Paul
the apostle
told the church members in Corinth they should “let
every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God”.
In chapter seven and verse twenty-five of
First Corinthians, Paul told
the church members “concerning
virgins I have no commandment of the Lord”
where we read:
Now
concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord:
yet I
give my judgment, as one that has obtained mercy of the Lord to be
faithful.
The
verse begins, “Now
concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord:”
Paul began
with the word, “Now” which
means “moreover and also” “concerning
virgins” or
“about and on account of a woman who has never had sexual
intercourse with a man, a man who has abstained from all uncleanness
and whoredom attendant on idolatry and so has kept his chastity or
one who has never had intercourse with women” “I
have no commandment”
which means “Paul did not an injunction or mandate”, “of
the Lord” which
means “he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has
power of deciding; master and the title given to God the Messiah”.
Paul had no specific “mandate” from “the
Lord” for
those who were “virgins”
within the church members in Corinth.
The
verse goes on to say, “yet
I give my judgment, as one that has obtained mercy of the Lord to be
faithful.” Paul
added the word, “yet” which
means “moreover and” “I give my
judgment” or
“Paul granted, supplied, furnished and delivered faculty of
knowledge, mind, reason, view and opinion”, “as
one that has obtained mercy”
or “a person who experienced aid, help, compassion, divine grace
and pity” “of the Lord”
which refers to “from he to whom a person or thing belongs, about
which he has power of deciding; master and the title given to God the
Messiah” “to be faithful”
which means “exists, happens and is presently trusty, kept in
plighted faith, can be relied upon and worthy of trust”. Though he
had no “mandate” from “the Lord”
for the
“virgins”
within the church at Corinth, he exhorted them to “be
faithful”
as “a person” who “received divine grace and pity” from Him
through Jesus Christ.
When
we think through these words from Paul, we understand that those who
had not engaged “sexually” within the church were to be
“faithful” to the Lord in their chastity. We remember the
conditions of “sexual immorality” that surrounded the Corinthian
church members with the worship of Aphrodite the “goddess of
pleasure and sexual things” which made opportunities readily
available for all who desired to indulge. “Virgins” who
were Christians were to “remain” in that state until they were
married, and Paul the apostle considered himself as “one that
has obtained mercy of the Lord” to continue that way. We are
challenged, once again, by Paul to be part of Jesus' “pure and
holy” church, and let us rely upon His “mercy” as we are
“faithful” in this instruction.
Next
time Paul tells the church members what is, “good
for the present distress”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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