(1 Cor 7:41b) “… if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord. (40)  But she is happier if she so abide, after my judgment: and I think also that I have the Spirit of God.”  Again, the context is, “times of tribulation”. There is a time of which one is better off being responsible for self only, should the need be to lay down that life. May the Lord give His people wisdom as we move closer and closer to those days of persecution.

(1Co 7:39) “The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.”  “Only in the Lord” can be seen in all of Scripture; only in the Old Testament it would read, “of your brethren”. Oneness in marriage is not simply pretty verbiage. It is real and therefore carefully heeded for the glory of God.

(1Co 7:38) “So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better.”  Here we plainly see that the Lord is not saying, “It is not good to marry.” No, He is saying, “In times of persecution one would be better off not married.” It is left for each person to decide and thus accept the outcome of their decision.

(1Co 7:37) “Nevertheless he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well.”  “His virgin” is the person he loves who he either takes as wife or not as wife. That is the context. “Power over his will” is referring to control of his fleshly desire for intimate relationship. For this individual, each of these things are subject to the perceived will of God.

(1Co 7:36) “But if any man think that he behaveth himself uncomely toward his virgin, if she pass the flower of her age, and need so require, let him do what he will, he sinneth not: let them marry.”  So, the teaching is not that there is sin in marrying. It is that there are periods of time (ours may be coming), during times of persecution, that one would be better off single. This frees one to make the hard decisions of self sacrifice for the glory of our Savior!

(1Co 7:35) “ And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction.”  This portion of Scripture finds us looking at this life from a pure godly and thankfulness for salvation perspective. Before salvation “me” comes first; afterwards our mindset through the Spirit is to change unto “the Lord” first.

(1Co 7:34) “There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.”  It is not that the Lord is saying the married person does not care about the things of God, but that there is a conflict of devotion – natural. The context is which position is best in the midst of persecution.

(1Co 7:33) “But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife.” The Lord is not saying this is wrong. He is stating fact. We are taught to love our wives as our own bodies (Eph 5:28); of course we are going to desire to please them. If we each put our wives before ourselves there is would be far, far less divorce.

(1Co 7:32) “But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord:” “Wihout carefulness”: not troubled, concerned. It is programmed into us: at a certain age everyone should find a mate and be married. Here we see there is an “advantage” to one who is single in the service of the Lord.

(1Co 7:29) “But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none; (30) And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; (31) And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away.” Persecution is a sign that the Rapture is near. These verses say it will all be over soon. Conclusion: make life’s choices according to the wisdom received from faith in God’s Word.