Living Between the Times

When my son was in high school, he came out on the porch one day and announced that he didn’t like 1 Corinthians 7. Being a romantically inclined young man, he didn’t like what he thought was Paul’s negative view of marriage. I’m sure I was unsuccessful in helping him understand the nuances of “the present distress” and “the present form of this world.” Recently, I have reflected on two things related to this chapter. The first is that I believe it has hugely important truths which teach us about how to live wisely in this present age. Second, I rarely hear this chapter referred to in the context of discipleship or counseling (not to mention marriage and singleness). So I’m going to make another pass at applying the themes in 1 Corinthians 7 to counseling people to persevere through pain as they groan for God’s glory.

Three Things We Need to Know as We Live Between the Times 

1. A Hopeful Perspective on Suffering
   Each of these people is suffering greatly and there is no guarantee of immediate relief in their circumstances. How are they to think about their significant suffering? In 1 Corinthians 7:26, Paul refers to “the present distress.” While this could refer to specific trouble in first century Corinth, it could also refer to the general distress of this present age—the time between Jesus’ first and second comings. This is the distress and suffering of a sin-broken world that we all deal with in one way or another.In Mark 13:5-8, Jesus speaks of several manifestations of this distress and says, “These are the beginning of the birth pains.” While not minimizing the sufferings of this age, this is greatly hopeful and encouraging. For the believers in our case studies, the grievous sufferings they are experiencing are not death throes but birth pains. This means their sufferings ultimately lead to life, not death. I well remember the groans of pain from my wife (and other mothers in nearby birthing rooms) when she was in labor, but her temporary pain led to the births of our two children.

2. A Wise Engagement With the Things of This World
   Verses 29-31 are worth quoting in full:
   

   This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.

   This paragraph is counter-intuitive, counter-cultural, hard to understand, and profoundly helpful. Notice it begins with, “The appointed time has grown very short” and ends with, “The present form of this world is passing away.” I don’t believe this is the typical mindset of Christians in the West. We tend to think this world will go on indefinitely and that it is our last and best hope of happiness. Ironically, thinking this way often increases anxiety as people frantically pursue and tenaciously cling to perishable goods. But Paul says this world is on its way out and it won’t be long until the new world is fully here in power and glory.
   Again, this doesn’t take Frank and Janie’s and Allison’s and Ben’s pain away, but it declares it as meaningful (“birth pains”) and temporary (“the appointed time has grown very short”). Therefore, Paul says to us all, deal with the present—marital struggles or joys, painful losses or joyful rewards, anxieties or excitement about career and money, etc.—deal with these things as though…you weren’t dealing with them. What does this mean? Engage with this world but engage wisely and loosely. These things are real but not the most essential reality. They are here but on their way out. See through them and past them to the glorious and massive joys that are just around the corner.

3. A Single Passion: Jesus Christ
   This single-mindedness is the bottom line and the underlying point of all of Paul’s letters.
   
   • “I say this for your own benefit…and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord” (1 Cor. 7:35).
   • “For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ” (2 Cor. 11:2-3).
   • “Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand.” (Rom. 13:11-12).
   Undivided, sincere, and pure devotion to Jesus Christ is the goal of the gospel, the glory of God, the end of all our travail, our eternal happiness, and our lasting peace. This is the realistic radiant hope we offer our suffering counselees: “The night is far gone; the day is at hand” (Rom. 13:12).

Adapted from "Living Between the Times" by Pat Quinn, April 19, 2019