The following article, written in early 1997 and reviewed in early 1998, is in some fundamental aspects DIFFERENT from and INCONSISTENT with that of the author titled "Are ALL Contents of Shaul's (Paul's) Epistles in the New Testament Inspired by the Holy Spirit?" published at http://www.ServeYahweh.org/Articles/inspired.htm in early 1999.

Seeing that the two articles do not agree in some fundamental aspects, which one is correct?

My current thinking is that the later article is closer to the truth than this one here below. Nevertheless, just as I think that I was blind on some matters two years ago, and for a long time thereafter, it is probable that I remain blind on still other matters, and even on the same matters that I think that I now have vision in!

I therefore pray that the Holy Spirit guides you in your study of these matters, and that he may lead you into the truth of these matters. I would also appreciate your sharing with me what the Holy Spirit teaches you on this matter, that I may continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Master Yah'shuah the Messiah, even as we are admonished in 2 Peter 3:15-18.

 It is the considered view of some that 1 Corinthians 7, or at least some portions of it, is of spurious authorship and was not authored by the apostle Shaul (Paul). The rationale for this view is that the author propounds views that differ from the inspired scriptures. And as there can be no contradiction of the scriptures, these contradictory passages must of necessity be of spurious authorship, not being the work of the apostle Shaul.

What is the truth? Can we tell with certainty whether Shaul authored 1 Corinthians 7, or whether by another - spurious - author?

• 1 Corinthians 7: 1-9

I do not see any contradiction between the author's words and the scriptures. Verse 6 suggests that the author is giving his own personal opinion. Nevertheless, even his opinion expressed in verse 6 to 9 is in harmony with the scriptures. Did not Yah'shuah the Messiah utter similar words in the context of eunuchs in Mattityahu 19: 11-12? And did he not clearly state that this was something that not all could accept or cope with, but only those to whom it was given? In other words, did he not suggest that it had to be by way of a gift that one could handle or cope with making oneself a eunuch for the kingdom of heaven's sake? Implying that if one was not so gifted then one could not cope with making oneself a eunuch for the sake of the kingdom of heaven? Is not this in harmony with the comments in verses 6 to 9 of 1 Corinthians 7?

• 1 Corinthians 7: 10-16

It is the view of some that these verses advocate divorce. Is this what they really advocate?

Verse 10 emphatically restates Yahweh's command with respect to marriage and those married to one another living together: they are not to depart from one another. Nevertheless many married couples have disregarded this clear command of Yahweh.

Verse 11 addresses the non-ideal situation which actually exists in the world - what should happen to the parties to a marriage where the command to remain together has not been complied with. In other words, the author is not necessarily advocating that the parties to a marriage should separate, but is dealing with the situation once the separation has already occurred. In other words, the author is addressing a situation that is not ideal, but which nevertheless is far from rare in this world.

The author's view is that if either of the parties to the marriage fail to honour Yahweh's command that they not depart from the marriage, then to avoid compounding on an already bad situation the wife should avoid remarriage. For by remarrying such a one would be committing adultery as clearly stated by Yah'shuah the Messiah in Mattityahu 19: 1-10.

In fact, the author urges reconciliation between the two parties to the marriage. For by so reconciling they will make amends for the non-ideal separation state they are in. For once reconciled they will resume their marriage union in the manner it ought to be, and thereby make amends for the non-ideal separation situation they had just been in.

It appears that the author's comments are in harmony with Yah'shuah the Messiah’s words, for he does not appear to have been advocating separation or divorce in these comments of his. He also did not encourage remarriage of the wife, but urged reconciliation between the separated parties to the marriage.

In Mattityahu 19: 9 Yah'shuah made clear that those who divorce AND REMARRY do indeed commit adultery. In these verses in 1 Corinthians 7, the author is not advocating divorce and remarriage. Instead he is urging reunification and reconciliation. In other words, his words are in harmony with the teaching of Yah'shuah the Messiah, especially when it is remembered that he is addressing a non-ideal situation that is not uncommon in this world we are living in. For, despite Yahweh's command being that married people should not separate or divorce, the reality is that many do not obey this command and do indeed separate and divorce. The author of 1 Corinthians 7 is therefore urging a return to the ideal marriage condition of how married parties should be and remain together without separation or divorce. The author's words here are therefore in harmony with those of Yah'shuah the Messiah.

In verses 12 and 13 of 1 Corinthians 7 the author is just repeating the commandment that married parties should not divorce one another. He is stating that even in the case where the other marriage partner is not a believer one should still not divorce the other. In other words, he appears to be addressing an issue which some of his audience had in their minds. These in the audience wondered whether the command not to divorce was applicable even in the case where the marriage union was between a believer and a non-believer. They might have wondered that in such cases, as spiritual harmony between the two married parties was lacking, it might have been permissible for them to divorce the unbelieving party. But the author reiterated Yahweh's command, that divorce is not permitted, and even in the case where a believer is married to a non-believer, divorce was still not permissible. There wasn't and isn't one law for the believers and another for unbelievers. All were and are subject to the same law of Yahweh - married people should not separate and/or divorce.

Even though the author had not received a clear-cut command from Yahweh on this issue raised by his audience - for the author was simply responding to issues his audience had put to him as he states in 1 Corinthians 7: 1 - he nevertheless was putting to application Yahweh's law to the situation at hand. And his application of Yahweh's law to this specific situation appears to be quite in harmony with Yahweh's law. Therefore these verses do not contradict the scriptures but are in harmony with them.

In verse 15 the author addresses the situation whereby the unbelieving party to the marriage departs from the marriage. In such a case the believer has not violated Yahweh's law, for the believer, whether husband or wife, has not sought to depart from the marriage, but has remained faithful to it, even as the author urged believers to do just that a few verses before in verses 10 to 13. Nevertheless, when an unbelieving party to a marriage determines that one will not subject oneself to Yahweh's law on marriage and remaining faithful to one's marriage partner, and departs from the marriage, the believing party cannot be put in the wrong in this regard. For the believing party should not force his or her will on the unbelieving party. For Yahweh has given all of us free will, and each of us should choose whether or not we will conduct our lives in accordance with Yahweh's laws or not. Therefore, if the unbelieving party determines to break the marriage, the believing party is left with the option of attempting reconciliation with the unbelieving party, even as the author urged in verse 11. And if the unbeliever still refuses all efforts at reconciliation, then the believer must allow the unbeliever to go his or her own way.

It is my opinion that if the unbelieving deserting wife remarries or otherwise commits adultery against the believing husband, then the believing husband can exercise his concessionary right to divorce his unbelieving wife as permitted by Yah'shuah the Messiah in Mattityahu 19. And in this, all efforts at reconciliation should first have been attempted and exhausted before the exercise of this concessionary right. Once free from the union, validly free under the law of Yahweh, it appears to me that the believing husband is free to marry whomsoever he chooses in Yahweh, meaning an unmarried woman who also is a believer. (This is not to say that a believing husband is barred from marrying another wife even while his unbelieving wife is still united in marriage to him. But that is not the topic at issue in these verses, and therefore is not addressed here. For articles addressing the permissibility of believing men marrying more than one wife please refer to Does 1 Corinthians 7: 2 Exclude Polygyny?, Are Elders in the Assembly of Yahweh Prohibited From Having More Than One Wife?, Marriage, Adultery and Divorce and Was Polygyny Ever Intended?.) For just as a married person is bound to his or her partner during the life of his or her partner, being freed from this union upon the death of his or her partner, and thereby being free to marry another, so also the case applies to a man who validly divorces his wife under the law of Yahweh. In other words, if an unbelieving wife erroneously divorces a believing husband and remarries, thereby committing adultery against the believer, the believer, on election of his concessionary right of divorce, is freed from being bound to his then marriage partner, and once free can marry another - only that this other must also be a believing woman.

Therefore, in the above verses, I fail to perceive any contradiction between them and the scriptures. In fact, I do perceive harmony between them and the scriptures, for the author urges the application of Yahweh's law and living principles to the marriage situation.

• 1 Corinthians 7: 17-24

With respect to verse 19, the author's comments about circumcision being nothing, and uncircumcision being nothing, are valid in the context of salvation. For salvation is by the grace of Yahweh, through faith in Yah'shuah the Messiah, and is not by works - of which circumcision is. Salvation, justification, perfection, blamelessness, blessedness, etc. are all imputed to us by the grace of Yahweh, through faith in Yah'shuah the Messiah. There are no works we can do, including the works of circumcision and/or the Law of Moses, which will enable us to so obtain these divine attributes. Salvation, righteousness, perfection are not of works, but are imputed to us by the grace of Yahweh through faith in Yah'shuah the Messiah. Therefore, even in the author stating that circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, he is still in harmony with the scriptures, and does not contradict it.

The other verses are also scripturally harmonious, and I fail to perceive any contradiction between them and the scriptures.

• 1 Corinthians 7: 25-40

Again the author's words are quite clear and again they are scripturally harmonious.

And lest one misunderstand the author's words, one should note the context whereof he spoke. Verse 26 clearly prefaces his comments in light of the DISTRESS they were experiencing at the time. In other words, his comments that those single ought to remain so were confined to the context of distressing times just prior to the end of the age. They were not applicable to other times with different circumstances.

And even in the context whereof the author spoke, his words were still in harmony with the scriptures. I fail to perceive the contradictions that some purport exist between the author's words in 1 Corinthians 7 and the scriptures.

Having examined the matter above, it appears to me that no contradiction exists between the author's words in 1 Corinthians 7 and the rest of the scriptures. I use the phrase the rest of the scriptures for 1 Corinthians 7 is also part of the scriptures, and was authored by Shaul.

Those purporting the existence of contradictions between 1 Corinthians 7 and the rest of the scriptures clearly manifest a lack of understanding of either or both of 1 Corinthians 7 and the rest of the scriptures.

It appears to me that if one does not fully understand a particular portion of scripture, one should ask for understanding of that portion of scripture. It is wiser to do so, than to hastily conclude that a passage one does not understand must of necessity be of spurious origin. For if one believes that all scriptures are inspired by Yahweh (2 Timothy 3: 16), and these reach us through his Spirit, then for one to ascribe a spurious origin to Yahweh's words, one is doing no differently from ascribing the works of the Holy Spirit to Satan! Is not this perilously close to being equivalent to committing the unpardonable sin Yah'shuah the Messiah spoke of when the Jews ascribed his works, by the power of the Spirit of Yahweh, to those of Satan, as can clearly be seen from Mattityahu 12: 22-37?

In Mattityahu 12: 31-32 Yah'shuah the Messiah gave all of us a very severe warning: blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men! Whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven for so speaking, either in this age or in the age to come!

He continued on in verse 33 to state that a tree is known by its fruit. In verse 34 he showed that those who are evil speak not good things, for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. In verse 35 he showed us that good men out of their good heart bring forth good, but evil ones out of their evil hearts bring forth evil. In verse 36 he informed us that for EVERY idle word we speak we will account for it in the day of judgment, for, as he concluded in verse 37, by our words we will be justified, and by our words we will be condemned. It is therefore imperative that we be careful in whatever we utter.

It also appears to me that we should not be hasty to profess ourselves to be knowledgeable about matters we may not be so knowledgeable of. Or to profess ourselves to possess understanding in matters where our understanding is shallow at best.

In this regard the example of Yah'shuah’s encounter with the Pharisees in Yahchanan (John) 9: 35 to 41 is instructive. In verse 39 Yah'shuah stated that for judgment he came into the world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind. When the Pharisees in his company then asked him, in verse 40, whether they too were blind, he responded, in verse 41, by stating that if these Pharisees were blind they would have no sin, but as they asserted that they were perceptive and had understanding of the matters at issue, their sin therefore remained! In other words, if we profess ourselves to be knowledgeable and in possession of understanding, then we are fully responsible for all the consequences of our actions, and are not excused by any apparent ignorance on our part.

It is better to plead ignorance and be sufficiently meek and teachable and acquire true knowledge and understanding, than to loftily ascribe to oneself a position of great knowledge and deep understanding. For when one so ascribes to oneself such knowledge and understanding, such a one will be guilty and will not be excused from one’s guilt, when such a one's conduct is not fully in harmony with Yahweh's ways.

It also appears to me that we should not forget our scriptural responsibility with respect to the Scriptures as mentioned in the Scriptures. The scriptural injunctions in Devarim (Deuteronomy) 4: 2 and 12: 32 are clear: we should not add to or take away from Yahweh's words as contained in the Scriptures. Revelation 22: 18 and 19 also contain a similar warning, that we should not add to or take away from the words of Yahweh, under penalty of severe consequences with an everlasting effect!

Should one not fully understand portions of scripture, such as some of the writings of the apostle Shaul, one should not hastily and erroneously jump to the conclusion that some or all of those portions not fully understood must of necessity be of spurious origin, thereby removing or taking away from the Scriptures Yahweh's own words which he inspired with his own Spirit. For by so removing Yahweh's words from the Scriptures one is also removing oneself from Yahweh's household and bordering on blaspheming against the Holy Spirit - the unpardonable sin!

In conclusion we ought to remember the apostle Kefa’s (Peter's) words in 2 Kefa (Peter) 3: 14-18. Verse 14: Looking forward to the new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells, as mentioned in verse 13, we should be diligent to be found by our Saviour in peace, without spot and blameless. In verse 15 Kefa makes mention of the wisdom given to the apostle Shaul, and the writings in Shaul’s epistles. He acknowledged in verse 16 that some things in Shaul's epistles were hard to understand - which UNTAUGHT and UNSTABLE people TWIST TO THEIR OWN DESTRUCTION, as they do also the rest of the scriptures. Kefa here acknowledged that Shaul's epistles were indeed part of the scriptures! In verse 17 he warned us to avoid falling from our own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked. He finally encouraged us in verse 18 to GROW IN THE GRACE AND KNOWLEDGE of our Master and Saviour Yah'shuah the Messiah.

Having examined the issue above, it is my considered opinion that 1 Corinthians 7 was indeed authored by the apostle Shaul and was inspired by the Holy Spirit. It is part of the scriptures, and should not be tampered with, whether to add to it or to remove from it. As Shaul's writings do contain things difficult to understand, rather than remove from them what we do not understand, thereby violating one of Yahweh's commands, we should instead grow in the grace and knowledge of our Master and Saviour Yah'shuah the Messiah, as we are admonished by Kefa, and by so growing we become properly taught and stable, having a good and thorough knowledge and understanding of the scriptures.

Concluding with the Messiah’s words in Mattityahu 13: 52, every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.

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