Being One

 

DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

BEING ONE

1 Cor 7:32-35

32 I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord's affairs — how he can please the Lord. 33 But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world — how he can please his wife— 34 and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world — how she can please her husband. 35 I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.

NIV

Paul is going on about this being single rather than married, which seems somewhat strange because God established marriage, and in doing so it would mean that man was not intended to live alone or be single, nor was women, as she was taken from man to be his helpmate, his partner. So why is Paul wanting to insist that marriage causes a divided heart? Should it not be possible that a married couple walks the same path, but loving the Lord and loving each other? We would think this is the way God intended man and woman to live, in harmony, both loving and serving the Lord as one. We are instructed to be one as God and Jesus are one, so why would one have a divided heart? However, because of the previous content, we would have to think this instruction was for those in Corinth because of their current crisis of persecution. Still, it would seem that because this is scripture, part of the canon, it also would seem that it should apply to all mankind in every time throughout history, the present time, and the times to come. What we can glean from this is the oneness that should occur within the bond of marriage. We are to please one another, and that would mean giving up selfishness, or what we like or dislike, but rather try to please the other in every way. That would also include being one in Christ, both wanting to please God in how they live. Paul has already indicated that if being single which includes celibacy, is too difficult to do because of the natural passions, created within us by God, that people should marry. Is Paul saying that he has no passion, no desires whatsoever to be intimate with a woman? Is he saying that he is pure as the driving snow and has no concern about the world at all and its pleasures, and it completely devoted, without any division in his heart at all? That almost sounds like being sinless and prideful, which is sin. Paul says that he does sin, in fact, he says he does that which he does not want to do and does not do that which he should do, so then how can he tell others to be that pure, and have no concern whatsoever for the world and not be married? By his own confession, it would seem there is some division in his heart, so how can he instruct others not to have a divided heart? But that is what we are supposed to fight, having a divided heart. We are not supposed to desire the Lord and the world. We live in this world and we must make our way in it, producing some amount of income to afford the needs of life, being single or married, so there will always be a part of us that must deal with the concerns of the world, even so, we can afford to invest in the kingdom, paying for the expenses of the church and the what we consider the work of the Lord. Again, we think it comes down to our focus, the main reason we do what we do. It should not be all about our selfish desires, but about the desires of the Lord. It is about being one with each other and one with Christ.