Students of
the Bible know that to understand a phrase like “…From now on, let those who have wives live as
though they had none,” (1 Corinthians 7:29, ESV), you must understand it within the
context that it is stated. I introduced
the situation previously in a Blog.
Today we need to look at the statements
of Paul that precede the provocative one.
29 This is what I mean, brothers: . . .
Paul has
just stated that there is (or there will be) a “present crisis” (v26a) and he
gives the judgment that it is “good” (v26b) for a person to remain single
because those who marry “will face many troubles in this life” (v28b). This obviously needs clarification.
. . . the appointed
time has grown very short . . .
The Greek
text is “ὁ καιρὸς
συνεσταλμένος” or literally “the season straightened” [is]. The biblical notion of “straightened” may be
at play here. For example we read: “Trust in the Lord with all your
heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge
him, and he will make straight your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5–6, ESV). Faith in God clarifies the future. Perhaps we can affirm that this idea is in
Paul’s mind. He may be saying, “The
time ahead has been clarified.”
The ESV interprets the phrase in relation to the shortness
of time. Likewise so the NIV interprets
the phrase in the same way (“…
that the time is short”[1]).
There is debate as to whether the issue is regarding the brevity of
time, in a quantitative sense, or whether Paul’s concern is qualitative. David Garland writes, “Paul is not
concerned about the duration of time but the character of the time. He is
talking not about how little time is left but about how Christ’s death and
resurrection have changed how Christians should look at the time that is left.”[2]
[Emphasis mine] Although less
clear, Gordon Fee agrees: “This does not so much mean that the final
consummation is imminent (although in a sense that is always true for God’s
people) as that the future, which was set in motion by the event of Christ and
the Spirit, has been “shortened” so that it is now in plain view.”[3] [Emphasis mine]
One of the
characteristics of “these last days” is that although we do not know “the day
or the hour” of Christ’s return, the prophetic insight into these days, has in
a sense “shortened them”. We do have a
sense of their fulfillment. Along with
affirming a definite timeline, we are also given insight into the nature of
these “days”. For example Paul wrote, “Look carefully then how you walk,
not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days
are evil.” (Ephesians
5:15–16, ESV). Also we are aware
of the reality that:
“… in
the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of
self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents,
ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control,
brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of
pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but
denying its power. Avoid such people.” (2 Timothy 3:1–5, ESV).
Therefore, when Paul is considering the times that the
Corinthians are living in he can easily see that for couples entering into
matrimony and child-rearing the cultural context is not appealing. Notice these
phrases:
a.
"Because
of the present crisis . . .;"[4]
b.
"But
those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you
this;"[5]
c.
"What
I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short;"[6]
d.
" I
would like you to be free from concern;"[7] and
e.
" I
am saying this for your own good."[8]
So to clarify his position on the value of singleness, the
Apostle points out the somewhat disturbing nature of the days to which the
Church is and must go through. It’s as
if he says, “You know what your witnessing; you know what’s ahead; but you know
how it ends.”
With that in mind, married couples are to live a certain way
– live as if they are not married. We'll
continue to dig further in the next installment.
[1] The New
International Version. (2011). (1 Co 7:29). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[2] Garland, D. E. (2003). 1 Corinthians (pp. 328–329). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.
[3] Fee, G. D. (2014). The
First Epistle to the Corinthians. (N. B. Stonehouse, F. F. Bruce, G. D.
Fee, & J. B. Green, Eds.) (Revised Edition., p. 374). Grand Rapids, MI;
Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
[4] The New
International Version. (2011). (1 Co 7:26). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[5] The New
International Version. (2011). (1 Co 7:28). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[6] The New
International Version. (2011). (1 Co 7:29). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[7] The New
International Version. (2011). (1 Co 7:32). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[8] The New
International Version. (2011). (1 Co 7:35). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
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