1 Cor. 7:10. And to the married I command, not I, but the Lord.
Since the Lord in clear words gave the law not to divorce, except for the cause of fornication (Matt. 5:32), the apostle says: "not I, but the Lord." But what was said before was not literally legislated by the Lord. Nevertheless, the words of Paul are also the words of the Lord, and not of man, for below he says of himself: "I think that I also have the Spirit of God" (1 Cor. 7:40).
1 Cor. 7:10-11. A wife is not to separate from her husband – but if she does separate, she must remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband – and a husband is not to leave his wife.
Divorces, he says, happen out of a love for continence, or out of faintheartedness, or for other reasons; but it would be better if there were no separation at all. If it does occur, the wife should remain with her husband, if not for conjugal relations, then so as not to bring in anyone else. But if she cannot remain continent, let her be reconciled with her husband.
1 Cor. 7:12-13. But to the rest I speak, not the Lord: if any brother has an unbelieving wife, and she consents to live with him, let him not leave her; and a wife who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, let her not leave him.
What are you saying? If the husband is an unbeliever, then let him remain with his wife; but if he is a fornicator, he should not remain with her? But unbelief is worse than fornication? Indeed it is worse; but God exacts punishment more for sins against one's neighbor than for sins against Himself. For it is said: "Leave your gift there before the altar and go first, be reconciled with your brother" (Matt. 5:24). And ten thousand talents owed to Him, He forgave; but for the one who owed a hundred denarii, He did not leave the offense unavenged (Matt. 18:34). So also in the present case: the sin of unbelief, which offends God Himself, He overlooks, but the sin of adultery He punishes as a sin against the wife. Some, however, explain it thus: a person, they say, remains in unbelief through ignorance, which may perhaps come to an end, as the apostle himself (1 Cor. 7:16) says: "For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband?" — whereas fornication is committed as a result of manifest depravity. Moreover, the fornicator has already separated himself beforehand, for having taken his members away from his wife, he made them members of a harlot; whereas the unbeliever has committed no sin against the bodily union, or rather, through this union he may perhaps be united also in faith. Not to mention that the order of life would also be overturned, and the Gospel would be subjected to reproach, if the believing spouse were to separate from the unbelieving one. Meanwhile, apply the apostle's commandment under consideration only to the case where husband and wife were joined in marriage when both were still in unbelief, but afterward one side or the other converted to the faith. For if previously only the husband was an unbeliever, or only the wife, then the believing spouse was not at all permitted to enter into marriage with the unbelieving one: this is clear from the apostle's words, for he did not say: if anyone wishes to take an unbelieving wife, but: "if any brother has." Again, he does not simply prescribe that the believing spouse live with the unbelieving one, but only in the case where the latter desires it; for this means: "consents," that is, if she desires it.
1 Cor. 7:14. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the believing wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the believing husband.
That is, by the abundance of purity of the believing spouse, the impurity of the unbelieving one is overcome. This is what the apostle's words mean, and not that the pagan becomes holy. For the apostle did not say "is holy," but "is sanctified," that is, is overcome by the holiness of the believing spouse. And he says this so that the believing wife would not fear becoming impure if she has marital relations with such a husband. But the question arises: he who joins himself to a harlot, becoming one body with her, becomes impure (cf. 1 Cor. 6:16); obviously, he who joins himself to a pagan woman also becomes one body with her. If the first is impure, then how does the latter not become impure? As far as fornication is concerned, it is indeed so. When fornicators have relations with one another, their union contains impurity, and therefore they are both impure. But the matter is different in the case of the marital union of a believing spouse with an unbelieving one. The unbelieving husband is impure on account of his unbelief. But the wife has communion with him not in unbelief, but in the marriage bed. In this communion no impurity is found. For it is a lawful marriage. Therefore the believing spouse does not become impure.
1 Cor. 7:14. Otherwise your children would be unclean.
If the unbelieving half were not overcome by the purity of the believing half, then their children would be unclean, or only half clean.
1 Cor. 7:14. But now they are holy.
That is, they are not unclean. By the superfluous expression "holy," the apostle dispels the fear of such a suspicion.
1 Cor. 7:15. But if the unbeliever wants to divorce, let him divorce.
For example, if he commands you either to participate in his unbelief, or to renounce the rights of marriage, then divorce. For it is better to dissolve the bonds of marriage than to violate piety.
1 Cor. 7:15. A brother or a sister is not bound in such cases; the Lord has called us to peace.
If your husband quarrels with you because you do not take part in his unbelief, then divorce him. For you are not enslaved to him in such a case, that is, you are not compelled to follow him in such matters as well. It is better to separate from him than to quarrel; because God does not want this either: "the Lord has called us to peace." So, if your husband quarrels with you, then by this he himself has given cause for divorce.
1 Cor. 7:16. For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband?
Returning again to that exhortation that a wife "must not leave" her husband, he presents the current question. For if, he says, he does not quarrel with you, then stay with him and exhort him: perhaps you will accomplish something. He presents the outcome as uncertain, on the one hand, so that they would not think he is imposing on the wife an absolute obligation to fully convince her husband, and on the other hand, so as to sustain in her the hope of her husband's conversion and to prevent despair.
1 Cor. 7:16-17. Or you, husband, how do you know whether you will save your wife? Only (εἰ μή) let each one walk as God has apportioned to him, and each one as the Lord has called.
Some read it this way: "or you, husband, how do you know whether you will save your wife or not" (ē m)? Then they began a new sentence thus: "let each one act as God has appointed for him," that is, how can you know whether you will save her or not? This is completely unknown. But if it is unknown, then one must not dissolve the marriage, because if you do not save her, you will not harm yourself, and if you do save her, you will bring benefit both to yourself and to others. But the holy John did not read it this way, but rather: "let each one act as God has appointed for him, and each one as the Lord has called." And this reading is incomparably better. The Apostle said, as it were: there should be no divorce under the pretext of unbelief, but let each one act as God has willed concerning him. You were called having a wife from among the unbelievers. Keep her with you, and do not cast her out for her unbelief.
1 Cor. 7:17. So I ordain in all the churches.
He said this so that the Corinthians would more readily obey him, since he commands the same thing to others together with them as well.
1 Cor. 7:18. Was anyone called being circumcised, let him not conceal it (μη έπισπάσθω).
Probably, many, being ashamed of circumcision, by some medicine restored the circumcised member to its original appearance, growing back the foreskin on it.
1 Cor. 7:18. Was anyone called being uncircumcised? Let him not be circumcised.