We don't live for ourselves as Christians. We live through Him the Creator of heaven and earth because He Jesus Christ is God and as His Children we live to declare the Works of the Lord. This applies to both men and women. Once you grasp this truth you can begin to live a godly life. What should you be doing? The disciples asked Jesus this very same question.
"Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval.” Then they inquired, "What must we do to perform the works of God?" Jesus replied, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent." ~ John 6:27-29.
This is where we all begin our faith walk with God as men and women...created in the image of God. God created male and female. From the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female.' ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,…Mark 10:6-7.
God ordained a social hierarchy for man and woman in this fallen world. It is essentially for our own good and the good of His Kingdom Come! It is sad that today many women fall in with this corrupt world seeking their own good rather than the good of His Kingdom. Just look around. Men too have fallen short of their godly duties. Society in general is sinking deeper and deeper into self righteous relativist opinions touting themselves as their own savior.
It is not easy for such a society to then read 1 Corinthians 7 and for them to understand its purpose. Let us take time to review especially that which concerns married life keeping in mind that men and women are God's creation.
Now for the matters you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” But
since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual
relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband. The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband.
The
wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her
husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his
own body but yields it to his wife. Do
not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time,
so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again
so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. I say this as a concession, not as a command. I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.
Now to the unmarried
and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.
To
the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is
not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce
her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. For
the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the
unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband.
Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.
But
if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or the sister is
not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?
Nevertheless,
each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord
has assigned to them, just as God has called them. This is the rule I
lay down in all the churches... Each person should remain in the situation they were in when God called them ~ 1 COR 7:1-20.
For those of my readers who are unmarried, take time to read 1 COR 7:25-40. You may ask what is God's purpose for the unmarried? The same for the married ~ Live and declare the Works of the Lord! Obviously, the unmarried have more time than the married. The battle for His Kingdom is at hand and the Lord has called us, we are His elect and must give Him our all. The best way for men and women to do that is to love God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength! Mark 12:30.
The Bible’s gendered language was no accident of history but tells us something eternal of His attitude towards His Bride, the church. Our lives as gendered beings are not coincidental either, but are designed to tell us something of the greatest love story in human history. God is the Father, Christ is the Groom, and the church is his beloved Bride, for whom He conquered death itself.
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