I was reading God’s Word this morning and came across the following scriptures:
“But this I say, brethren, the time has been shortened, so that from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none; and those who weep, as though they did not weep; and those who rejoice, as though they did not rejoice; and those who buy, as though they did not possess; and those who use the world, as though they did not make full use of it; for the form of this world is passingaway.”(1 Corinthians 7:29–31, NASB95)
I am married, so this scripture caused me to be curious as to what Paul might be saying to the Corinthian church. I had to think through the things that I know about the church at Corinth, the context into which Paul was writing, the clues from the text that would help with interpretation, and then combine that with what else God has to say on any subject that is related to make sure that I did not misinterpret it or turn it into a pretext.
First, Paul was writing to the Corinthian church. He had been involved with its formation and always carried them in his heart because of the time he had spent there. Having served in five churches in 20 years of ministry, I understand this dynamic well. He loved them and wanted the best for them.
The church had evidently written him a letter previously asking various questions from their beloved founding pastor and missionary leader. Whenever we see, “Now concerning…” it is a formula indicating that they had asked Paul a question and he was responding. We see this formula in 1 Corinthians 7:1 “Now concerning the things about which you wrote…”
The entire chapter is a response to the Corinthian church about marriage. They wanted to know if it was okay to get married and, if they were married, should they get divorced so that they could serve God better. Paul had some interesting instructions to them on this topic, but it was not those instructions that caught my attention.
At the end of this chapter, Paul gave them the verses above. He told them that the time has been shortened. What does that mean? The time for what? If it is the time for Jesus’ return, how could it have been shortened when it was written down before the beginning of time? How could Paul know when the time was when Jesus said He did not know? What was Paul’s point?
As I reflected on this, the Holy Spirit began to speak to my heart about this passage to say, “Don’t get sucked in to thinking like the world thinks and valuing what the world values. The world says to get all you can get and worry about Jesus later. You are not to be that way. You don’t know when He is coming.”
Paul told the Corinthians those who have wives were to live like they did not have one. What does that mean? Is that a license to neglect their wives and to fail to provide for their families? Hardly! That would violate the context of the preceding verses, but they were not to make their marriages their sole focus and the foundation of their hope and identity. They were to live for Jesus and for His return and let that reality direct their actions in marriage and not the other way around.
This holds true for the rest of the categories in the verse as well. If they were mourning, they were not to become so wrapped up in their mourning that they forgot the hope of the return of Christ. If they were rejoicing in some victory or some blessing, they were not to become so wrapped up in that for which they were thankful that they forgot the bigger blessing of the return of Christ which was nearer to them than it had ever been before.
The verse goes on to describe other sources of potential distraction for the Corinthians and for you and I as well. So, what is the overall lesson? Simply this. From whence do you get your identity, find your future hope, or find your foundation? If it is anything other than Christ, it will hold you back from experiencing the nearness in your relationship with Him that will prepare you and hold you up until He comes. Don’t get sucked in.