Bible Reading

1 Corinthians Chapter 7 - The Distinction of Appropriateness

Life’s Great Wisdom - Appropriate Conduct

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5 min read

As the saying goes, “A miss is as good as a mile.” Another goes, “Excess is as bad as deficiency.” Many things in life are likened to a balance scale, where too much or too little will cause it to tilt. Acting appropriately is a rare and valuable wisdom. In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul also discusses the appropriate conduct between men and women. Although it is not the black-and-white truth directly revealed by God, it encompasses Paul’s rich experience and his fatherly love towards the Corinth church believers. 

From Paul's epistles, we can see that the Corinth church was not perfect. In fact, regarding relationships between men and women, they could be seen as a negative example. At the beginning of 1 Corinthians 5, Paul mentions a case of sexual immorality in the Corinthian church, including incest with a stepmother. All these are detested by God and strictly forbidden by the apostles to the Gentile believers (Acts 15:29). As mentioned in Romans 1, both men and women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. This is why Paul spent such a long portion of his letter correcting their mistakes. So, what are the appropriate principles Paul mentions regarding the relationship between men and women?

1. Adherence to the Natural Order

By "natural," it does not refer to human instincts or desires, but the natural order God established when He created the world. When God created Adam, He saw that it was not good for him to be alone, so He made him a companion, Eve. A man and a woman, mutually compatible, in harmony with each other, are meant to become one flesh. This is the original intention of marriage as established by God. God also gave husbands and wives the ability to procreate, Therefore, the physical union is pleasing to God and is what is referred to as "natural use" in Romans 1.

What, then, is unnatural? One extreme manifestation of "unnatural use" is having sexual relations with someone other than one's spouse, or even with the same sex or animals. Such people are driven by unrestrained lust. Another extreme manifestation is excessive "sexual purity" or even "sexual frigidity", where a married couple still keeps a distance from each other. Such behaviour regards the sacred union that God established as impure, and believes that celibacy is better than being united as one. Paul also rebukes this: neither the husband nor the wife has authority over their own body (1 Corinthians 7:4). Christians ought to follow the natural function designed by God to have a holy union and to reproduce.

2. Unwavering Commitment to Marriage

At many weddings, the couple express their firm commitment to love each other "til death do us part." However, if we observe today's society, divorce has become increasingly common. In Portugal, the divorce rate is even as high as 94%! Such actions are clearly detested by God. What God has joined together, let not man separate (Matthew 19:6). This is also what Paul reminded the Corinthians of: A wife is not to depart from her husband, nor a husband his wife. But even if they do, let them remain unmarried (1 Corinthians 7:10-11). Although God's will is for us to marry within the Lord, if we have married an unbeliever due to our weakness, God does not necessarily require us to separate from our spouse. On the contrary, if our unbelieving spouse is faithful and fears God, we should not leave him or her. God's task for us may be to lead our spouse to know Him and become His child. We should demonstrate love and faith, serving as good examples of faith within our homes and building a family altar.

However, if the unbelieving spouse is unfaithful, Paul's advice is to let them go, as they have chosen to take on a different yoke on this path of marriage, for righteousness and lawlessness should not be in fellowship (2 Corinthians 6:14). God delights in a holy, unblemished marriage, where spouses build up and support one another, running this path to the kingdom of heaven with one heart. This unwavering love and commitment to our spouse until death also reflects our unwavering loyalty to God.

3. Accepting God's Will

In the body of Christ, there are many members, and God has His purpose for each one of us. Although marriage is established by God, not everyone is called to marry. Some become eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake (Matthew 19:12), like the apostle Paul, who fought the good fight for the gospel and remained celibate and unmarried throughout his life. Although it is not good for a person to be alone, if we can keep a pure heart and not be enslaved by lust, but be concerned only about the things of the Lord, then in God's eyes, we are also pleasing to Him. We would be like the Nazarites in the Old Testament, specially called by God. But if it is God's will for us to build a family, we should not deliberately avoid marriage, lest we give the devil a foothold.

In conclusion, the principle of propriety and appropriateness Paul speaks of applies to everyone, regardless of gender. The key is to maintain the identity we were called to before the Lord (1 Corinthians 7:20). If God calls us to marriage, we should make our spouses happy in marriage, follow the natural order, and remain faithful until death.  As husband and wife, we should walk this path to eternal life as one flesh. Conversely, if God has called us to remain single, then we should keep ourselves pure, serve the Lord diligently, remain faithful to Him, and hold fast to that calling. No matter the identity God has attributed to us, our ultimate goal is to obtain the crown of eternal life.



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Reflection on 1 Corinthians Chapter 1

Reflection on 1 Corinthians Chapter 1

At the beginning of Paul’s epistle to the church in Corinth, he begins his greeting by emphasising his calling by the Lord Jesus Christ as an apostle, urging the believers to recognise that we all share this calling. He seeks to remind us that our faith is not centred on the self but rather collective, rooted in Jesus Christ.  He swiftly addresses the fact that the Corinthians were rife with division and pride. They boasted allegiance to various leaders, such as Paul, Apollos, Cephas, and Christ. Paul questions them: “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptised in the name of Paul?” Their strife and division reflect man’s tendency to prioritise personal differences and grievances over the unifying truth of the gospel. Therefore, Paul’s rejection of sectarianism reminds them, and us, to rise above rivalries and centre our faith on Jesus Christ alone. Paul goes on to speak about the power and wisdom of God. He says, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.” (1 Cor 1: 18). The world and its wisdom may dismiss the idea that salvation is attained through Jesus’ dying on the cross. Although it is perceived as a weakness, Paul argues that this perceived weakness, in light of man’s wisdom, is God’s power. This paradox shows us that God’s wisdom often contradicts our human logic, and it challenges us to reflect on how much we trust the Lord. How much do we trust in Jesus Christ when His will and plan for us seem to go against our plans or what we envision them to be? The cross truly dismantles this pride for “the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1st Cor 1: 25). Lastly, Paul speaks about God using the foolish and weak to shame the wise and strong. Very often in our lives, God uses what seems small and insignificant to accomplish His purpose. In John 6:9, a young boy offers his small lunch, which seems insignificant and impossible, yet the Lord Jesus uses it to feed over 5000. God’s strength and wisdom shine through what man considers foolish and weak.  In a world that exalts pride and division, Paul urges us to be united and humble and to rely on the Lord Jesus. May all glory be given to the Lord.

Daniel Chapter 4 - Let the Most High God Reign in Your Life

Daniel Chapter 4 - Let the Most High God Reign in Your Life

The story in Daniel Chapter 4 is perhaps not unfamiliar to many of us. King Nebuchadnezzar, ruler of the great Babylonian empire, the king of kings, being turned into a beast, how spectacular is that? It's not until we read through this chapter for ourselves that we realise something even more spectacular: this whole chapter is told by King Nebuchadnezzar himself. Daniel Chapter 4 is King Nebuchadnezzar's own personal testimony! Isn't King Nebuchadnezzar the infamous evil king? How is it that in this chapter he gives praise to the almighty God? Perhaps the first thing that should catch our attention from today's chapter is the repeated phrase in verses 17 and 32. The Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He wills. This phrase can even be said to be the theme of the whole Book of Daniel. This book is mostly set in the time of exile, when there seemingly was no longer any king over the people of God. Yet, in the Book of Daniel we see that though there was no earthly king ruling over Israel, God made it clear to these foreign kings that He is the almighty God. He was still the one who was truly the King. The outcome of this is that the evil king Nebuchadnezzar, probably the greatest and most powerful man during his time, writes this testimony for all peoples, nations, and languages to hear (Daniel 4:1-3). Imagine being a subject in the Babylonian empire, and receiving this declaration from king Nebuchadnezzar praising and glorifying the God of Israel. Though God's people sin against Him and are punished by being taken into exile, the name of God is still magnified. God is not put to shame. Today through baptism we have entered into the Kingdom of God. Yet, it is key for us to consider whether God truly is the King of our lives. It's natural to make many plans for our future, out of a desire to lead our dream lives. But for us Christians, the sovereignty and authority of God is something that we must be well-aware of and fully willing to submit to. If God doesn't let me get that job, are we able to accept it? If God closes the path towards our dreams, are we will to say "Let Thy will be done"? If God takes away all that we have, are we able to be like Job and say "Blessed be the name of the Lord"? If all this is causing us to struggle, remember this: God loves us. He knows what's best for us, He knows what we need. He has already given His life for us, and given us His precious Spirit to dwell within us. Having faith in God's love towards us gives us strength to submit to our King with full assurance that this is the best path for us, this is the way to blessing and to eternal life. Since our God is the highest and rules over the kingdom of man, what then should our response ought to be? Nebuchadnezzar begins and ends his testimony by praising and glorifying God. Giving praises to God is something that we have been often taught but perhaps we have not given enough thought to or taken seriously enough. Yet, throughout the Bible, it's clear that praises are a key part of our worship to God (just read the Book of Psalms). What might we praise God for? Like Nebuchadnezzar, we can praise God for His greatness and His almightiness. Just consider the stars, or the intricacies of the human body. We can praise God for His love and wisdom as seen in His creation as well as in His word. The more we study into the holy scriptures, the more we are filled with awe at how complete, connected, and wonderful these life-giving words are. We can also glorify God for His salvation which He has so freely given to us. Imagine how different our lives might be today if not for His grace and mercy! It's when we decide to finally take the importance of praising God seriously and intentionally set aside some time in our daily prayers to praise God, that we truly experience the blessing that comes along with it. We go through life being filled with joy and gratitude, knowing that we have such a great and powerful Heavenly Father who loves us. In fact, it was when Nebuchadnezzar took the glory for Himself rather than giving all glory to God, that the infamous transformation into a beast took place. This brings us nicely to the final point of reflection for this devotional. Pride - when we take glory for ourselves rather than giving glory to God. Nebuchadnezzar's testimony serves as a stark warning for us. Even just a sentence or thought of pride can greatly displease God. How often have we unknowingly taken credit for ourselves for any achievements we have, or for any divine work that we do? Being puffed up with pride and not keeping to one's proper domain is precisely the sin of satan (1 Tim 3:6, Jude 6-7). If we are filled with pride, what difference is there between us and satan? In fact, while satan exalted himself, God on the contrary lowered Himself, coming in the likeness of man and humbling Himself even to the point of death (Phil 2:5-8). Whose example do we want to follow, that of God or of satan? Let us take warning from the story of Nebuchadnezzar and carefully consider who's example we want to follow. Indeed, God opposes the proud while giving grace to the humble. He blesses the meek, that they might inherit the earth .

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