How does this verse connect with Jesus' teachings on marriage and divorce? The Text in View 1 Corinthians 7:15: “But if the unbeliever leaves, let him go. The brother or the sister is not bound in such cases. God has called you to live in peace.” Paul’s Immediate Focus • Mixed marriages in Corinth: one spouse a believer, the other not • If the unbelieving spouse chooses to depart, the believer “is not bound” (no further marital obligation) • God’s aim: peace within the home, not relentless strife that hinders devotion to Christ Jesus’ Core Teaching on Marriage and Divorce • Matthew 19:4-6—“Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” • Mark 10:11-12—Divorce + remarriage = adultery, except for porneia (sexual immorality, Matthew 19:9) • Matthew 5:31-32—Permitted divorce only for sexual immorality; otherwise generates adultery Shared Foundations • Marriage is a divine covenant (Genesis 2:24) • God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16) • Both Jesus and Paul start with lifelong union as the norm Where Paul and Jesus Converge 1. Lifelong bond is assumed unless a specific biblically stated exception applies. 2. Neither author opens a door for casual or convenience-based divorce. 3. Both safeguard the innocent spouse: – Jesus: innocent of immorality may lawfully end the marriage (Matthew 19:9). – Paul: innocent believer may let the unbeliever depart and is “not bound” (1 Corinthians 7:15). How 1 Corinthians 7:15 Extends Jesus’ Teaching • Adds a Spirit-given clarification for cases Jesus did not address: abandonment by an unbeliever. • Maintains Jesus’ priority of marital faithfulness while recognizing new-covenant realities of evangelism and mixed households. • Affirms that peace and holiness in a believer’s life may, in rare situations, take precedence over preserving a marriage the unbeliever has already dissolved in practice. Practical Takeaways • Believers actively pursue reconciliation; departure is never initiated by the faithful spouse (Romans 12:18). • If abandonment happens, the believer is free from bondage—free to remain single or remarry in the Lord (1 Corinthians 7:39). • The church upholds high covenant standards yet applies mercy where Scripture grants it. One Unified Voice of Scripture Jesus and Paul speak together: marriage is sacred, divorce is restricted, and God’s compassion provides narrow, explicit exceptions—sexual immorality and unbelieving abandonment—so that the faithful are not enslaved but may live in peace before God. |
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