The Unmarried and Widows - Page 2 of 7 (series: Lessons on 1st Corinthians)

by John Lowe
(Woodruff, S.C.)

The Married Believers (vss. 10–11)
The next two verses contain a commandment. Paul is putting it on the line. The wife is not to leave her husband, and the husband is not to leave his wife. If one or the other is going to leave, then they are to remain unmarried.

Now there was a new problem which presented itself in Corinth. After Paul had come and had preached the gospel to them, a husband in a family would accept Christ but the wife would not. In another family it might be that the wife would accept Christ and the husband would not. What were the believers to do under such circumstances?

10 And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband:

And unto the married I command,
When Paul spoke to the unmarried and widows he only gave advice and counsel to remain unmarried, provided they could control their sexual desires; but if not, he advised them to marry; but when advising persons who were already married, what he has to say to them is in the nature of a “commandment” that they were obliged to observe; they were not at liberty to do as they will. Remember that in this chapter, Paul is answering questions written to him from the Corinthian Christians. He will deal with other situations in the following verses. He has already dealt with the questions about the relative merits of being married or single, and if it is more spiritual to abstain from sex in a marriage relationship. “And unto the” indicates he is moving to another question, and these questions and answers have to do with marriage and divorce. This verse and the next answer the inquiry, whether it was proper, under the conditions that existed, for those who were married to continue this relationship, or whether they ought to separate (or divorce). The reasons why anyone may have supposed that it was best to separate may have been:
1. That the troubles and persecutions they faced were so severe that they thought it best for families to be broken up.
2. That it was unlawful for a Christian wife or husband to be connected at all with a heathen and idolater.
3. And some might say, "If the unmarried state is best, it will be better to leave our marital partner." To this he replies, "The Lord commands otherwise":
• “And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery” (Mark 10:12; KJV).
• “But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery” (Matt 5:32; KJV).
• “And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery” (Matt 19:9; KJV).

yet not I, but the Lord,
The third question from Corinth was “Is divorce permitted”; and here Paul answered in the negative. The words "not I but the Lord" have been construed by some as an admission on Paul's part that some of his advice in this chapter was not inspired, but no such meaning is logically derived from what is said here. What Paul declared here is that it was unnecessary for him to give any inspired utterance on such a subject, because the Lord himself had given a specific commandment on this very thing (See Matthew 5:32; and 19:9 in the preceding paragraph; also Mark 10:9 and Luke 16:18). In this verse, Paul distinguished between Jesus' command during his ministry and his own apostolic rulings. He did not take upon himself authority over them to make laws that they are required to follow. What he was about to deliver, was not a law of his own making, but what their Lord had taught—“I do not give my own private opinion or judgment in this case; for the Lord Jesus commands that man shall not put asunder them whom God hath joined” (See Matthew 5:32; 19:6). And God has said the same: “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh” (Gen 2:24; KJV). In some cases he writes by his inspired apostolic authority, “If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord” (1 Cor 14:37; KJV); that is, it is Christ's commands, because he is the person known in the Christian church as Lord. The continued influence of Christ by the Spirit over the minds of his apostles, which is a divine prerogative, is asserted here. At other times, such as he does here, he writes on the direct authority of the Lord Himself--“And he (Jesus) saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her…And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery” (Mark 10:11-12; KJV). In both cases, the things written are inspired by the Spirit of God; therefore, this directive is not to be understood as merely advice, but rather a solemn divine command that must be obeyed. Paul here professes to utter the language of inspiration, and demands obedience. The precept of Christ, which is repeated by Paul, is that the marriage tie was sacred and unbreakable.
let not the wife depart from her husband:

The same law that commands a man to cleave to his wife, obliges the wife to cleave to her husband, (See Genesis 2:24 in the preceding paragraph) and those words of Christ, "what God hath joined together, let no man put asunder" (Matthew 19:6) are for both the husband and wife. That is true, as well, for the rules he has given, forbidding divorces only in case of adultery, (Matthew 5:32 and 19:9). The wife therefore should not leave her husband; not on account of any quarrel, or disagreement that may arise between them; or for instances of grumpiness and unkindness; or because of diseases and ill-health; or even on account of differences in religious views, which, by what follows, seems to be the case in view here. The apostle was aware of the problem of divorce within the Corinthian church because it was reported to him and he had observed it with his own eyes. Rampant divorce entered the church by way of some rules and customs among the Jews and Gentiles, which allowed divorcing and separating from one another for even trivial matters. It was not only husbands divorcing their wives, but wives also left their husbands; although, in former times, Jewish women were not allowed to divorce or leave their husbands, but the practice crept in from other nations among them. A wife could leave her husband for almost any reason, even if she didn’t like him or liked someone else more. Sometime a document of Divorce was given, and sometimes it was not. Divorce was common in Christ’s time. One case is supposed to be behind the Lord’s comment in Mark 10:12; but a very flagrant instance is given in the Lord’s remarks regarding the woman of Samaria, who had had five husbands, not in a lawful regular manner, but one after another upon their respective deaths or divorce: “You've had five husbands, and the man you have now isn't your husband. You've told the truth” (John 4:18; GW). She had been married five times; the easy divorce laws of the age, permitting a “divorce for any cause,” would allow many changes without the death of either party. Some of her husbands may have died; a part were almost certainly divorced. Her sixth alliance did not have even the benefit of a marriage. As for Gentiles, divorce was probably easier to obtain than with the Jews. Divorces dissolved the marriage bond and they were easily obtained by both the Jews and Gentiles, and the parties might remarry with others. This was contrary to the original institution of marriage, and is opposed both by our Lord and the apostle. Note: Paul’s command here is in opposition to Greek and Roman law which permitted a woman to divorce her husband.