Kress Biblical Resources :: The Wisdom of the Cross and Christian Marriage (1Co 7)

Detailed Outline of 1 Corinthians

The Wisdom of the Cross Purifies and Unites Believers, the Wisdom of the World Pollutes and Divides

4. The wisdom of the cross and Christian marriage (1Co 7)
   1. Serve one another sexually within marriage (1Co 7:1-7)
      1. The confusion about abstinence in marriage expressed (1Co 7:1)
         1. The correspondence cited (1Co 7:1a)
         2. The question stated (1Co 7:1b)
      2. The command concerning sexual relations in marriage explained (1Co 7:2-6)
         1. The concern over abstinence in mariage (1Co 7:2a)
         2. The call to “have” one another within the marriage relationship (1Co 7:2b)
         3. The commitment to serve one another (1Co 7:3)
         4. The correct perspective on sexual oneness (1Co 7:4)
         5. The command (1Co 7:5ac)
            1. Stop depriving one another (1Co 7:5a)
            2. So Satan will not tempt you because of a lack of self-control (1Co 7:5c)
         6. The concession (1Co 7:5b-6)
            1. For a short time, abstinence in marriage is permissible (1Co 7:5b)
            2. For the purpose of prayer (1Co 7:5b)
            3. Finalize this short abstinence by coming back together again (1Co 7:5b)
            4. Forsaking sexual activity for the sake of prayer is a concession not a command (1Co 7:6)
      3. The comment about the gifts of singleness and marriage expressed (1Co 7:7)
         1. Singleness is to be highly esteemed (1Co 7:7a)
         2. Singleness and marriage are both gifts from God (1Co 7:7b)
   2. Stay as you were called in Christ, whether married or single (1Co 7:8-24)
      1. Stay as you are if you are single unless you must get married (1Co 7:8-9)
         1. Remaining single is an excellent choice—as the Apostle Paul’s life illustrates (1Co 7:8)
         2. Requiring singleness is harmful—marriage is an honorable option (1Co 7:9)
      2. Stay married if you have a believing spouse (1Co 7:10-11)
         1. Remain married to your spouse (1Co 7:10)
         2. Return to your spouse or remain single if you do get divorced (1Co 7:11)
      3. Stay married if you have an unbelieving spouse who desires to remain married (1Co 7:12-16)
         1. Stay married if your unbelieving spouse desires to remain joined in marriage (1Co 7:12-13)
            1. The Apostolic authority (1Co 7:12a)
            2. The agreeable unbelieving wife (1Co 7:12b)
            3. The agreeable unbelieving husband (1Co 7:13)
         2. Staying married in this situation will bring God’s sanctifying benefits to the entire family (1Co 7:14)
         3. Staying married is not required if the unbelieving spouse does not want to stay joined in marriage (1Co 7:15)
      4. Stay as you were called in Christ—the principle stated, illustrated, and clarified (1Co 7:17-24)
         1. The principle stated—stay as you were called (1Co 7:17)
         2. The picture of circumcision (1Co 7:18-19)
            1. Remain a Jew if you came to Christ as a Jew (1Co 7:18a)
            2. Remain a Gentile if you came to Christ as a Gentile (1Co 7:18b)
            3. Obey God’s Word as a believer—whether Jew or Gentile (1Co 7:19)
         3. The principle restated—stay as you were called (1Co 7:20)
         4. The picture of slave and free—a clarification (1Co 7:21-23)
            1. Remain a slave unless you are able to obtain your freedom (1Co 7:21)
            2. Remember that a believer who is a slave is free in the Lord (1Co 7:22a)
            3. Remember that a believer who is free is Christ’s slave (1Co 7:22b)
            4. Remain free and don’t become a slave of men—remember you were bought with a price (1Co 7:23)
         5. The principle restated again—stay as you were called (1Co 7:24)
   3. Stay focused on serving Christ whether married or single (1Co 7:25-40)
      1. The recommendation of singleness and to remain as you are—single or married (1Co 7:25-35)
         1. Respected advice rather than a requirement of the Lord (1Co 7:25)
         2. Remain as you are—whether single or married (1Co 7:26-28)
            1. The reason (1Co 7:26)
            2. The repeated emphasis (1Co 7:27)
            3. The reality of marriage in a fallen world (1Co 7:28)
               1. Certainly it is no sin to get married (1Co 7:28ab)
               2. Certainly there will be trouble in this life (1Co 7:28c)
         3. Reckon the eternal as far more important than the temporal (1Co 7:29-31)
            1. Our spouse must not be our ultimate focus (1Co 7:29)
            2. Our circumstances must not be our ultimate focus (1Co 7:30a)
            3. Our possessions must not be our ultimate focus (1Co 7:30b)
            4. Our activities in this world must not be our ultimate focus (1Co 7:31)
         4. Restrict your ultimate devotion to the Lord and not your spouse (1Co 7:32-35)
            1. Paul’s reason for recommending singleness (1Co 7:32a)
            2. Paul’s reasoning in recommending singleness (1Co 7:32b-34)
               1. The devoted pursuit of a believer who is single (1Co 7:32b, 1Co 7:34b)
               2. The divided pursuit of a believer who is married (1Co 7:33, 1Co 7:34a, 1Co 7:34c)
         5. Paul’s reason for recommending singleness restated (1Co 7:35)
      2. The recommendation for those who are engaged [or a father who has a daughter contemplating marriage] (1Co 7:36-38)
         1. If there is an overriding desire for marriage, then get married (1Co 7:36)
         2. If there is not an overriding desire for marriage, then don’t (1Co 7:37)
         3. It must be remembered that Christian marriage is good—and in some ways, singleness can be even better (1Co 7:38)
      3. The requirement for those who are married and the recommendation to those who spouses have died (1Co 7:39-40)
         1. The requirement of marriage—till death do us part (1Co 7:39a)
         2. The right to remarry is open—only another believer (1Co 7:39b)
         3. The recommendation from the Apostle Paul—remain single (1Co 7:40)