“The Choice To Marry Or Not: Consider The Times In Which You Live!”

“The Choice To Marry Or Not: Consider The Times In Which You Live!”(I Cor.7:25-40).
In the above cited text Paul’s concern is the unmarried. The passage can be considered to be what in ancient literature is called inclusio, i.e, the opening and closing stating the same thing. V. 25 states: “Now about virgins I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy.” And in concluding(v.40) he again states, “In my judgment, she is happier if she stays as she is – and I think that I have the Spirit of God.”
In this inclusio Paul stresses that his judgment on the matter is not a command from the Lord. His judgment is acceptable on the fact that by the Lord’s mercy he is trustworthy and that he has the Spirit of God.
This is an important lesson for us to be able to idistinguish between what we say as coming from the Lord and what we say as personal judgment on the ground that we have the Spirit of God.
When you have not been in the counsel of the Lord, do not say, “Thus says the LORD,” when in truth it is your opinion!
Paul’s judgmenit on the matter of whether getting married or not is not a hard and fast rule that should be taken as a standard for all times. It is an issue of situational ethics. He points out that his judgment is based on “the present crisis” in Corinth. We may not know the exact nature of the crisis, but it is suggested that the Christians were facing persecution and there was no certainty of being alive to consumate a new marriage. As he points out, “the time is short.”
According to Paul, when we are uncertain about life because we are plagued by life threatening crisis, we do not invest in long term ventures. We should concentrate on the things of God.
But again the choice is that of the individual to marry or not to marry because uthere is a life threatening crisis. It is important for people who are in positions of making judgments to understand the times and situations to be able to make informed judgments.
For example, a man who is soon to face the death penalty should not insist on getting married to his beloved fiancee. If you love her, you wouldn’t want her to become a widow soon after marriage. Some situations may compel us to deviate from hard and fast rules; but that should be exceptions and not the rule.
Prayer: Holy Spirit equip me with the ability to make sound judgment in crisis situations. Amen!
Have a blessed day! Peace be with you!
Rev Babila Fochang.