THE REAL LOVE CHAPTER?

Greeting cards; red roses; candy; "Pajamagram" ads; yes, it's February 14.  It's another Saint Valentine's Day!  (Now, actually, I understand that the Roman Catholic Church has done some "revamping" - no pun intended - with the "saint's days" and that now St. Valentine shares this one with other saints in a rotating fashion; you'll have to ask a Catholic priest about that one!)  I gave my wife her card and gift a few days early just to make sure I wouldn't run into problems getting her a present due to the snowstorm.

I thought on this Valentine's Day it would be appropriate to write about The Love Chapter of the Bible.  Yes, it's from First Corinthians, but I imagine it's not the one you're thinking of!  We usually think of I Corinthians 13 as "The Love Chapter".  It's probably been used more often as a wedding ceremony Scripture reading than any other passage.  First Corinthians chapter thirteen IS God's great chapter about agape, that is deep, self-sacrificing love.  Today, I'm NOT going to focus on First Corinthians chapter thirteen but rather on First Corinthians SEVEN.

I'll warn you, First Corinthians seven is RACY stuff!  I'm mindful that a clergyman writing sexually suggestive material on the internet could get himself into a lot of trouble, so I've got to be careful.  I encourage you to read First Corinthians seven, thoroughly, on your own. I've called this chapter a chapter that people "love to hate".  Singles hate First Corinthians seven because it encourages them to remain single and not to actively seek a spouse.  Marrieds hate First Corinthians seven (well, SOME marrieds do) because it encourages them to stay married even if there are problems, and it requires that married couples are not only faithful to one another but that they have intimate relations a lot, and I mean A LOT!  Divorced people hate First Corinthians seven because they think it puts them down, but as I understand First Corinthians seven, it really does no such thing.

In modern American society, we tend to take the issues of marriage, divorce, and sexual activity very casually.  Even in evangelical Protestant circles, many no longer think of premarital sex or of
extramarital affairs as all that bad.  The number of American evangelical Christian kids who are sexually active (despite all the "love waits" and other campaigns of the Christian right) is probably at an all-time high. Divorce among "born-again Christians" is also at an all-time high.  Back in 1972, I remember Evangelist Billy Graham saying that among faithful Bible-believing Christians there was only one divorce in every 430 marriages. That was 1972!  Research from George Barna's organization indicates that TODAY there is a slightly higher divorce rate among evangelical Christians than among society as a whole!  We are in love- but we are not in love with other people, nor are we in love with the Lord; we are in love with OURSELVES!

I don't have enough space to write out First Corinthians chapter seven word-for-word.  So I'm going to have to trust that YOU will read it.  Today, on this Valentine's Day, read it.  Think about it. Pray about it.  Then do what it says.  Singles:  if you will just turn your life over to the Lord and trust the Lord with your life 100% He will give you the very best, and He may well give you a spouse,  in His
time and in His way.  Marrieds, endeavor to be the best husband or wife you can be.  Sadly, SOMETIMES separation or divorce must take place, anyway.  A careful reading of First Corinthians seven will show you that God does NOT condemn you for divorce if you've done everything possible to save your marriage first.  

"Pastor Bob Baril," you ask, "how do you KNOW this chapter is so important?"

The Apostle Paul's final words in First Corinthians seven are, "...I think also that I have the Spirit of God".  In other words, "I really think God's telling me to write this stuff!"

I think so, too!

(I'd love to hear your feedback.  You can leave a comment here on the blog site, or e-mail me at RevRBaril@aol.com)