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Texts -- 1 Corinthians 7:28-40 (NET)

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7:28 But if you marry , you have not sinned . And if a virgin marries , she has not sinned . But those who marry will face difficult circumstances , and I am trying to spare you such problems . 7:29 And I say this, brothers and sisters : The time is short . So then those who have wives should be as those who have none , 7:30 those with tears like those not weeping , those who rejoice like those not rejoicing , those who buy like those without possessions , 7:31 those who use the world as though they were not using it to the full. For the present shape of this world is passing away . 7:32 And I want you to be free from concern . An unmarried man is concerned about the things of the Lord , how to please the Lord . 7:33 But a married man is concerned about the things of the world , how to please his wife , 7:34 and he is divided . An unmarried woman or a virgin is concerned about the things of the Lord , to be holy both in body and spirit . But a married woman is concerned about the things of the world , how to please her husband . 7:35 I am saying this for your benefit , not to place a limitation on you , but so that without distraction you may give notable and constant service to the Lord . 7:36 If anyone thinks he is acting inappropriately toward his virgin , if she is past the bloom of youth and it seems necessary , he should do what he wishes ; he does not sin . Let them marry . 7:37 But the man who is firm in his commitment , and is under no necessity but has control over his will , and has decided in his own mind to keep his own virgin , does well . 7:38 So then , the one who marries his own virgin does well , but the one who does not , does better . 7:39 A wife is bound as long as her husband is living . But if her husband dies , she is free to marry anyone she wishes (only someone in the Lord ). 7:40 But in my opinion , she will be happier if she remains as she is – and I think that I too have the Spirit of God !

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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • God blessed David and his kingdom because David had honored God by seeking to bring the ark into Jerusalem. The Chronicler recorded three instances of divine blessing in this chapter.First, God gave David favor in the eyes of...
  • This chapter, like the previous one, probably contains several separate oracles. Together they make up a lamentation. Here the nature of the coming judgment of Jerusalem and Judah receives primary emphasis."There are six part...
  • This is another incident involving women who became disciples of Jesus (cf. 8:1-3; et al.). Like the parable of the good Samaritan it shows Jesus overcoming prejudice. As the former parable illustrated the meaning of the seco...
  • Corinth had a long history stretching back into the Bronze Age (before 1200 B.C.).1In Paul's day it was a Roman colony and the capital of the province of Achaia. The population consisted of Roman citizens who had migrated fro...
  • A phrase in 1:2 suggests the theme of this great epistle. That phrase is "the church of God which is at Corinth."Two entities are in view in this phrase and these are the two entities with which the whole epistle deals. They ...
  • I. Introduction 1:1-9A. Salutation 1:1-3B. Thanksgiving 1:4-9II. Conditions reported to Paul 1:10-6:20A. Divisions in the church 1:10-4:211. The manifestation of the problem 1:10-172. The gospel as a contradiction to human wi...
  • The first subject with which he dealt was marriage. He began with some general comments (vv. 1-7) and then dealt with specific situations."The transition from chapter 6 to chapter 7 illustrates the necessity Paul was under of...
  • In view of the verses in this section it seems that the question the Corinthians had asked Paul was whether an engaged girl should get married or remain single. One might understand verses 17-24 as saying no unmarried person ...
  • Paul next called his readers to take a different view of their relationship to the world since they lived in distressing times and the form of the world was passing away. We, too, need this view of the world since we also liv...
  • This section concludes Paul's entire teaching on marriage in this chapter. However it contains problems related to the meaning of "virgin"as is clear from the three different interpretations in the NASB, the NIV, and the NEB....
  • Most of the Corinthians had been following Paul's instructions regarding women's head coverings so he commended them (v. 2), but he could not approve their practice at the Lord's Supper. They needed to make some major changes...
  • Paul had been dealing with matters related to worship since 8:1. He had forbidden the Corinthians from participating in temple meals but had allowed eating marketplace meat under certain circumstances (8:1-11:1). Then he deal...
  • The apostle next pointed out the qualities of love that make it so important. He described these in relationship to a person's character that love rules. We see them most clearly in God and in Christ but also in the life of a...
  • Paul brought his revelation of the resurrection to a climax in this paragraph by clarifying what all this means for the believer in Christ. Here he also dealt with the exceptional case of living believers' transformation at t...
  • Adams, Jay. Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible. Phillipsburg, N.J.: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1980.Andrews, J. N. "May Women Speak in Meeting?"Review and Herald. January 2, 1879. Reprinted in Advent...
  • In this first sub-section, which is transitional, Paul's intention was to convince the Corinthians that his recent actions arose from sincere motives.1:12 He first claimed generally that his actions did not arise from the mot...
  • The Corinthians had a tendency to respond to Paul's teachings by first resisting them and then going overboard in applying them inappropriately. They had done this in dealing with the incestuous man (1 Cor. 5). Consequently P...
  • The apostle's reference to his present sufferings (vv. 17-18) led him to tell the Philippians about his plans. He wanted to send Timothy and Epaphroditus to Philippi. He said things about those two faithful fellow workers tha...
  • The Ephesian church already had elders long before Paul wrote this letter (Acts 20:17-35)."If our identification of the false teachers as elders is correct, then Paul's reason for this set of instructions is that Timothy must...
  • Paul gave instructions concerning the church's responsibility for its widows to clarify how and for whom the church should provide special care. Widows have been and still are specially vulnerable individuals. As such God has...
  • A. Paul affirms the personal equality of man and woman in the new creation by stating that in Christ there is "neither male nor female"(Gal. 3:28).A woman obtains salvation by faith exactly as a man does (Eph. 2:8-9; 1 Pet. 1...
  • John next warned his readers of worldly dangers that face the Christian as he or she seeks to get to know God better. He did so to enable them to prepare for and to overcome these obstacles with God's help."As often in 1 John...
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