Jesus set forth the only exception to God’s law for marriage when He included “except for sexual immorality.” The word Jesus used includes any sexual sin. God only intended such intimacy for the two companions within a marriage. Jesus was speaking to “Jews who knew nothing of a woman divorcing her husband” (Lenski, The Interpretation of Matthew’s Gospel 230). The rule applies to both men and women who divorce their spouses (Mark 10:12). [Mark was writing to non-Jews, and therefore, by inspiration, he made sure that his readers understood that our Lord’s teaching applied to both men and women. ~ Louis Rushmore, Editor]
Part of 1 Corinthians was written in response to questions. One question seems to have been, “Should a Christian, who is joined to Christ, separate from the union of marriage?” (1 Corinthians 7:10-11). The Lord answered this, likely in the verses we have already examined. The general rule was that they should not even separate. “If she and her husband cannot live harmoniously together let her remain unmarried. She is not permitted to marry again. That would be adulterous” (Lipscomb, First Corinthians, Gospel Advocate 98). “The Christian woman who has separated from her husband, but found that she cannot live the single life and remain pure has only one path open to her. She is to be reconciled to the husband whom she has injured” (Lipscomb).
Paul spoke regarding “the rest,” which seems to involve the marriage of a “believer and an unbeliever (1 Corinthians 7:12-13). Paul, as an inspired apostle, gave his divine instruction in reference to a situation not addressed by the Lord in His personal ministry. If the brother married to an unbelieving wife is pleased to dwell with her, he is free to do so; he is not to put… her away” (Woodson, The Problem of Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage 3).
Verse 15 contains instructions for a believing companion when the spouse chooses to depart. “The only terms on which he will continue the marriage is for the Christian to leave the Lord and become a pagan. The Christian has-not-been-and-is-not-bound-to-leave-the-Lord ‘in such cases’… to preserve a marriage the price of which is for her to” leave the Lord. The Christian “is not bound.… The Christian is called… in peace, to be in peace with God whatever the difficulty imposed by impossible demands by another, husband or not” (Woodson). We might say the Christian is not enslaved to the unbeliever to whom he or she is married.
The Christian should allow the unbeliever to depart in lieu of surrendering his or her relationship to the Lord. Doing such in the most peaceful way possible may ultimately lead to the salvation of the spouse (1 Corinthians 7:16).
