A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, as long as he belongs to the Lord.A wife is bound by law for as long as her husband lives; but if the husband is dead, she is free to be married to whomever she desires, only in the Lord.The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.A wife is bound for so long time as her husband liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is free to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.
3 sermons cite this verse
Oh God, there's a lot we just read in your word that brings about all kinds of different thoughts and questions. And so we express our total dependence on your spirit to teach us this morning. Pray that over the next few moments in each of our lives, as many who are single, many who are married, that you would help us to understand specifically what you show us in your word about singleness and that you would, by your spirit, apply that to our hearts and our lives today for the spread of the gospel in the next generation and in all nations. We trust you by your spirit to bring clarity to our minds and hearts and specifically to each situation represented around this room. Help us, we pray. In Jesus' name, amen. Okay, four foundations for biblical singleness. And this is where we're going to camp out most of our time. We're going to let that springboard into just flying through reasons to delight in singleness. But these foundations are, well, they're just that. …
… he says in verse 39 of 1 Corinthians 7, a wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives, but if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes only in the Lord. Only in the Lord. Now he's speaking to widows, but don't think he means, well, widows have to marry in the Lord. Other Christians, you can marry whoever you want. It works the opposite way. He's assuming every Christian must be married in the Lord. And what he has in his mind is, well, but what if you're a widow? Might that be an exception? Maybe you're older. Maybe you don't have very many options. You know, you're already mature in your faith. And your husband dies, or you're a widower, and your wife dies, and you get remarried. Surely, now, maybe you've already raised your kids. They're not in the equation. If ever there was an exception to the rule, it would be with widows. And that's why Paul underlines, nope, not even for widows. …
1. Perhaps there are few subjects within the whole compass of religion so little understood as this. The reader of this Epistle is usually told, by the law St. Paul means the Jewish law; and so, apprehending himself to have no concern therewith, passes on without farther thought about it. Indeed some are not satisfied with this account; but observing the Epistle is directed to the Romans, thence infer that the Apostle in the beginning of this chapter alludes to the old Roman law. But as they have no more concern with this, than with the ceremonial law of Moses, so they spend not much thought on what they suppose is occasionally mentioned barely to illustrate another thing. 2. But a careful observer of the Apostle’s discourse will not be content with theses light explications of it. And the more he weighs the words, the more convinced he will be, that St. Paul, by the law mentioned in this chapter, does not mean either the ancient law of Rome, or the ceremonial law of Moses. This will clearly appear to all who attentively consider the tenor of his discourse. He begins the chapter, “Know ye not, brethren (for I speak to them that know the law,)” to them who have been instructed therein from their youth, “that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?” (What! the law of Rome only, or the ceremonial law? No, surely; but the moral law.) “For,” to give a plain instance, “the woman which hath an husband is bound by the” moral “law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law: so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.” From this particular instance the Apostle proceeds to draw that general conclusion: “Wherefore, my brethren,” by a plain parity of reason, “ye also are become dead to the law,” the whole Mosaic institution, “by the body of Christ,” offered for you, and bringing you under a new dispensation: “That ye should” without any blame “be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead;” and hath thereby given proof of his authority to make the change; “that we should bring forth fruit unto God.” And this we can do now, whereas before we could not: “for when we were in the flesh” — under the power of the flesh, that is, of corrupt nature, which was necessarily the case till we knew the power of Christ’s resurrection, “the motions of sins, which were by the law,” — which were shown and inflamed by the Mosaic law, not conquered, “did work in our members,” — broke out various ways, “to bring forth fruit unto death.” “But now we are delivered from the law;” from that whole moral, as well as ceremonial economy; “that being dead whereby we were held;” — that entire institution being now as it were dead, and having no more authority over us than the husband, when dead, hath over his wife: “That we should serve him,” — who died for us and rose again, “in newness of spirit;” — in a new spiritual dispensation; “and not in the oldness of the letter;” — with a bare outward service, according to the letter of the Mosaic institution (Rom. 7:1–6.) …