(1Co 7:17) “But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches.”  The moment one is saved, they are fully accepted by God, for they are seen as “in” Christ Jesus. Nothing can be added to make us more saved. Yes, we are to separate ourselves from sinful practices. This does not make us more saved but more usable, for we become more like our Savior.

1Co 7:16) “For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?”  Love that fails is not love at all. Love is a commitment to seek the best for the other person, in marriage all the days of our life. Therefore, their soul would be the dearest thing on earth; their salvation the uttermost desire of our heart.

(1Co 7:15) “But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.” Bondage: the bond of marriage. The unsaved are not governed by desire to please the Lord. The saved are and thus allow the Law of Love to dictate their actions and reactions. We never have an excuse to do wrong.

(1Co 7:12) “But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away.” This is not to be dismissed, for the Word of Truth tells us “All Scripture (This is that, right?) is given by inspiration of God” (2 Tim 3:16). What is being penned is principle perceived: one, our bodies are the temple of God; two, the soul of another is of infinite value  – blood bought. The desired result: (1Co 7:16)  “For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or…man,…thy wife?”

(1Co 7:10) “And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: (11)  But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.”  Marriage is to honor God Who instituted it. It is to reflect the love of Himself towards the church and the church’s fidelity towards Him. Obeying this teaching demonstrates us honoring Him.

(1Co 7:10) “And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband:” I have had people say to me, “The Lord wants me to be happy.” No, the Lord wants you, Temple of God, to sacrificially serve Him: (Luk_9:23) “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

(1Co 7:8) “I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I. (9) But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.” Context: to burn with lusts. Why better to remain unmarried? A single person can spend more time in the Lord’s service without guilt or obligation to another. Either way, we are to serve the Lord to the best of our ability.

(1Co 7:7) “For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that.” We shall soon see that for one to remain unmarried is as much a gift from God as to be married. It is not God’s will for every person to be married. He has a purpose for every life. Thank God for the present position you find yourself in.

(1Co 7:6) “But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment.” Some would read such a statement and conclude: “Not all of the Bible is from the Holy Spirit.” But I would respond, “Here we have evidence of the Lord using what is in a person’s heart, put there by the Holy Spirit”: (Php_2:13) “For it is God which worketh in you both TO WILL [caps mine] (desire) and to do of his good pleasure.”  

(1Co 7:5) “Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.”  Fasting is the denial of self as a show of sincerity before God. He comes first rather than self. In reality it is to be an extension of the way we seek to live every day before Him.