To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife.

1 Corinthians 7:10-11

This passage is generally considered one of the more controversial sections of both 1 Corinthians and the Bible as a whole.  That it is controversial is not surprising since its subject matter deals with divorce and separation.  Christ’s allowance of fornication as the only reason one could divorce and then marry someone else without committing adultery in God’s sight is a high standard which many find hard to accept, as his disciples immediately understood and which Christ acknowledged (Matt. 19:3-12).

The fact that Paul specifies that what he says here is a “charge” (parangello, command, order, instruction) shows that this is not “a concession, not a command” (as was his just-stated wish that everyone was single like him – 7:6-9).  Instead, verses 10-11 are a command which Paul gives “to the married.”  The charge is that “the wife should not separate from her husband…and the husband should not divorce his wife.”  “Separate” (chorizo) literally is defined as “to depart, to separate” (cf. Acts 1:4; 18:1-2; Rom. 8:35, 39; Philemon 15; Heb. 7:26) and is used elsewhere in reference to divorce (Matt. 19:6; Mk. 10:9).  “Divorce” (aphiemi) literally means “to leave (or to let go),” and is the term used to describe how God forgives (or lets go of) the penitent Christian’s sins (1 John 1:9).  As used by Paul here, the two terms (“separate” [chorizo] and “divorce” [aphiemi]) are used synonymously and can refer to spouses either separating from each other or permanently dissolving the marriage in divorce.

God does not want couples to separate or divorce (Mal. 2:16), but also recognizes that such does occur (and may even need to occur, as in cases when a battered wife needs to separate from her abusive husband for her and her children’s safety).  If separation or divorce does occur, there are only two options available for those who are married: to either “remain unmarried or else be reconciled” to their spouse (7:11a).  The only exception to this is if divorce occurred because of the spouse’s fornication, in which case the innocent party could remarry without committing adultery in God’s sight (Matt. 19:9; 5:32).  While many understandably find this a high standard which is hard to accept, it is also understandable why God holds to it since he creates the marital union and considers that commitment (and all commitments and vows) sacrosanct (Matt. 19:4-6; cf. Eccl. 5:4-5).

Paul’s parenthetical statement “(not I, but the Lord)” is understandably confusing to some, especially when compared to verse 12’s “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord)…”  Many wonder if verses 10-11 are inspired by God while verses 12-16 are uninspired commands from Paul alone.  This cannot be the case since both verses 10-11 and verses 12-16 are part of Scripture.  Since “all Scripture is breathed out by God” (2 Tim. 3:16-17) and Paul in this very letter later specifies that all that he is writing to Corinth is “a command of the Lord” (14:37), then both verses 10-11 and verses 12-16 ultimately come from God.

So why does Paul parenthetically clarify here “(not I, but the Lord)” and later elucidate “(I, not the Lord)”?  A comparison of verses 10-11 with Jesus’ teachings on divorce and remarriage given while he was on earth (Matt. 5:31-32; 19:3-12; Mk. 10:2-12; Lk. 16:18) shows that verses 10-11’s directives are almost exactly the same as the commands already given by Jesus years earlier.  Thus, Paul could say about verses 10-11, “To the married I gives this charge (not I, but the Lord)…”  However, the gospel accounts do not record any instruction from Christ given during his time on earth about the subject matter of verses 12-16 which is believers being married to unbelievers.  This is why Paul could then say about that topic, “…I say (I, not the Lord)…”  While all of Paul’s letter to Corinth is ultimately from the Lord (14:37), the subject matter of verses 12-16 contains commands not previously given directly from Jesus during his time on earth like the subject matter of verses 10-11.  Lord willing, we will study them next week.

— Jon