1 Corinthians 7:10-16   Click here for Bible Verses

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Corinthians 7:10-16.  Let’s go!

1 Corinthians 7:10-11 (NIV)
10  To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband.
11  But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.

On verses 10-11:  In 1 Corinthians 7:10-16, Paul is addressing another issue in his church at Corinth: the issue of divorce.  In verses 10-11, Paul reiterates the teaching of the Lord Jesus on divorce from Matthew 19:4-9 and Mark 10:1-10, which is that generally speaking married people are not to divorce.

Does that mean that divorce is never allowed under any circumstances?  Keep in mind that in Matthew 19 and Mark 10, Jesus says that divorcing (i.e legally dissolving the marriage) and remarrying is permissible in the case of marital unfaithfulness.  Perhaps the reason Paul does not mention this is because Paul is most likely writing this in response to a specific situation, or situations, that he has heard about going on in the church in Corinth.  It could be that the Christians in Corinth were trying to back out of their marriages for immature reasons that had nothing to do with marital unfaithfulness.  So here Paul emphasizes that marriage is a lifelong commitment that is not to be easily dissolved.

1 Corinthians 7:12-14 (NIV)
12  To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her.
13  And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him.
14  For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.

On verses 12-14:  The exact situation that gave rise to Paul’s comments here is not certain.  It could be that a Christian in the church in Corinth was married to an unbeliever and that Christian is wondering whether he or she should divorce their spouse because their faith and values are not aligned.  Paul advises the Christian in the marriage not to divorce their unbelieving spouse if that unbelieving spouse is willing to keep going in the marriage.  The reason Paul gives is because “the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband.” What does that mean?  Despite using the word “sanctified”, as verse 16 shows us, Paul does not mean that an unbeliever can be saved just by being married to a Christian.  Rather, Paul is more likely saying that by remaining married to their Christian spouse, the unbelieving person has an opportunity to receive salvation and to be won to Christ because they get to see Christ at work in their spouse’s life.

When Paul mentions that children who are born to a couple where one spouse is a Christian and the other spouse is not Christian are still “holy” and not unclean, what does Paul mean?  I believe Paul means that the children in that marriage are not irreparably corrupted just because one parent is Christian and the other is not, that those children are not any less valuable than children who are born to a couple where both parents are Christians.

1 Corinthians 7:15-16 (NIV)
15  But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace.
16  How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

On verses 15-16:  In the case where a Christian is married to an unbeliever and the unbeliever completely abandons the Christian and their marriage, Paul says that the Christian “is not bound in such circumstances”; in other words, if that unbelieving spouse insists on dissolving the marriage, the Christian spouse is not obligated to fight to stop the marriage from dissolving.  Again we do not know the specific circumstances that gave rise to Paul making these comments, but it seems that Paul is providing comfort to a Christian who thought that he or she was bound to keep fighting for their marriage to a non-Christian even when that non-Christian has left or is on the verge of leaving.

One last practical note: for those of you who are married, since divorce is generally not an option, I would encourage you to stop yourself from saying the words “I want a divorce” or other like phrases with your spouse when you and your spouse are fighting.  Since words are powerful, the moment you say you want a divorce, the more of a real possibility divorce becomes in the mind of both you and your spouse.  So guard your words toward one another and always lean toward reconciliation whenever possible.

Whether you are single, married, widowed or divorced, let’s pray that we would take marriage and divorce as seriously as God does.