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edits
Can an engagement be broken?: Difference between revisions
→What the Bible says
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:''In the case of an '''engaged couple who have decided not to marry''': if the man feels that he is not acting properly towards the young woman and if his passions are too strong and he feels that they ought to marry, '''then they should get married''', as he wants to. There is no sin in this. But if a man, without being forced to do so, has firmly made up his mind not to marry, and if he has his will under complete control and has already decided in his own mind what to do — '''then he does well not to marry the young woman'''. So the man who marries does well, but the one who doesn’t marry does even better. <ref>American Bible Society, The Holy Bible: The Good News Translation, 2nd ed. (New York: American Bible Society, 1992), 1 Co 7:36–38</ref> | :''In the case of an '''engaged couple who have decided not to marry''': if the man feels that he is not acting properly towards the young woman and if his passions are too strong and he feels that they ought to marry, '''then they should get married''', as he wants to. There is no sin in this. But if a man, without being forced to do so, has firmly made up his mind not to marry, and if he has his will under complete control and has already decided in his own mind what to do — '''then he does well not to marry the young woman'''. So the man who marries does well, but the one who doesn’t marry does even better. <ref>American Bible Society, The Holy Bible: The Good News Translation, 2nd ed. (New York: American Bible Society, 1992), 1 Co 7:36–38</ref> | ||
Paul is speaking to the fiancé or engaged couple in 1 Corinthians 7:36-38 and his advice is that, while the engaged couple commit no sin (despite what some Corinthians think) if they do marry, it is preferable (‘better’) for them to remain unmarried. '''This is completely opposite to the view of William Branham.'''<Ref>Andrew Cornes, Divorce and Remarriage: Biblical Principle and Pastoral Practice (Fearn, UK: Christian Focus Publications, 2002), 122.</ref> | |||
Paul clearly doesn’t think that it’s impossible simultaneously to serve both the Lord and one’s marriage partner. He knows many married Christians, including most of the other apostles, and he doesn’t imagine for a moment that the two callings are mutually exclusive. But there was a famine on. Times were hard, particularly for newlyweds, who would rightly be eager to build up their marriage relationship by pouring themselves into thinking what would make their newly acquired spouse happy. | Paul clearly doesn’t think that it’s impossible simultaneously to serve both the Lord and one’s marriage partner. He knows many married Christians, including most of the other apostles, and he doesn’t imagine for a moment that the two callings are mutually exclusive. But there was a famine on. Times were hard, particularly for newlyweds, who would rightly be eager to build up their marriage relationship by pouring themselves into thinking what would make their newly acquired spouse happy. | ||