What is the meaning of 1 Corinthians 7:15? But if the unbeliever leaves • Paul is addressing marriages in which one spouse has come to faith while the other has not (1 Corinthians 7:12–14). • The instruction is straightforward and literal: if the unbelieving spouse chooses to depart, the believing spouse is not commanded to resist or prevent it. • This echoes Jesus’ acknowledgment that hard hearts sometimes produce separation (Matthew 19:8) and keeps in view the biblical realism that not every union will remain intact when faith divides a household (Luke 12:52–53). • By permitting the departure, Scripture guards the believer from endless turmoil and protects the testimony of the gospel, which is never advanced by coercion (2 Corinthians 8:8). let him go • “Let him go” signals an active release rather than grudging resignation. – The believer surrenders the situation to God, trusting His faithfulness (1 Peter 4:19). – The believer refrains from retaliation or manipulation, aligning with “If it is possible on your part, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18). • Allowing the unbeliever to depart also upholds human dignity and honors conscience, illustrating love that refuses to control another’s choices (Galatians 5:13). The believing brother or sister is not bound in such cases • “Not bound” means the marriage covenant has been broken by the departing party; the believer is released from the obligation to maintain a union the other has abandoned (1 Corinthians 7:27–28, 39). • This is one of the two explicit New Testament grounds for a biblically permissible divorce—desertion by an unbeliever, alongside sexual immorality (Matthew 5:32; 19:9). • Yet freedom is never a license for frivolous divorce. Paul’s earlier counsel urged staying together if the unbeliever is willing (1 Corinthians 7:12–13). • The release is pastoral: it spares the believer from perpetual uncertainty and grants liberty to pursue God’s purposes without bondage to a broken covenant (Galatians 5:1). God has called you to live in peace • Peace (shalom) is God’s design for every believer’s life and relationships (Colossians 3:15). • Forcing an unbelieving spouse to stay could ignite greater strife, contradicting God’s peace-filled calling (Proverbs 17:14). • When separation occurs, the believer can still walk in peace—peace with God (Romans 5:1), peace with self (Philippians 4:7), and as far as possible, peace with others (Hebrews 12:14). • This peace is more than the absence of conflict; it is the presence of God’s wholeness and order, even in painful circumstances (Isaiah 26:3). summary 1 Corinthians 7:15 affirms that if an unbelieving spouse insists on leaving, the believer must release them without harassment. In such a case, the abandoned believer is freed from marital obligation and may move forward without guilt, because God prioritizes peace over forced togetherness. The verse safeguards the believer, respects the unbeliever’s choice, and upholds God’s desire that His children live in the peace He provides. |
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