There’s a sentence in 1 Corinthians 7:10-16 that really stands out to me…in a passage where Paul says to keep your marriage vows.
Before I get to that stand-out sentence I’d like to talk about the gist of Paul’s words. If you’re already married, a wife is “not to depart from her husband” and “a husband is not to divorce his wife”. Read that passage and see how Paul calls it a command…but then he says “but even if she does depart…”.
This shows that God commands you to keep your marriage vows
Because He doesn’t want you to live in a constant state of unhealthy sexual behavior. But He allows for divorce. He knows many men and women have a lack of self control and will not keep their vows.
God doesn’t want you to divorce, but He doesn’t want you to be a whipping post for a neglectful, abusive, or unfaithful spouse. Paul writes how this applies even when a believer has married an unbeliever. The vows are still in effect. And I believe the reason Paul writes so much about this is found in the stand-out sentence I mentioned before.
“But God has called us to peace.”
As I look at all the other text, in context, that sentence doesn’t seem to fit in with marriage vows or divorce clauses or whether or not a believer should be married to an unbeliever. But when you think about how much violence occurs in households where vows are forgotten, it makes total sense.
God wants you to have peace.
He wants you to be healthy, happy, and have life…abundantly. If you want peace, give peace. If you want love, give love. And if you want to be cared for in sickness and in health, care for your spouse in sickness and in health.
When you keep your marriage vows, it doesn’t guarantee your husband or wife will too. But if you don’t keep them, it does guarantee you won’t have the peace you’ve been called to by God.
In Faith, Hope, and Love”
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