chapter if the local Corinthian situation and the larger context of Paul’s epistles are not recognized Let us look at these briefly Local Corinthian situation We not know exactly how the Corinthians’ questions were worded If we did, some of the di cult aspects of chapter might disappear For example, the Corinthians’ former heathen exaltation of celibacy could have prompted them to ask Paul if celibacy for Christians was not the state that all Christians should cherish To which Paul’s reply was, “[True,] … it is good for a man not to touch a woman, [nevertheless,] … let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband [Because if this normal pattern for the human race is broken, fornication is inevitable]” (7:1) Another local situation about which we can only speculate is the kind and extent of “distress” (7:26) that was threatening the Corinthian Christians at that time It could very well have been severe persecution, in which case Paul’s counsel to the Corinthians was to postpone marriage for the time being (e.g., 7:26-27) In studying chapter it must also be remembered that sexual immorality (“fornication”) was an evil threatening the very survival of the Corinthian church That problem must have had much to with how Paul answered the questions about marriage Paul’s full teaching on marriage A reading of all Paul’s letters reveals that the apostle commended marriage as a high and holy estate Read, for example, Ephesians 5:22-23 In Timothy 4:3 Paul speaks of “forbidding to marry” as a doctrine of demons (4:1) In Corinthians 7:12-16 Paul discusses the problems of mixed marriages with unbelievers In Corinthians 6:14 his advice is that the unmarried Christian can avoid such problems by not marrying an unbeliever Many other references outside Corinthians could be cited here C CHRISTIAN LIBERTY (8.1—11:1) This long section of the letter concerns a delicate situation the material object of which is neutral or non-moral The Corinthians’ question was, May we as believers eat meat that has been o ered in sacri ce unto idols (see 8:4)? Meat of itself is amoral, that is, neither right nor wrong But could a Corinthian Christian go to a meat market sponsored by a heathen temple and buy meat that had been left over from a heathen sacri ce? Was this associating himself anew with the former life of heathenism? Did the Corinthian believer have to consider what other people (especially immature believers) would think if he did that, even though both he and God knew that he had no intention of fellowship in the heathen circle? Those were some of the things that were on Paul’s mind as he formulated this lengthy discourse on what must have been a stormy issue in the Corinthian congregation Its application to similar problems of Christian living today is both clear and vital The outline of Chart 71 shows how Paul teaches and exhorts concerning the problem Read the chapters and observe the specific things Paul wrote, within each group of principles D SPIRITUAL GIFTS (11:2—14:40) ... intention of fellowship in the heathen circle? Those were some of the things that were on Paul’s mind as he formulated this lengthy discourse on what must have been a stormy issue in the Corinthian... similar problems of Christian living today is both clear and vital The outline of Chart 71 shows how Paul teaches and exhorts concerning the problem Read the chapters and observe the specific things... heathen sacri ce? Was this associating himself anew with the former life of heathenism? Did the Corinthian believer have to consider what other people (especially immature believers) would think