1 Corinthians 7 Footnotes

7:8-16 The issue here relates to Paul’s teaching about remarriage. In giving his own teaching, was he contradicting Jesus? Jesus’s general teaching on lifelong marriage (Mt 5:31-32; 19:1-9) inevitably did not address the specific situations Paul encountered in Corinth, where a husband or wife had been converted to Christ out of paganism. Thus, if the unbelieving spouse abandoned the believer, then the believer should let that person go. If an unbelieving spouse wanted to continue with the believer in the marriage, the believer was not to send the unbeliever away. Paul was not contradicting or adding to Jesus’s teaching; he was applying it in a particular context.

Scripture presents two clear violations of the marriage covenant (Gn 2:24; Mt 19:5): desertion (which violates the command to “bond”) and adultery (which violates the command to be “one flesh”); the breaking of these proves legitimate grounds for divorce (and thus remarriage). Where there has been no such rupture, remarriage after divorce is not an option. When possible, however, reconciliation is the ideal.

7:21-23 Are Paul’s encouragements to slaves to seek freedom in contradiction to his (apparent) acceptance of slavery (e.g., Eph 6:5-8)? While Paul valued freedom (and here encouraged slaves to obtain freedom if they had opportunity), he knew any attempt by slaves to abolish slavery would mean certain death. The Romans were ruthless at suppressing slave revolts like the uprising led by Spartacus in 73 BC (see note on Phm 16).