Monthly Archives:: November 2010

Paul’s counsel to the Corinthian believers is “remain in the condition in which you were called.” Whether you are married or single, slave or free, Jew or Gentile, serve Christ in that condition. But where can believers receive the strength to be content in their present circumstances. The Word of God gives us answers to that question from this passage.

What should unmarried people seriously consider before deciding to get married? Paul gives counsel considering this very issue in this passage. He says they need to consider the present distress, the fact that the time has been shortened, the truth that marriage will bring new distractions, and the fact that marriage is permanent until your spouse dies.

The 1st century church in Corinth had questions for Paul related to whether it was all right to eat meat sacrificed to idols or not. Today we might ask whether it is all right to get a tattoo, listen to secular music, drink alcohol, or send our children to a public school. The apostle Paul gives us principles by which we may discern God’s will in whether we ought to engage in these “gray” issues.