Introduction:
He didn’t think much of Christians – in fact he couldn’t stand them, but one day God’s grace was poured out and He came to faith in Christ.  It soon became obvious that he was fully committed to the Lord.  Very quickly he found out that other people didn’t like Christians much either, but no matter where he went, he was telling people the Gospel of Christ.  He sacrificed for others and God used him in great ways: used to lead many people to the Lord, used to start many churches, even used to write about half of the NT!  Despite all this (maybe because of it) the Apostle Paul is still maligned and attacked.  His authorship contested, accused of being a woman-hater,   considered by some as “out of touch”, and all of that by liberal theologians and churches!

We’ve been studying the first letter to the church at Corinth, a letter penned by Paul, written by the Holy Spirit.  The problem of carnality was addressed.  Symptoms were: division among believers, pride and immorality, and a host of other old habits.  That was section one: the unsolicited counsel (1 Corinthians 1-6).

Today in our study of Church 101, we begin the next section where we find solicited counsel (1 Corinthians 7-14).  The new topic gets very personal: relationships.  Yet we continue with the same theme: Godliness in the church. 

Review of 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 (read).  A most misused phrase “all things are lawful for me”  This is CLEARLY satire…the context of 1 Corinthians 6 and all of 1 Corinthians is NOT “all things are lawful,” both are full of instructions about what is proper in church and what isn’t.  In the case of 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 we see that because our bodies are members with Christ there is NO place for sexual immorality…it is not lawful for me!  This leads perfectly into the Spirit’s answer to the first of the questions asked by the church at Corinth.

Let’s hear what the Spirit says to the churches…

Getting Personal:

The Real Deal to the Married (7:1-5)

It begins, “Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me.”  Throughout this section of 1 Corinthians several questions will be answered.  We don’t have the list questions, only the answers, but the basic questions are simple enough to figure out.  This one was obviously about sexuality.  Remember: all sexual activity outside of marriage was just forbidden in 1 Corinthians 6:18-19.

Next, 1 Corinthians 7:1 says, “it is not good for a man to touch a woman.”  Just like with “all things are lawful for me,” people go crazy over this statement.  This Greek phrase is used often outside the Bible.  In fact we have 25 occurrences of “to touch a woman” in Greek writings and it is always speaking of sex for selfish pleasure.  Especially in reference to using slaves, a girl in your care, rape or adultery, and basically sex with anyone other than your wife.  These writings are from Plato, Philo, Josephus, Aristotle, and others.  In the Greek translation of the Old Testament called the Septuagint, the phrase is used of a “defenseless woman” in Ruth.

So the Church at Corinth had some questions…  That’s not hard to imagine since we know they were divided, certainly they were arguing about all kinds of stuff aided by their attitude of “all things are lawful.”  They wanted Paul to pin down what exactly was forbidden, making all the others ok.  Paul did that, but there was only one option!  Throughout those secular writings, and in the context of 1 Corinthians 6-7, “to touch a woman” does not mean don’t get married.  It means sex for selfish pleasure with anyone but your wife.

Read 1 Corinthians 7:2.  Because sexual immorality is such a powerful tool for leading you astray, get married!  “Each man having his own wife and each woman having her own husband.”

Read 1 Corinthians 7:3.  God said, “husbands take care of your wife’s need for affection and wives take care of your husband!”  That is inspired by the Spirit!  Enough said.

Read 1 Corinthians 7:4.  Here’s a part people don’t want to hear.  We like 7:3, but the battle cry today is, “I have control over my own body!  No one else does!”  Guys are no better.  Your body, and that includes your eyes and mind, belong to your wife.  God gave your spouse authority over your body…like it or not.  God sets the rules over marriage, not you.  God says that one man and one woman are “made one flesh” (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5).

Read 1 Corinthians 7:5.  Again, because of the great temptation and destructive power of sex outside of marriage, don’t hold back from your spouse, unless you both agree and only for a short time, for the purpose of giving extra focus upon God.

That is why the next statement is important…

Read 1 Corinthians 7:6-7.  Why is marriage a “concession / allowance / compromise?”  Because your spouse has a whole bunch of needs that God says you cannot ignore, which by necessity takes away time for God.  Although, since God commands husbands to love their wives and for wives to honor their husbands, doing that faithfully is in fact service to God.  Remember 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.  Big Picture here: we are not our own because we are His, and our spouses too.

The Real Deal to the Unmarried / Widowed (1 Corinthians 7:8-9)

Read 1 Corinthians 7:8.  It is best for the unmarried and widowed to remain unmarried.  Why?  Because there are no distractions from your time and devotion to God.  Being unmarried is good for that reason, but as already mentioned, sexuality is a powerful tool, so get married if you cannot abstain.  Obviously it is OK to get married, God created and ordained marriage.  

Conclusion:

Today’s passage is God’s instruction to the Church.  Yes it is addressed to the church at Corinth, but just like Jesus’ letters to the churches in Rev 2-3 it is equally for The Church…for all churches.  It is for the church today.

Today’s passage tells us “we are not our own.”  I can’t just do anything I want.  I am bound in faith…I belong to Christ.  I am bound in marriage…I belong to my wife.  Thus, I have a responsibility to be holy.  Set apart by God to my spouse, set apart by God to the Church, set apart by God to Himself.