The Present Distress & Eternal Life - 1 Cor. 7:25-31

Introduction  As complicated as this passage is, it is the inspired Word of God; therefore, it is profitable "for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:16-17).  I. Where We Have Been in This Chapter  A. Marriage is a life long monogamous, emotional, social, psychological union between one man and one woman, 1-6.  B. Though divorce is always the result of sin, there are some circumstances that give permission to a Christian to pursue a divorce, 7-16.  C. God called you to be a Christian in whatever state you are in so forget about the if onlys, 17-24.  II. Where We Are Going in This Chapter  A. Today – the present distress and eternal life, 25-31  B. Next Sunday – serving the Lord as a single person and as a married person, 32-35  C. Two Sundays from today – the life long marriage, 36-40  D. After that, we may be finally able to leave chapter 7.  III. Answering Another Question, 25  A. Paul uses the same formula that he had used before to introduce his answer to a question brought to him by the Corinthian Christians.  B. Figuring out what the question was is the first difficulty in understanding this passage – what about virgins?  IV. The Present Distress, 26-28  A. There was something going on in Corinth that Paul calls the present distress.  B. In answering their question, Paul does not give them a command. He, rather, gives them a suggestion, 25, 40.  C. So, Paul's suggestion to them, under their present circumstances, is that they postpone any plans concerning marriage, 26-27.  D. Paul anticipates the argument that some might make concerning getting married and staying married by saying that if you get married you are ok, 28.  E. At the end of the day, Paul is not trying to demand that they all get married or that they all remain single – as their pastor, he wants to protect them from suffering under the present distress, 28b.  F. The present distress that the Corinthians were going through led Paul to think of the end of this age and eternal life.  V. Eternal Life, 29-31  A. In essence Paul is saying, "All these struggles that we go through in this life remind me that this world is not our home, that this world will end, that in the big scheme of things the end will come soon, and that we have a life that is so much better than this one waiting for us for all eternity." 29a, 31b.  B. The fact that this world order will end and that our life is in Christ and is forever, we must place the right emphasis in the things of this world order, 29b-31a.  Conclusion  In times of societal troubles it may be wise to postpone marriage, though it is not a sin to marry. But even more important, in times of societal trouble, let your mind go to Jesus and eternal life with him.  http://olympiabp.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-present-distress-eternal-life-1-cor.html

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