1 Corinthians 7

I was reading 1 Corinthians 7 for a my daily Bible reading. I noticed Paul was not advocating the statement about not have sexual relations with a women.

Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: "It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman." But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. (1 Corinthians 7:1-5, ESV)

Verse 1 says, "Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: 'It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.' " Paul received a letter where the people of Corinth must have said something about not having sex, married or unmarried. Paul will refute that statement over the next 4 verses.

I noticed that this because Paul says "but" to start verse 2. But is a contrasting word. What is really saying that it is better for husband and wife to have sex because it will help them to not have sexual sins. Paul starts this off with, "because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband." Corinth would be like Las Vegas today. Sexual sin was a normal everyday event. The main temple was to Aphrodite, the goddess of love. There was lots of temple prostitution in Corinth. It seems that the Church in Corinth said for no one can have sex. So Paul said no, men needs one wife and women need only their husband.

Paul in verse 3 and 4 tells men and women to give to their spouse their conjugal rights. Basically they should fulfill their duties to have sex.  The reason is that they do not control their bodies but the other member does.

Verse 5 then tells us that there can be a small amount of time to have sexual relations with your spouse. That time should be a time of prayer lest the devil temps the members with sexual immorality. It also is based on an agreeable amount of time by both parties, not because one is mad at the other.

It seems to say that married people should have sex when there is a desire to be intimate with each other. The neglecting of this desire can cause one or both members to sin in sexual immorality.  When it is neglected, it should be done for a short period of time and there needs to be an agreement. 

Now, this does not include single people. They are not to engage in sex because it was designed by God for the use in marriage. If they have having problems with lust, they need to get married (1 Cor.7:9).

Praying to God

"If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." John 15:7

A quick study of this passage might help us to understand this as it caught my attention. I have heard that all we need to do is pray about it and God will answer our prayers. This verse seems to says otherwise. Lets begin at the word abide. It is the Greek word menō, it means to remain or abide in reference to a place, a time, or a condition. In this case, it is used in reference of a place. This place is Jesus as describe by the speaker which is Christ. Abide is also used to describe where Jesus' words in us. Again, it is reference to a place by the in and the subject is the Disciples.

Lets go back to the beginning of the verse and talk about the word "if." This verse is an if/then conditional statement. The condition is the abiding in Christ and Christ's words abiding in us. Then part is that he will do what ever we asked.

Let looks at the verse as a whole in context. Jesus has just describe that the Disciples are a branch on the vine and Jesus is that vine. Everyone that is not attached to the vine will parish but those who remain will bear much. Verse 8 also gives us clarification of why God will answer our prayers. God answers our prayers for His glory.

So when Jesus tells His Disciples that He will do anything they ask, it is because they are remaining in His teaching. The Disciples desires are to be the same desires of Jesus. John would later clarify in 1 John 5:14, saying "(a)nd this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us." (emphasis is mine) So our prayers should not be "Jesus, I need an A on this test." Instead, it should be something that He has or ordained according to His plan a purpose. Our prayers should be to help the advancement of the Gospel by praying to God that He will do something to glorify His name and not ours. We need to be reading His words, as written in the Bible, to understand His desires and purpose so that he can rightly pray so that God is glorified by His works.

"We are Surrounded by so Great a Cloud of Witnesses"

As I was doing my Bible reading today, I read Exodus 27 and Hebrews 12. The title is from Hebrews 12:1. This chapter starts with a therefore. In the proceeding chapter, is the commonly known as the "Faith Chapter" or chapter 11. The writer of Hebrews is making a point about the major characters of the Old Testament. Here is 12:1 & 2.

1Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (ESV)

There is something to be learned from these two verses. These people are the crowd of witnesses. They ran the race of faith and completed it. The writer wants us to learn from these people and what their goal was. That comes in verse 2. They were looking at Jesus. John tells us that both Abraham was glad to see the day of Jesus in John 8:56. I think it would be wise to understand how strong men and women of the faith endured this life to please God because of their love of him. We have plenty of examples in the Bible.

A Head Full of Froth

This is a Grace Gem that I received a couple of days ago. You can get great quote like this at gracegems.org. This is a quote from C. H. Spurgeon as it appears in the Grace Gem E-mail.

"Many of you know more about your magazines and novels--than what God has written! Many of you will read a novel from the beginning to the end, and what have you got? A head full of froth when you are done! But you cannot read the Bible--that solid, lasting, substantial, and satisfying food goes uneaten, locked up in the cupboard of neglect--while anything that man writes, a best-seller of the day--you greedily devour!"

It makes you think a little about what we choose to read. Does the book you read have the same impacful information like the Bible? Even books that contain Biblical information do not come close to what the Bible brings to the table.