verse 24, (see below). In verse 18 & 19 Paul applied this principle to circumcision, and then after that to slavery (vv. 21-22). About slavery he interjects “but if you are able to become free, make use of that opportunity.” However, if the reader was not able to make that change, Paul’s message to him can be expressed like this, “don’t focus only on that one thing to the point of having a negative view of your situation; rather focus on your relationship with Jesus, in which is found freedom from all types of bondage.” So we observe that it is a logical necessity that some situations should indeed be changed, even while most should stay the same if possible. The reason for not changing things will be given shortly by Paul. First he reiterates the key principle yet again.

1 Corinthians 7:24

Translation

Brothers,

in that in which each one is called, in that he should remain with God.

Paraphrase

Brothers and sisters, each one of you should remain well-connected to God in whatever situation you find yourselves in.

1 Corinthians 7:26

Translation

Therefore, I deem this to already exist

[as something] good

because of the present necessity,

that it is good for a man to be the same.

Paraphrase

Therefore, I consider it worthwhile for this principle to exist as one of the key points I make sure to share with everyone,

due to the present hardship, i.e. that it is honorable for a man to remain in the same situation he currently finds himself in.

What Did Paul Mean by “The Present Necessity”?

I am convinced that when Paul said “the present necessity” he was referring to various forms of persecution which followers of Jesus were facing everywhere he went. The reality of persecution caused him to share these words of advice regarding relationships, as I will explain below.

1 Corinthians 7:27

Translation

Have you become bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed

Have you become loosed from a wife?

Do not seek a wife.

Paraphrase

If you have gotten engaged to marry a wife, don’t break off the engagement. But if you have already been engaged previously and broken off that engagement, stop looking for a wife.

1 Corinthians 7:28

Translation

However, if you have married, you did not sin; and if a virgin has married, she did not sin. However, such will have pressure in the flesh.

I am now sparing you.

Paraphrase

However, if you were engaged and you followed through with it and got married, you did not do anything wrong, despite me telling people to stay in the condition in which they find themselves. Also, if a chaste young woman gets married, she has done nothing wrong. However, be advised that people who do get married will have much hardship and even persecution in the physical realm. I am trying to spare you from that kind of suffering.

Why Did Paul Say They Would Have Hardship?

First he stated the principle he was emphasizing in this entire passage – to stay as you are – then he gave the reason – because of the present crisis or hardship the believers were facing. I am convinced he meant that those who enter a time a persecution with close connections to others will find the decision to follow Jesus at any cost more painful because they will be forced to leave a loved one behind or forced to watch a loved one suffer. An unattached man has only his life to lose and thus he can take more risks without hurting anyone else. A man with a wife and children will suffer much emotional pain if he takes a stand for Jesus knowing that he is causing his family to suffer also. For these reasons Paul says what he did in the following sections.

1 Corinthians 7:32

Translation

But I desire you to be free from cares. The unmarried man cares

for the things of THE LORD, how he might please THE LORD,

Paraphrase

My desire for you is that you be free from worry and concerns. For example, an unmarried man is concerned most of all about the things that pertain to THE SUPREME RULER, and what he needs to do to please THE SUPREME RULER.

1 Corinthians 7:33

Translation

however, one who has married cares for the things of the world, how he might please his wife,

Paraphrase

However, the one who is married is concerned about worldly things, such as how he can keep his wife happy,

1 Corinthians 7:34

Translation

and he is divided. And the woman who is unmarried and a virgin, cares for the thing of THE LORD so that she might be holy both in body and in spirit; however, the one who has married cares for the things of the world, how she might please her husband.

Paraphrase

and therefore his allegiances are divided. The woman who is an unmarried virgin is concerned about the things of THE SUPREME RULER so that she can keep herself holy in body and spirit; but the woman who is married is concerned about this world, such as how she can keep her husband happy.

Persecution Is Harder When Married

The last two verses apply to the marriage relationship in general as well as to the specific challenges that come with persecution, namely that sometimes your persecutors will try to break you by hurting the people you love.

1 Corinthians 7:38

Translation

And so then, the one who gives his own virgin [daughter] in marriage

does well, and the one who does not give her in marriage will do better.

Paraphrase

The same goes for a father; if he gives his daughter to a young man in marriage, he has fulfilled his responsibilities well, but [during difficult times like these], if he refrains from giving her to a young man in marriage, he has done something even better.

Who Will Accept the Heartache?

The reason it is better for a godly father to not give his godly daughter away in marriage during a time of persecution is that he has spared her from the heartache of seeing her godly husband tortured and killed, or her being killed in front of him. In this case the father is willing to take that heartache upon himself rather than pass it on to someone else.

1 Corinthians 7:39

Translation

A wife is bound for a period of time that lasts as long as her husband lives; but if the husband should die, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, but only in the LORD.

Paraphrase

A wife is bound to her husband for as long as he lives; but if the husband should die before she does, she is free to be married to whomever she wishes, as long as he is a follower of THE SUPREME RULER.

1 Corinthians 7:40

Translation

However, according to my judgment, she is blessed if she should remain in that manner, and I think I too have the Spirit of GOD.

Paraphrase

However, as I see it, she will be happier if she remains as she is (unmarried). I carefully follow the Spirit of God, therefore, I am confident that my opinion on the matter has as least as much weight as others who have been teaching in Corinth.

A Summary of the Entire Passage

It will go more easily for her if she is not attached to a husband when persecution comes.

The key to understanding this passage is the clause “because of the present necessity” (v. 26). If you see persecution coming, do not rush into a close relationship like a marriage; it will only make things harder. It is possible that Paul had seen people do that very thing. They rushed into a marriage relationship because the time was short; they enjoyed a little bit of time together, but then it made their suffering even greater. His advice was, “It’s not worth it, so don’t go there.” However, don’t respond out of fear and try to get out of relationships and the responsibilities they entail. Paul had learned that the easiest way to say all this was to say, “if you see persecution approaching, it is usually best to stay in the situation you are now in.”

We see from this discussion that Paul’s strange-sounding advice had a very good reason when applied to the specific situation he had in mind – persecution.

The next lesson is: The Purpose of Revelation

Footnotes

1: "brothers"

If you asked a person of that day, they would say that the Greek word meant “brother.” It comes from the two words “same” and “womb.” In those days it was understood primarily as males that came from the same womb i.e. brothers, but it was also used in a general sense to mean brothers and sisters that came from the same womb. It was even used of siblings that had the same father but not the same mother, therefore they did not come from the same womb. Therefore, those that say this word means “brother” are correct, that was its primary meaning in that day; those that say it was used of “brothers and sisters,” are also correct. It was a specific word that was commonly used with a general meaning.

2: “to already exist”

This is not the normal verb of being, but rather a verb that means “to become, or come into existence, to exist, to already be in existence.” Paul is saying that it was proper for this charge to exist as one of the things he made sure to share with all the churches he planted or visited.

3

The word “good” usually means something that is “beautiful, noble or worthy.” In this context the idea of beauty does not fit as well as that of being worthy, or worthwhile.

4

“necessity” is the basic idea, but can be expressed with various English words, all of which are fairly close in meaning: “calamity, crisis, distress, hardship, in straits, in constraints, in need.”

5

In ancient times breaking off an engagement was a serious thing. It was called a divorce, but it did not have the implications of a true divorce. He told those who were engaged at that time to not break off the engagement because that caused its own set of problems, such as financial complications for both fathers, possible bad feelings between the families, and hurt feeling between the couple.

6

This does not refer to being loosed from a marriage, only to those who have been engaged and broken that engagement.

7: “in the flesh”

Paul usually used this phrase with a spiritual connotation; however, this occurrence does not appear to follow that pattern. It appears to mean in the physical realm in which we live.

8: "Cares"

This is a different form of the word for “cares” used earlier in the verse.

9

This statement is part of the reason why above I assumed that the desired attitude Paul was pointing to without saying it clearly was that of setting one’s priorities on the things of God.

10

This verb means “to give in marriage.” The same word is used in the second half of this sentence.