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Reflection on 1 Corinthians 9:1-12

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Scripture
We would rather put up with anything than be an obstacle to the good news about Christ.

Observation
Paul now talks about his rights as an apostle.

He has the right to stay in people’s homes when he is travelling. A soldier doesn’t have to pay his own expenses. A farmer has the right to some of the craft he harvests.

Since Paul planted spiritual seed, he surely has the right to physical food and drink. Paul has never used these rights because he never wanted to be an obstacle to the preaching of the good news.


Application
As christians, we can still be people who claim certain rights. We want to be comfortable at church with air conditioning that works, seats that are padded, music and preaching that tickle our ears

We are happy to tithe ( some of us) just as long as we can spend the other 90% the way we want it spent.

Paul’s attitude was that he would rather let go of what might be considered his rights in order to not stand in the way of the gospel.

When Jesus called us to follow him, he also called us to die to ourselves. The way to salvation is by two crosses – the cross of Christ and the cross on which we die to our own ambitions and desires.

With God, it is all or nothing. Everything not submitted to him is rebellion.

Prayer
Father, please help me to surrender completely to you. Amen.

Ephesians 5:24

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Here is my commentary on Ephesians 5:24. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 5:24

“Now, as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.”

The church is the Body of Christ, the holy temple, the household of God. By its very nature the church is subject to Christ.

There are times when the church as an institution has been corrupted by politics and an exaggerated power over the state. This was particularly true in the Middle Ages in Europe. It is also true that parts of the church have departed from sound doctrine and biblical standards of behaviour.

But the true church is not necessarily the same as the ecclesiastical structure. The church is the total of the individuals who are truly born again and submitted to Christ.

The submission of the church to Christ is a living, dynamic process. The born again people who comprise the church have the indwelling Holy Spirit directing and leading them. This is not about following a set of rules carved in stone and handed down from on high. When Christian submit themselves to Christ, they do so in the context of relationship. We submit ourselves to Christ out of love and because we have the Holy Spirit in us.

Wives submitting themselves to their husbands, then, do so out of love for Christ and in submission to Him They submit to their husbands in the context of a loving relationship involving husband, wife, and Christ.

Those who are of the world fail to look at this context. They see the word “submit” and assume it means “obey” and, in particular, to obey without thinking. This interpretation overlooks the key aspect that both parties are subject to Christ.

The phrase “in everything” seems to say that unconditional obedience is required. But again context is important. Wives are not required to do anything illegal, ungodly, degrading, or against their conscience. A husband who demands that his wife engage in life threatening behaviour is not acting in love, and the wife should not submit to this.

We could produce a great list of things that are wife must not, or may not, submit to. The point is that submission “in everything” does not mean slavish obedience.

Where a husband engages in violent, abusive, or coercive behaviour, it is not against God’s intent for a woman to leave the relationship, seek outside help, or go to the police. Marriage is a covenant of love, and when one partner breaks that covenant, the other partner is no longer bound.

All of this is straightforward where both husband and wife are followers of Jesus. In many marriages, the christian wife is married to an unbelieving husband. How should wifely submission happen in these cases?

It has been stated previously that wives are to be subject to their husbands out of reference (or fear) for Christ (vs. 21-22). Where both husband and wife are christians there is a mutuality of submission included within the concept of headship.

Peter gives wise advice for all wives: “Wives in the same way, accept the authority of your husbands, so that even if some of them do not obey the word, they may be won over without a word by their wives conduct, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.” (1 Peter 3:1-2)

Regardless of whether their husbands are believers, christian women should seek to submit themselves as an expression of love for their husband and for Christ. This can be a very powerful witness over many years in a marriage.

Key points in this verse:

  • The church submits to Christ joyfully .
  • Wives should submit to their husbands in the same way.
  • Christian marriage involves mutual submission
  • While Paul says wives must submit in everything, this is not absolute blind obedience.
  • When a husband is an unbeliever, his wife’s loving submission can be a witness to him.

Reflection on 1 Corinthians 8:1-13

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Scripture

When you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ. So, if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live – for I don’t want to cause another believer to stumble.

Observation

Paul now addresses what christians should do about meat sacrificed to idols. He points out that knowledge is less important than love.

We know that idols have no power, and are not really gods at all. But some people, particularly new believers, are used to thinking of idols as being real. They think of eating meat sacrificed to idols as being equal to idol worship.

Paul says that even if we have freedom of conscience to eat meat sacrificed to idols, we must be careful not to violate the consciences of other believers.

It would be better to never eat meat again then to cause another believer to stumble in their faith.

Application

Some people claim that we should not eat meat because it is all killed to meet the requirements of Muslims. They say that it is all prayed over by a cleric in order to be Sharia compliant.

This is the opposite problem to that described by Paul. The people with the advanced knowledge about spiritual things are saying we should not eat meat sacrificed to idols.

The principle remains the same, however. If my conscience says that it is acceptable to eat meat, then I will do so, but if a brother or sister is offended by this, then out of love for them, I will refrain from eating.

It is not my rights that are important. It is not my superior knowledge that matters. It is all about love. If you have a problem with anything sincerely in love for Christ, then I will accommodate your weakness.

Prayer

Lord, when our consciences collide with one another, please help us to see your wisdom, and to defer to one another in love. Amen.

Ephesians 5:23

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Here is my commentary on Ephesians 5:23. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 5:23

“For the husband is the head of the wife, just as Christ is the head of the church, the body of which he is the Saviour.”

This verse raises many questions which need to be carefully thought through:

  • What does it mean for the husband to be the head of the wife?
  • In what ways is the headship of a husband like the headship of Christ over the church?
  • How do we interpret this verse in the current culture in which women generally are more educated and more independent than in previous generations?

In Greek, the word kephale means “head”, and has a similar range of meaning to the English word. It can relate to the physical part of the body, the main part of something, a ruler, or principal officer.

To say that the husband is the head of a wife, then, is to suggest that he has authority over her. This is not an authority that is seized, demanded, or extracted by intimidation.

Godly leadership or headship is a form of service in which a person gives direction in order to promote the person being led. Jesus said that the one who leads must be the servant of all (Luke 22:25-26).

Husbands exercise their authority by serving their wives. This is not pandering to every whim, but recognising what they need in order to grow in Christ and to grow as people, and then to provide what is needed.

Christian headship is not demanding or self-focused, but other- focused and giving.

Some people prescribe what this should look like. The husband exercises headship, they say, by managing the money, driving the car, earning the income etc. Couples should work out their own strengths, and if the wife has a better grasp of finances, she should be the one who keeps track of the money.

Headship and submission are about attitudes of relating in love, not about external factors.

If we think about the authority of Christ over the church, we can apply this to the authority of husbands over their wives, since Paul makes this comparison.

Christians are under the headship of Christ. To die to ourselves is the definition of discipleship. Yet, in submitting ourselves to Christ, Christians retain a high degree of autonomy and individuality. We have different ways of serving the Lord, different ways of worship, different approaches to prayer and ministry. Yet Christ is the head of all.

Furthermore, Christ is not harsh in his headship. When we rebel and go our own way, He does not punish us or remove us from the Body. He waits patiently, wooing us back to him.

The leadership of Christ over the church is gentle, often descriptive rather than prescriptive. He leads us by means of suggestions and encouragement rather than by laws and regulations.

So when Paul says that the husband is the head over the wife, he is not advocating a form of domestic tyranny. Rather it is a form of service and leadership that recognises that both partners are subject to Christ, both are children of God, and both are flawed human beings.

The concept of headship in marriage, that men should take any form of leadership in the relationship, will be scorned bye our society. Individualism without any restraint is the ideology of this age. People who mock marital submission see marriage as an opt in and opt out arrangement, with no expectation of long-term commitment.

Until people are prepared to submit to Christ they will not want to submit to another.

While previous generations had more rigid roles for partners in marriage, they also tended to be more committed to the permanence of the relationship. Our present age tends to see relationships as sources of personal fulfilment and hence feel no compunction in leaving when the “chemistry” is no longer there. Christian marriage emphasises the covenantal nature of the relationship, so that the head cannot function without the body, and vice versa.

Key points in this verse:

  • The husband is head of the wife in the same way that Christ is head of the church
  • Headship is outward-directed and aims to serve the wife
  • Headship is not about tyranny, but involves gentle persuasive leadership
  • Society scorns the concept of leadership in marriage, but it remains essential

Reflection on 1 Corinthians 7:32-40

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Scripture

I am saying this for your benefit, not to place restrictions on you. I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few distractions as possible.

Observation

Paul advises the Corinthians with the aim of helping them to be free of the concerns of this life. Unmarried people are free to serve the Lord, but those who are married have to think about earthly concerns and how to please their partner.

If a man thinks that he is unable to control his passions, or that calling off a marriage would be unfair to his fiancee, then he should marry. This is not a sin.

Overall, though, it is better to remain single.

Application

The lordship of Christ affects every part of our life on earth. If Jesus really is Lord, then my life must be completely surrendered to the goal of serving Him.

Even the most intimate, most basic, of human desires has to be surrendered to Christ.

Paul does not lay down binding rules in this passage. He is realistic about the way we are created.

For some people, it will make sense to remain single so that we can devote ourselves entirely to serving the Lord. A single person can be flexible to go anywhere and do anything the Lord requires, without having to worry about their children or their spouse.

Others of us are called to marriage and the sacred vocation of parenting. This has its burdens as well as its joys. There are opportunities for ministry in being a parent that single people may not easily access.

In all things, we must seek God’s kingdom first and trust Him to supply what is needed.

Prayer

Father, I thank you for calling me to be a husband and father. Help me to walk through each day with the awareness that this is your mission for me. Amen.

Reflection on 1 Corinthians 7:20-31

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Scripture

Those who use the things of the world should not become attached to them. for this world as we know it will soon pass away.

Observation

We should remain as we were when God called us. If a slave gets a chance to be free they should take it, but they should focus on the fact that they are already free in Christ.

Young women who are not married should not marry because of the present crisis. He does not say this as a command but as wisdom.

The time is short, and we should not focus on the things of this world. if we use the things of the world, we should not be too attached to them as they will soon pass away.

Application

Our age has many exciting goods and distractions to consume us and divert us from God’s purposes.

Phones, computers, cars, and so on are nice and make our lives comfortable, but they will not draw us closer to God.

We become used to our possessions and cannot imagine life without them. When we do that, they become like idols that stand between us and God.

We can likewise turn our career into an idol. The sense of worth and importance that we gain from our work can become more important to us than God’s assessment of our importance.

It is possible that the Lord may call us to give up some of these things that we value in order that we can serve Him better. It may be difficult to let go, but I have discovered Jesus always gives us more than we surrender to Him.

Prayer

Lord, my flesh nature wants to hold onto everything the world offers. Please help me to surrender all things to you. Amen.

Reflection on 1 Corinthians 7:12-19

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Scripture

Don’t you wives realise that your husbands might be saved because of you? Don’t you husbands realise that your wives might be saved because of you?

Observation

A christian must not leave their unbelieving spouse. A christian husband or wife brings a holiness to their marriage and to their children.

If the unbelieving partner leaves, then let them go.

The christian’s witness in their marriage has the potential to bring their husband or wife to faith in Christ.

Whatever situation we were in when we were saved, we should stay in that condition.

Application

Coming to faith in the Lord is such a radical change in our lifestyle, and our expectations and ambitions in life change so much, that marriage has to be affected.

Often, the change brings conflict and stress as partners have to work out what their marriage looks like.

A new christian might think that they should no longer remain “unequally yoked” to their unbelieving partner. Paul clearly states that if their husband or wife is willing to stay, then christians should not leave their marriage.

It is quite possible that over a period of time, the changes in their partner and their faithfulness to the Lord will win them to Christ.

We sometimes underestimate the power of God to change a person. We also underestimate the power of a life change to convince sceptical partners.

Prayer

Lord I pray for christians who are married to unbelievers. May there steady witness work a miracle of salvation in the heart of their partner. Amen.

Ephesians 5:22

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Here is my commentary on Ephesians 5:22 I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 5:22

“Wives be subject to your husbands as to the Lord.”

A note about Christian marriage

There is nothing in scripture anywhere that justifies domestic violence, coercive control, emotional, physical, or spiritual abuse of a wife by a husband, or vice versa. Any marriage marked by these things is outside of God’s definition of marriage. Anyone subject to abuse should consider leaving the relationship until their safety is assured.

When we consider the relationship between a husband and wife, we must remember set the instructions given in Ephesians 5:22-33 are an expansion of the general command to “ be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ..”

Wives and husbands, therefore, are to be a microcosm of the church more generally. Not only are wives to be subject to their husbands, but husbands are to be subject to their wives. That mutual submission one to the other is exactly what love looks like.

This is not a question of who gets the final say, or who looks after the money, or who does the cooking. They are such trivial issues that are not worth worrying about in this context. Each couple will likely make their own decisions on these kinds of f\matters.

To be subject to one another means that a couple will make decisions together, under the Lord. Listening prayer, reading the Word together, honest and open discussion together, these are the tools that build a relationship.

Before wives submit to their husbands, they must first submit to the Lord. This verse should not be taken to mean “ be subject to your husband as if he is the Lord.” Rather it means, “submit to your husband in the same way that you submit to the Lord.”

Wives submit to the Lord because they know that He loves us and wants the best for us. The Christian life is a journey of faith, growing in understanding of the fact that He can be trusted to care for us in every way .

When wives submit to their husband as to Christ, they do so in the expectation that he loves them and cares for them, that he can be trusted to be faithful .

The more that the couple love each other and surrender to each other, the more it is possible for the wife to submit to the husband.

For a wife to be submissive means that she refuses to be in control of the husband. Many women are influenced by the Jezebel spirit, a demon which seeks to undermine and control. Submission is the opposite attitude of control, and it is the key to overcoming the Jezebel spirit.

Whenever a wife finds herself being controlling or manipulative, she should repent and seek the Lord. When we are subjecting ourselves to one another all forms of manipulation, coercion, and control must be avoided.

Key points in this verse:

  • The biblical pattern of marriage requires couples to love one another and surrender their desire for control
  • Wives need to submit to their husbands as they do to the Lord
  • The Jezebel spirit seeks to undermine and control

Reflection on 1 Corinthians 7:1- 11

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Scripture

But, because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband.

Observation

It is good to abstain from sexual relations, but because of the immorality of the world in which we live, it is better to be married.

In marriage, husband and wife each give other authority over their own body, and so should be ready to meet the needs of their partner.

Spouses should not deprive their partners of sexual relations, unless it is by mutual agreement for the sake of prayer.

Paul wishes everyone was single as he is, but he recognises that people have different gifts. It is better to remain unmarried if you have the self-control necessary. It is better to marry than burn with lust.

Those who are already married should remain so. If they are separated, they should seek to be reconciled.

Application

Paul says here that the ideal for every Christian would be to remain single. However, not everyone has the spiritual gifting to do this, so for these people it is best to marry.

We live in a world where every kind of sexual perversion is tolerated and encouraged. For the world, sex is always good, and no limitation should be placed on it.

For christians, though, our bodies are holy to the Lord. Our sexual desires, like every physical drive, need to be contained and expressed in a way that is holy and pleasing to the Lord

Marriage of the biblical kind – one man and one woman joined together for life – is the holy expression of sexuality. Marriage is given for the protection and growth of the partners, and for the provision of a loving environment for children.

Sex in the strictly biological sense is about the production of babies. It is a perverse feature of human nature that we have made it an end in itself. In this way, we deny our own humanity.

Prayer

Thank you, Lord, for the gifts of sex and marriage. You have designed us for both of these. Please help me to think rightly about them. Amen

Reflection on 1 Corinthians 6:12-20

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Scripture

You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honour God with your body.

Observation

We can do anything we like, but not everything is good for us. Food was made for the stomach, and the stomach for food, but we must not apply that argument to justify sexual immorality. Our bodies were made to honour the Lord.

Our bodies are a part of Christ. To join my body to a prostitute is to join Christ to them.

We are to flee from sexual sin. Sexual sin is a sin against our own body. My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. I do not belong to myself, for I have been bought by God at the price of Christ.

Application

When Jesus died on the cross, He was the price for my sin, and the sin of the whole world. We look at that side of the transaction and gladly accept it.

The other side of the transaction is this: having purchased me from sin, God now owns me. I stopped being a slave to sin, and instead became a slave to God.

My body is no longer my own to do as I wish with it. It is now a temple of the Holy Spirit.

My life belongs to Christ. I am being made holy, that is, set apart for God’s purposes.

Although Paul here is talking about sexual sin, the principle applies to all sin. Everything in my life belongs to God, and I am responsible to give everything to him, to glorify the name of the Lord.

Prayer

Thank you, Lord that you have paid the price for my sin. I yield myself to you, giving my body and my mind to you. Amen