“The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord” (1 Cor. 7:39). God intends marriage to be for a lifetime. Aside from one exception (Mt. 5:32; 19:9), God considers a married couple bound to each other until death. If a woman’s husband dies, then she is free to remarry. Some have argued that “only in the Lord” in 1 Corinthians 7:39 means the widow can only marry a Christian man. Is this the case?

First, consider Paul’s statement earlier in the chapter about marriage to a non-Christian, “But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him” (1 Cor. 7:12-13). If one goes to 2 Corinthians 6:14—a passage where marriage is not the subject—to prove that marriage to a non-Christian is a sin, then one makes Paul to contradict himself. In 1 Cor. 7:12-13, he tells the believer not to separate from their unbelieving spouse, yet in the other passage he writes, “come out from among them, and be ye separate” (2 Cor. 6:17). Paul is not speaking of marriage in 2 Corinthians 6. The non-Christian can be influenced by the godly conduct of their Christian spouse (1 Cor. 7:14; 1 Pet. 3:1-4).

            Some actions are not the wisest course, but are not sin. Marriage to a Christian is often the wiser course, but it does not seem to be an absolute requirement in the NT. If “only in the Lord” in 1 Cor. 7:39 means a widow can only marry a Christian, then it is difficult to provide an answer to why she would be allowed to be married to a non-Christian in her first marriage (1 Cor. 7:12-13), but not in a subsequent marriage after her first husband died.

            It seems best to regard “only in the Lord” in 1 Corinthians 7:39 as meaning “according to the teaching of the Lord.” That is, she is free to remarry any man who has the right to be married according to the Lord’s teaching. The preposition “in” (ἐν en in the Grk.) can often mean “according to” in this sense. For example, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right” (Eph. 6:1). Are children only to obey Christian parents? If a non-Christian parent commands a child to do something that is proper and right, then the child should obey. The force of “in the Lord” is not the spiritual location of the parent, but rather the child acting according to the Lord’s will. It is parallel to this phrase, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord” (Col. 3:18). Or consider Romans 8:8 “So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” This does not mean while we are in our physical bodies we can’t please the Lord, rather, as the context shows, those who walk “after the flesh” (vv. 4, 5).

Thus, a widow may marry again. She may marry any man who has God’s approval to marry. Obviously, a man who has put away his wife for some reason other than fornication is not eligible by the Lord for approved remarriage (Mt. 19:9). Thus, Paul is qualifying his phrase “she is at liberty to be married to whom she will” when he adds “only in the Lord” (1 Cor. 7:39). The Lord gives us liberty in certain areas of life. Let us abide by His teachings, neither restricting the liberty He has provided, nor going beyond the bounds He has set.

-Mark Day

Matthew 5:13-16, “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Without question this text suggests the theme of Christian influence. We all have influence on other people regardless of age, position, or status. When it comes to influence, the Bible has much to say in the matter.

We Must Recognize That We Influence Others And Are Influenced By Others.

1 Corinthians 5:6, “Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?”

This statement is found two times in the New Testament. (see also Galatians 5:9) The word leaven is found 11 times in the New Testament and is used to illustrate to us the power of influence. All of us have influence, the question is, is it good or bad? The kind of influence we have on others is based on what we allow to influence ourselves and if we are not careful, some influences may be slowly changing us. 

Your Companions Will Influence You For Good Or Bad.

Proverbs 13:20, “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.” 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “Be not deceived: Evil companionships corrupt good morals.” (ASV)

If we allow the leaven of this world to influence us, our lives will slowly be changed from what God would have them to be, into lives filled with worldliness and sin. It only takes one companion with wicked thoughts and wicked lifestyle to gradually lead you into the same kind of sin.

Our Influence Can Cause Another To Be Converted To Christ.

1 Peter 3:1-2, “Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.”

Even if the husband is not a Christian, the woman is to be submissive. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 7, said that a Christian may win their mate to Christ by the way they conduct themselves. Peter approaches the same topic in telling wives to be submissive to their husbands. Even if some don’t obey the word (Gospel) preached, they might be converted without a word from their wives by the proper conduct from their wives. No one can become a Christian without obeying the Gospel.

Our Influence Will Outlast Us.

Hebrews 11:4, “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he had witness borne to him that he was righteous, God bearing witness in respect of his gifts: and through it he being dead yet speaketh.”

The first person on this earth that we have record who died was Abel. Yet his influence still lives on. We read of his influence, how his sacrifice, by faith, was offered. And his example of obedient faith still lives on today. Sometimes we don’t realize the power of our influence in the lives of others. We need to strive to have an influence of good, rather than bad. Our influence continues to live even after our death. We can all think of people who have had influence in our lives, we remember how they helped us, we remember the examples they set in our lives.

If you are a Christian who hasn’t set a good influence, you need to repent. Start today.

-Jerry D. Sturgill