Should A Single Christian Marry? Paul turned from dealing with problems of which he had heard to questions the Corinthians had asked. The first question, as seen by McGarvey, was, "Is marriage to be desired or avoided by Christians?" Paul answered that it was better not to touch a woman. He was refe... [ Continue Reading ]
Should Married Christians Separate? The second question would seem to be, "Should a Christian, who is joined to Christ, separate from the union of marriage?" Jesus had answered this question (Matthew 5:31-32; Matthew 19:3-9; Mark 10:2-12; Luke 16:1-8). Generally, they should not even separate. Lipsc... [ Continue Reading ]
The Christian's Social Relations Becoming a Christian should not be used as an excuse for disrupting normal social relations, assuming they are not sinful. Christianity is only disruptive to that which is evil. It encourages us in all the good relationships we have in life. The apostle also stated t... [ Continue Reading ]
Is Celibacy Preferable To Marriage? McGarvey thinks the third question must have been, "Is celibacy or virginity perferable to marriage?" Paul was inspired in his judgment (7:40; 14:37), so we can rely on his answer. The basic rule to be followed was to stay the same. Because of the distress Christ... [ Continue Reading ]
Giving A Daughter's Hand In Marriage At the time Paul wrote, the fathers' gave their daughters' hands in marriage without consulting them. Paul said that fathers might feel they wronged their daughters by keeping them from marrying, even after the normal age for marrying. Such fathers, when they saw... [ Continue Reading ]
Should Widows Remarry? McGarvey thinks the fourth question was, "Should widows remarry?" Marriage is a contract for life, with but one exception (Romans 7:1-3; Matthew 19:9). If either party died, the other was free to remarry. However, the Christian widow was restricted by Paul to marrying "only i... [ Continue Reading ]