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Teaching on Marriage in Corinthians and Ephesians
The purpose of this paper is to compare the teaching on marriage from the book of I Corinthians and Ephesians. The Bible tells us, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him" (Gen. 2:18). In the beginning, God saw that it was not good for His creation to be alone; therefore He created a helper suitable for Adam, a wife to be his companion and counterpart. From the book of Proverbs, we are also told that God designed marriage and sex not only as a means for bringing children into this world, but also as God's appointed means for a man to find pleasure in his wife.
In the New Testament, we are told that Jesus attended a wedding in Cana of Galilee and miraculously provided wine when their supplies were exhausted. The Apostle Paul also had a great deal to say about the covenant that God ordained between man and woman. Paul assumed that elders and deacons would be married and bare children. Paul also encouraged younger widows to marry and he claimed the right as an apostle to lead about a wife. Therefore, the Bible views marriage as the norm, and the single life as the exception. Marriage is viewed as holy, righteous, and good. So, as we approach I Corinthians chapter 7 and Ephesians chapter 5, we must do so in confident that marriage is a gift from God, and a blessing that many Christians gratefully receive and enjoy.
First of all, Paul's words in I Corinthians chapter 7 are in response to a question asked by some of the Corinthian saints who had previously corresponded with him. Paul is writing to
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address a problem, which the Corinthians had concerning an interpretation of sex and marriage. Paul's words in these verses of Scripture should be understood in light of the broader teaching of the Bible concerning sex and marriage. Before devoting our attention to the distorted views of sex and marriage held by some of the Corinthians, we must understand what the Bible has to say about the subject of marriage.
In this passage of Scripture Paul begins by making a bold statement concerning sex and marriage. He states, "It is good for a man not to touch a woman" (I Cor.
The flaw that is made hear is the assumption that the reader views the Bible as uninspired by God. Actually, many Christian denominations view the Bible as the inspired word of God. God used imperfect people to create the Bible. Consequently, the previous verse from Genesis is God 's definition of marriage even if the person who wrote those words did not practice
Throughout many of Paul’s letters there are many debates pertaining to the authorship, destination, date, and the purpose. In the book of Ephesians many scholars debate on the authorship and if Paul actually wrote the letter, or if it was a scribe. Although there are some debates on whether Paul actually wrote it or not, he does refer to himself twice in the letter. In 1:1 and in 3:1 Paul states himself, 1:3 states, “For this reason, I Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles” (NIV) In verse 1:3 Paul states that he is a prisoner, therefore it is debated that he did not specifically write this because he was imprisoned in Rome at this time. According to Wallace “This, of course, is not to say that the letter must be by Paul, but it is to argue that without such internal testimony, no such claim could be made” (Wallace). Many scholars also debate on the vocabulary usage and the structure of the letter. Some believe that the structure is similar, but the vocabulary seems to be different than his New Testament epistles. Hoehner claims that,” Though the book has a close affinity with Colossians, critics claim that Ephesians is uncharacteristic of Paul” (Hoehner 613). The destination of Ephesians is somewhat debated, but many do believe that the letter was sent to the church of Ephesus. “Some to claim that Ephesus is a better starting point, others suggest Caesarea.” (Wallace) Although this is an argument that has many valid points, it is obvious that Paul was imprisoned in Rome while he wrote Ephesians. It is said by Hoehner that “Ephesians was probably delivered by Tychicus (Eph. 6:21-22), who also took Paul’s letter to Colossians (Col. 4:7-9)” (Hoehner 613). As for the date goes m...
Upon reading first Corinthians 6:18-20, “Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body” (
Fortunately, in the New Testament, the subordination and domination nature of humanity are clarified by St. Paul as: “Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, be subject to your husbands as to the Lord…Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her…that she might be holy and without blemish.” What exists then, between man and woman, is a relationship which is dominant and subordinate, but only inasmuch as there is complementarity between the two which leads the other toward holiness in Christ. This is at the core of the conjugal love and the union of marriage. Pope Pius XI affirms this in his encyclical Casti Connubii released in the year 1930. He states, “By matrimony…the souls of the
The Bible and the western culture stand in stark opposition in regards to the understanding of and acceptable practice of marriage, divorce, and remarriage. God has provided a perfect plan for man to have a marriage that is blessed. In contrast society treats the plan of marriage as anything but holy. It is no surprise then, to find out that not only do Christians struggle with how to properly view the sanctity of marriage, tragedy of divorce, but remarriage is also a consideration that becomes controversial as well. God’s word is pretty clear on where He stands on each of these subjects. With that said, one should always remember to that God has always taught that grace covers all.
Marital relationship are the bedrock of society. Likewise, men and woman date to find that special one they select to be a lifelong companion until death parts them. Men and women are create different and have different ways of thinking and doing things. In Genesis 2:24 (NKJV) says, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. Marriage is a covenant agreement that is not to taken lightly. God has created marriage and also knows how to help couples who find their selves in marital discord help in strengthening their marriage.
...s class and researching for this paper, it is more than clear to me that marriage is something that is best suit when having God at the center and allowing Him to guide us each step of the way. This class has been a help to me and will be more helpful as I walk with the Lord with a family of my own.
Fairfax, “Marriage is one of the core values of society. Almost 20 years ago, the well renowned black scholar and psychologist Dr. Na’im Akbar (1991) penned the following: ‘‘marriage is such an important lesson in manhood (womanhood) development. It is no wonder that every society requires some form of it’’ (p. 13).” This coincides with the values that I stated above that were considered important in my culture. Marriage is important to more that my culture obviously but in my culture there is always this well-known quote from the bible: “He who finds a wife, finds a good thing (NKJV Proverbs 18:22). That is basically religion and love in the same
Paul when wrote this passage he used an unusual expression he was trying to make people of Roman to understand more that Romans should give their body or heart to God as
Marriage has existed longer than written history and there still a great demand. Over half of the adult population in the United States is married which consists of over 2 million people. At some point, two thirds of all Americans heterosexual or homosexual will vow to better or for worse till death do us apart. Despite, the recent decreased in the amount of people to get married, it’s still at a soaring 80 percent. Marriage is an integral part of who we are as humans but the real question is that because of evolutionary development or creation by God. These two belief systems play a fundamental role in the way we understand and live out marriage. The first view is evolutionary development which believes that marriage wasn't created by God and it was not originated in the beginning, however it was develop by society in the context culture. Therefore, concluding that marriage was a human institution invested throughout history as a way to carry out social roles. The second view would fall under the biblical view. Marriage is not of human origin, because it began with the Creator God. It was created by God from the beginning of history when He created the heavens and the earth . As the Creator of marriage, God has the right to tell us which rules should control marriage. Tim Keller affirms this in his book Meaning of Marriage; “Marriage is God’s idea. It is certainly also a human institution and it reflects the character of the particular human culture in which it is embedded. But the concept and roots of human marriage are in God’s own action, and therefore what the Bible says about God’s design for marriage is crucial.” Marriage is one of the most important institution in the world we living, however there is a...
In this excerpt from an address to the general audience, we can truly see how Blessed John Paul II beautifully explains scripture and what God’s wishes are in a manner that is clear and concise. The following cycle consists of on John Paul II’s ruminations on the Sermon on the Mount made by Christ concerning the heinous sin of adultery. It dives into the fact that you fall into the sin of adultery not only with the act of doing so but also with your lustful thoughts of a woman. The third cycle includes a discussion of t...
Especially in “ The New Testament Moral Teaching on Marriage.” For example when Jesus is asked ”is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” he answered, “Have you not read that he (the Creator) who made them from the beginning made them male and female, and (the Creator) said “ for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one?” so they are no longer two but one. What therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder.” This is important because it explains how by marrying someone we make a connection with God, and he will make the two become one so they live together as they promised in the covenant of marriage. This exemplifies why a marriage becomes indissoluble after its consummation, because the unique connection that two spouses share during sex makes them one and therefore inseparable, so after that the marriage becomes
These questions arise from our own desires as Christians to reflect a biblically sound attitude towards sexuality and relationships. That same desire to act according to biblical scriptures is subject to opposition from today’s culture and views about sexual relationships, gender, and roles. A new definition of marriage, sexual orientation, and sexual practices is challenging our relationship with God and our view of human sexuality. Bishop John Spong defines sex and its impact on relationships: “Sex can be called at once the greatest gift to humanity and the greatest enigma of our lives. It is a gift in that is a singular joy for all beings and enigma in its destructive potential for people and their relationships.” (Spong, 1988)
God’s plans for marriage are: (1) to reflect His Image- Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. -Genesis 1:26-27 ^18 when a couple gets married they are meant to be “one flesh” just like the Triune God; they are individual persons become and that’s what marriage must represent. When a Marriage does not have a strong foundation it is given that the marriage will not function correctly and when it does, it displays a damaged image of God and God’s message becomes twisted. Marriages that end up in divorce are too many to count therefore the glory of God has been greatly dimmed and it results to people doubting God’s mere
For St John Paul II, “marriage as a sacrament born of the mystery of the redemption and reborn, in a certain sense, in the spousal love of Christ and of the Church is an efficacious expression of the saving power of God.”