9/27 Wake Up! BFC "Tug O' War- Marriage"

Introduction

• Write down your ideal husband/wife. What will they do, what will they look like.

Lesson

• Read 1 Corinthians 7:1-3. Paul just tells everyone that you shouldn’t get married.  Actually, Paul starts a new stage in his letter to the Corinthians, and it is focusing on answering some questions that the Corinthians had asked him. This question is obviously about marriage. He notes that there is nothing wrong with marriage, but to be very careful about it.
• 1 Corinthians 7:4-9. Some of the Corinthians had messed up views of what marriage was supposed to be. They knew how they acted before Christ entered their life, but now they don’t know what to do. They were abstaining from some things that married people do, and Paul was telling them that this was bad. Why? Because other temptations are sure to creep in.
• Read 1 Corinthians 7:10-16.  Like today, Corinth was a place that was steeped in divorce and remarriage. Now all of a sudden a new Gospel is being preached and they are faced with the question of whether they should do what is acceptable in culture or commanded by God. What was acceptable grounds for divorce for Paul?
• 1 Corinthians 7:17-24. Paul uses slavery and circumcision to illustrate the fact that when you become a Christian you stay in the state you are in; when you are converted you do not leave your unconverted wife or husband. You try to bring them along with you in your spiritual journey.
• 1 Corinthians 7:25-31. Paul notes that he would prefer if the Corinthians would remain in their present state due to a crisis.  There was a great food shortage in this time.
• Read 1 Corinthians 7:32-40. Does Paul say that you cannot be married and serve God? No, in the present case, he is simply giving advice to the people as they are faced with this food shortage and with being a Christian. The underlying theme in this passage is that God comes first! Paul’s advice is good here when talking about rushing into marriage. Do not rush into it, simply allow it to happen and make sure that you are the right fit.

Tug O’ War

• What is the worldly view of marriage?
• What does Paul say here about marriage?
• Where do you think the church as a whole is in the tug o’ war? Where are you?