I Corinthians 7:29 This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, 30 and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, 31 and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.
In this chapter Paul says so many things about marriage that it seems so complicated that one is ready to walk away and avoid the issue. He says it is good to marry, but better not to; marriage is a burden, but it is a blessing too. On he goes back and forth. Occasionally he comes up for air and notes: "what I am trying to say is this..." At creation, God's intention and plan for man was very clear: marriage is wonderful. Then the Fall happened. In came The Blame Game, suspicion, unfaithfulness, intermarriage with God's enemies, and on the list goes. Marriage pure and undefiled is hard to find. It is also part of this world, whereas in the world to come there is no marrying. How do we live in both worlds at present? Marriage is not, and should not be, viewed as a burden, but it can be when we are living for ourselves. The solution is not to get rid of marriage, but stop living for ourselves.
No comments:
Post a Comment