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Pathways Through Paul
Daily Devotional
July 2
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Today's Pathway:
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I Corinthians 7:12-16
- But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away.
- And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and 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 were your children unclean; but now are they holy.
- But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to 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?
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Yesterday Paul instructed his readers that divorce should not take place, and if for some reason it does happen remarriage to someone else should not occur. Paul opens today's passage by discussing what should happen if one of the marriage partners is unsaved. As mentioned yesterday, when Paul says in verse 12 that he is speaking and not the Lord, this does not mean that he is just giving his opinion and that we can ignore it if we want to because God has not authorized Paul's statements. He is saying that he is not referring to something that has been given in Scripture previously. This is "new information", but it is still the Word of God.
The church at Corinth had people in it who were married to an unsaved spouse. More than likely both the husband and the wife had been unbelievers, but one of them had received Christ as Savior. The question was, should the saved spouse leave the unsaved spouse? II Corinthians 6:14-15 reads,
"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?...or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?"
I Corinthians 7:39 says that marriage should be "only in the Lord". It is clear that a believer should not choose to marry an unbeliever. However, what is to happen if two unbelievers are already married and one gets saved? Is the believing partner now being "defiled" by the unbelieving partner? Is the best recourse for the believer to leave the marriage? Paul's answer is "no". If the unbelieving spouse is willing to stay married to the believer, then the believer shouldn't break up the marriage. According to verse 15, if the unsaved spouse leaves, there is nothing that the believing spouse can do about it. But the believer should never initiate the divorce. It is worth asking the question, "why would the unsaved husband want to divorce his saved wife?" He apparently was happy to be married to her before her salvation, so what is the problem? As a Christian she should be more loving and submissive to her husband than she was previously, which should be making him even happier. The answer must be that the wife's salvation has changed her lifestyle. She is now trying to live a holy life that prioritizes the Lord, and her husband doesn't like it. This shows that a believing spouse should not compromise Biblical principles in order to "get along" with the unbelieving spouse. Many believers have limited their commitment to the Lord in order to appease their spouse and to keep their marriage together. Paul doesn't advocate this. If the unbelieving departs, he departs, but the believer must be the best Christian that he or she can be regardless of what happens.
In verses 14 and 16 Paul states that the unsaved spouse is not defiling the believer; the believer is sanctifying the unbeliever. This does not mean that the unbeliever automatically becomes a Christian, but it does mean that the unbeliever partakes of the blessings that God bestows on the believer. William Baker wrote,
"Rather than believing that the purity of the marriage is contaminated by the unbelieving partner, Paul believed the purity of the marriage was enhanced by the believing partner."
And, according to verse 15, keeping the marriage together may even result in the unbeliever getting saved. Not only was the unbelieving spouse sanctified, but Paul writes that the children benefit as well. He says, "else were your children unclean; but now are they holy". John MacArthur commented,
"The Christian need not separate from an unbeliever because of fear that the unbelieving spouse may defile the children. God promises the opposite. They would be unclean if both parents were unsaved, but the presence of one believing parent exposes the children to blessing and brings them protection. The presence of even one Christian parent will protect children from undue spiritual harm and they will receive many blessings, and often that includes salvation."
Pastor Mark J Montgomery
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