Monthly Archive for September, 2002

1 Corinthians 7:36-40

Published on September 30, 2002 in 1 Corinthians. 0 Comments
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1 Corinthians 7:36 But if any man thinks he is behaving improperly toward his virgin, if she is past the flower of youth, and thus it must be, let him do what he wishes. He does not sin; let them marry. 37Nevertheless he who stands steadfast in his heart, having no necessity, but has power over his own will, and has so determined in his heart that he will keep his virgin, does well. 38So then he who gives her in marriage does well, but he who does not give her in marriage does better. 39 A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. 40But she is happier if she remains as she is, according to my judgment – and I think I also have the Spirit of God.


Paul now turns toward two specific classifications of single people: (1) a father dedicating his daughter to singleness so she could serve the Lord more fully but against her desire and (2) widows.

36 But if any man thinks he is behaving improperly toward his virgin, if she is past the flower of youth, and thus it must be, let him do what he wishes. He does not sin; let them marry.

A father who dedicated his daughter to singleness did not sin by letting her marry. The “flower of youth” of the young woman is the passing bloom of her marrying age. “Let them marry” refers to the daughter and her suitor. “Behaving improperly” has to do with the father not making arrangement for her marriage.

37Nevertheless he who stands steadfast in his heart, having no necessity, but has power over his own will, and has so determined in his heart that he will keep his virgin, does well.

The father who maintains his commitment to keep his daughter single is under no constraint by the daughter to change his mind. Steadfastness in the father’s mind encourages the daughter to maintain her steadfastness as well. 

38So then he who gives her in marriage does well, but he who does not give her in marriage does better.

This is not an issue between right and wrong but between what is good and what is better, especially in times of distress. There is no hard and fast rule on these matters. Each case must be judged on its own merits.

39 A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.

Paul now turns to the subject of remarriage of widows. Marriage is permanent as long as both partners are alive. Death gives liberty to remarry. However, Christians are to marry only Christians.

40But she is happier if she remains as she is, according to my judgment

Under the present distress, it is better for the widow not to marry. She will be more blessed in this situation. The word “happier” is not correctly translated.

—and I think I also have the Spirit of God.

Paul has the mind of the Spirit of God on the above point, as well as his personal judgment.


PRINCIPLE: The gift of singleness is not necessarily permanent.


APPLICATION: Some singles live in limbo. They waste their lives waiting for the “right” person. Should the right person come into their lives, they have not developed their character or prepared themselves to be all that they can be. Should no person come into their lives, they wasted the valuable commodity of being single. There is a high calling in singleness.

1 Corinthians 7:32-35

Published on September 29, 2002 in 1 Corinthians. 0 Comments
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1 Corinthians 7:32 But I want you to be without care. He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord – how he may please the Lord. 33But he who is married cares about the things of the world – how he may please his wife. 34 There is a difference between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. 35And this I say for your own profit, not that I may put a leash on you, but for what is proper, and that you may serve the Lord without distraction.


32 But I want you to be without care.

It is Paul’s aim that believers have freedom from care when the pressures of life come, so that is why he recommends that people stay single. Marriage takes a lot of time and requires many mundane tasks. Division of concern is just a fact of marriage.

He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord – how he may please the Lord.

Single people are able to give more time to the Lord and exclusively give themselves to the Lord because they have fewer distractions in life. They are undivided in their devotion to the Lord.

33But he who is married cares about the things of the world – how he may please his wife.

Marriage necessitates devotion to our mates. Married people must meet the daily demands of life. Their concerns are more divided about those issues than the single person.

34 There is a difference between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit.

Essential to a good marriage is protracted care of one another.

But she who is married cares about the things of the world – how she may please her husband.

Marriage of necessity involves giving significant care for one another. It necessitates additional obligations.

35And this I say for your own profit, not that I may put a leash on you, but for what is proper,

Marriage offers diversions from complete devotion to the Lord, while singleness has fewer distractions. Paul does not make this point to put a leash on the Corinthians about getting married but to establish the conditions for fully serving the Lord.

and that you may serve the Lord without distraction.

The Devil will throw a monkey wrench into the works every chance he can. If we allow it, marriage can become a distraction. This does not imply that people should neglect their mates, for that would be a disaster on the other end. Marriage takes time and effort; that is the point of this passage and the reason singles can serve the Lord to a higher degree. Then again, any spouse wholly devoted to the state of marriage, who is not giving consideration to serving the Lord, distorts the biblical intent for marriage.


PRINCIPLE: Single people should view their singleness as a special opportunity to serve the Lord.


APPLICATION: There are fewer demands on the time and money of a single person. Singles should use their freedom to serve the Lord. Martha’s distraction from sitting at the feet of Jesus came from her concern about making a meal.

1 Corinthians 7:29-31

Published on September 28, 2002 in 1 Corinthians. 0 Comments
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1 Corinthians 7: 29But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none, 30those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess, 31and those who use this world as not misusing it. For the form of this world is passing away.


Paul addresses five contingencies of Christians living under distress:

  1. Those married
  2. Those in sorrow
  3. Those in joy
  4. Business people
  5. Those using the world

1 Corinthians 7: 29But this I say, brethren, the time is short,

The Greek word “time” refers to a fixed period, an appointed time. That appointed time is short (literally, contracted). Life is short as a vapor (James 4:14; 1 Peter 1:24) and this is especially true in times of duress. Marriage can encroach on time we have for the Lord. Every day we live our allotted time on earth is shortened.

So that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none,

In times of duress, it is better for husbands to live as if they do not have wives. In a time of crisis, husbands and wives must focus on the Lord. Marriage can be a distraction in times of trouble. Distraction is the test. Pain may be a distraction; joy may be a distraction. Someone said, “Two can live as cheaply as one.” Yes, that is true, but they can live only half as long! The believer is to transcend outward circumstance or even relationships. Thus, the marriage state is bound to time and is transient.

30those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice,

Also, in times of trouble, believers must put their emotions into perspective and poise. Paul’s point is not that we should be emotionless or indifferent to emotions but that we should orient our thinking with a sense of toughness. A mature Christian does not unravel under duress. The point is that even legitimate areas may hinder our Christian life under certain circumstances. We need to beware that even legitimate functions of life do not hinder our use of time. Never let the good overtake the best.

Those who buy as though they did not possess,

The business world is affected by troublous times. Business must be put in abeyance in a spiritual crisis. Our business is a trust and not a personal property. We are stewards of God’s possessions. Of what use is a new suit in a casket?

31and those who use this world as not misusing it.

There are times when we cannot take full advantage of normal functions in the world. God expects us to use the world but not abuse it. God does not want us to become hermits or religious recluses. The believer is in the world but not of the world. The ship should be in the sea but not the sea in the ship. The Christian should take advantage of the world but not let the world take advantage of the believer. We march to a different drum beat. The word “misusing” means to overuse, use to excess. We can overuse business or marriage or any other field of life in a crisis.

For the form of this world is passing away.

The word “form” means fashion, manner of life, mode of life. The outward appearance of the world is passing away. The fashion of this world is not permanent but is transient and temporary. Marriage is not permanent. There is more to life than purchasing a beautiful house or retirement.


PRINCIPLE: When in crisis, we need a radical perspective about proper priorities in life.


APPLICATION: None of the areas of life Paul talks about in this passage is intrinsically bad, but they must be addressed differently in special circumstances. Pressure affects all human relations. There are circumstances in which our view of time changes radically. In these periods we need a new perspective whereby normal aspects of life are put into a different hierarchy. Pleasing the Lord becomes all consuming. We are more concerned about making a life than making a living. The issue is not to neglect daily responsibilities of life but to put those issues in proper focus. We need to learn to hold what we have loosely.

1 John 2: 17And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

Paul said, “This one thing I do.” That is concentration of purpose formed out of eternal perspective. The church persecuted is the church pure, and the church popular is the church polluted.

1 Corinthians 7:25-28

Published on September 27, 2002 in 1 Corinthians. 0 Comments
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1 Corinthians 7 25 Now concerning virgins: I have no commandment from the Lord; yet I give judgment as one whom the Lord in His mercy has made trustworthy. 26I suppose therefore that this is good because of the present distress – that it is good for a man to remain as he is: 27Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife. 28But even if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Nevertheless such will have trouble in the flesh, but I would spare you.


Now concerning virgins: I have no commandment from the Lord;

Paul now transitions to a discussion on singles – virgins who had not experienced sex. The Lord did not discuss this topic while on earth so Paul had no direct revelation from the Lord in His days on earth. God revealed the New Testament progressively and thus did not reveal everything up front.

yet I give judgment as one whom the Lord in His mercy has made trustworthy.

God trusted Paul with singleness and gave him mercy to live as a single person and write the Word of God about singleness. The Lord has confidence (“trustworthy”) in Paul to write on this subject as an author of the New Testament.

26I suppose therefore that this is good because of the present distress – that it is good for a man to remain as he is:

Singleness is better than marriage when Christians face duress. There was an attack on Christianity at the time of the writing of First Corinthians. Many Christians had been martyred, imprisoned, and even killed. Nero began his sadistic persecution of Christians ten years after First Corinthians was written. Persecution is more difficult for married people than single people.

27Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife.

Although it is better to be single under duress, it does not justify divorce, because marriage is a life commitment. However, if a person is single during duress then it is better to remain single. Stability is the name of the game in times of upheaval.

28But even if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned.

Paul further qualifies the issue of singleness in times of duress that it is not wrong to marry if they must. The issue is one of expediency and not of sin.

Nevertheless such will have trouble in the flesh, but I would spare you.

Paul warns about the reality of marriage if singles marry in times of pressure; it will not make things easier because marriage brings “trouble in the flesh” under duress. People will have to make marital adjustments in times of trouble.

The phrase “but I spare you” shows Paul’s concern about singles marrying under a time of duress; he wanted to spare them from difficulties of marriage. There are marital adjustment issues, children to consider, and the possibility of losing a job in times of pressure.


PRINCIPLE: It is not good to marry in times of distress.


APPLICATION: It is not a good time to change ships when high seas rage. As a general principle, it is better to keep the status quo than to make a change when in trouble. This is especially true for a new marriage.

There are people in every congregation that feel it is their calling to play match-maker. It is not abnormal for people to remain single as Christians. It is important to take one’s time moving towards the altar. There are definite advantages to being single. The grass always looks greener on the other side the fence.

1 Corinthians 7:21-24

Published on September 26, 2002 in 1 Corinthians. 0 Comments
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1 Corinthians 7: 21Were you called while a slave? Do not be concerned about it; but if you can be made free, rather use it. 22For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ’s slave. 23You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. 24Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called.


This segment (7:21-24) continues the argument of the preceding verses (17-20), in which Paul illustrated staying in our station with the example of a Jew not changing his bodily marks (in 18-20). Now he turns to the example of a slave remaining where he has been placed.

21Were you called while a slave? Do not be concerned about it;

Paul introduces the second illustration, that of slaves staying in the context in which they became Christians. Whether free or slave, we are to serve the Lord. This is no sanction of slavery, no indication that slavery is a good situation. However, if a person must be a slave, he should make the best of it by resting in God’s providence. It is possible to serve the Lord even in that sad state of affairs. A slave can serve the Lord through slavery.

but if you can be made free, rather use it.

If the slave has the option of emancipation from slavery, he should “use it.” However, God can use the slave in slavery or in freedom. It makes no difference. Our relationship to God, not our social situation, is what defines us.

The whole book of Philemon pivots around a runaway slave called Onesimus, whom Paul led to Christ. Philemon, the master of Onesimus, was also a believer. Paul appealed to Philemon to let Onesimus serve with him in the gospel. Paul wanted Onesimus to serve the Lord in slavery!

22For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ’s slave.

Every Christian slave is the Lord’s freedman. Freedom or slavery is not the issue; the issue is rather that the Lord owns us and that we are His slaves. The Lord owns us because we “were bought at a price.” Our identity in Christ does not rest on our social situation.

23You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.

Jesus bought the believer’s spiritual freedom. That freedom was paid by an enormous price – the death of Christ. This is the believer’s emancipation from sin. That is why Christians are not to “become slaves of men.”

24Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called.

For the third time, Paul makes the point that a believer should stay in the situation in which he became a Christian. This situation is a “called” situation. This verse is the same as verse twenty, with the addition of the words “with God.” God’s presence gives character to all that we are and do.


PRINCIPLE:  God calls believers into freedom no matter the circumstance in which they find themselves.


APPLICATION: Spiritual freedom makes any person independent from his circumstance. It is perspective that matters; our outward state matters little in comparison to our spiritual status. Biblical perspective places us above circumstance. Slavery to a situation cannot keep us from inner liberty. The believer can transcend difficult circumstances by accepting God’s sovereignty in the situation. Circumstance is not the overriding issue, but our orientation to God’s will is. Your circumstance may be a difficult marriage that you cannot change, but to accept that as God’s design for you will help you conquer the problem. It is not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog that counts. A dynamic Christian is no slave and a sinful person is never free. Wherever God puts us, we glorify God there.

Jeremiah 29: 11For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

1 Corinthians 7:17-20

Published on September 25, 2002 in 1 Corinthians. 0 Comments
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1 Corinthians 7:17But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. And so I ordain in all the churches. 18Was anyone called while circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? Let him not be circumcised. 19Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters. 20Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called.


Paul now turns to illustrations of keeping stability in marriage if at all possible.

17But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk.

This verse qualifies the right of divorce discussed in verse fifteen. Believers are to remain in the marital situation in which God previously put them before salvation. (Obviously if this includes immorality, the Christian should leave or change the situation.) The Christian is to live his life in God’s appointed place. Believers are to “walk” or continue in a pattern established before becoming Christians – “Stay in your socioeconomic status.” God calls us to live the Christian life in a social context. 

And so I ordain in all the churches.

The principle of staying in the context where a person becomes a Christian is not true only for the Corinthian church but for all churches. There were no exceptions to this principle. God wants believers in all kinds of situations so they can share their faith. Regeneration, not reformation, is the way to reach people.

18Was anyone called while circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? Let him not be circumcised.

Paul illustrates the principle of saying in the context where one came to Christ by noting the difference between Jew and Gentile. A Jewish Christian should not try to become like a Gentile. A person does not have to change bodily marks to live the Christian life. Circumcision was the sign of being a Jew. Salvation does not change our nationality or physical situation. A ritual adds nothing to the dynamics of the Christian life.

19Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters.

Circumcision was a mark indicating one was a Jew. Circumcision is nothing in relation to God because God is not a God of form but reality. Circumcision neither makes a person a Christian nor has any relation to the Christian life. “Keeping the commandments of God” is fulfilling the will of God. The word “keep” means to guard the will of God. The will of God is vital in God’s economy, so we need to guard it. The word “commandments” means behests, instructions, charge, precepts. These are the principles whereby we live the Christian life.

Galatians 6: 15For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.

20Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called.

Paul again emphasizes the principle of staying in the situation where one became a Christian. The “same calling” is the station where one became a Christian. The believer is to identify his or her God-assigned station in life and live in it.


PRINCIPLE:  God calls each believer to bloom where He plants us in a particular and special place.


APPLICATION:  God assigns each person a place in life. Conversion to Christ need not mean a change in our social setting. Our circumstance is no accident because God sovereignly places us in our situation. God is able to meet us where we are. No matter what the unbeliever decides to do, the believer is to keep to his calling. This may include the adverse circumstance of staying married to a non-Christian. The idea is to be a Christian where you are. That is the best place to share our faith. God can transcend our social setting.

Discontent with one’s situation is lack of trust in God’s divine design for us. Some want to change their marital status because they are miserable in their marriage. The principle of this passage is that a believer should willingly accept his God-appointed station in life and live that life before the Lord.

1 Corinthians 7:16

Published on September 24, 2002 in 1 Corinthians. 0 Comments
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1 Corinthians 7:16 For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?


The second and very important reason for not divorcing a non-Christian mate is that the spouse might come to Christ through remaining married.

For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband?

If the Christian wife stays married to her non-Christian husband, her husband may become a Christian. However, it may turn out that he is irreconcilable to the marriage and wants a divorce. In that case, she cannot demand that the unbeliever remain married.

Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?

Divorce makes the possibility of leading one’s wife to the Lord very difficult. If the unbelieving wife wants to stay in the marriage, the husband should remain married to influence her for Christ.


PRINCIPLE: People come to Christ through human agency.


APPLICATION:  Ruth, the unbelieving Moabite, became a believer because of her relationship to her husband and especially to her mother-in-law. We win close family members not by pushing church but by living the Christian life with integrity. God uses the instrument of family members to reach their non-Christian family members for Christ. God’s plan of salvation is to use believers to reach people on earth. God does not send a messenger from glory to win them. Believers cannot do this without the convicting work of the Holy Spirit, for the subject of saving a soul is ultimately God’s.

Ro 11: 14 …if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them.

1 Co 9: 22 …to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

Jude 22And on some have compassion, making a distinction; 23but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.

1 Peter 3: 1Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, 2when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear.

1 Corinthians 7:15

Published on September 23, 2002 in 1 Corinthians. 0 Comments
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1 Corinthians 7:15 But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace.


But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart;

Paul now turns to a condition where the non-Christian divorces the Christian. The believer in this case has no control over the consequence. There is nothing in this case that the believer can do to change the situation. Paul places the responsibility for leaving the marriage on the obstinate unbeliever. Obviously, unbelievers are not bound by biblical norms. This passage is silent on the believer leaving the marriage.

a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases.

There are three reasons for which God sanctions divorce: (1) death, (2) immorality (Mt 19:9), and (3) desertion by the mate. Paul deals with desertion here – “if the unbeliever departs, let him depart.”

The phrase “is not under bondage” means that the believer is free to remarry. The perfect tense in the Greek (the action was completed in the past with the results going on into the future) indicates permanent freedom for the believer to remarry. This reaches back to the day the unbeliever left the marriage. Scripture always indicates that when divorce occurs the believer is free to remarry, so not “under bondage” means to be set free to marry again.

But God has called us to peace.

Although God allows divorce and remarriage, He calls the partners to a peaceful relationship. It is better to remain married to a non-believer than to divorce the non-Christian against his or her will.


PRINCIPLE: Christians are free to remarry if their non-believing spouse divorces them.


APPLICATION:  Marriage is a mutual, not a unilateral, relationship. It is God’s design for marriage that, under whatever conditions partners find themselves, they are to live in a peaceful relationship. There is no place for bickering, retaliation, and hostility in any marriage.

Romans 12: 18If it is possible (and it is not always possible), as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.

Desertion is like adultery because both disrupt the marriage tie. The essence of marriage is union but adultery and desertion breaks that union. If desertion is final, the marriage de facto dissolves and the believer is free to remarry.

1 Corinthians 7:14

Published on September 22, 2002 in 1 Corinthians. 0 Comments
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1 Corinthians 7:14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.


For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband;

Continuing his argument against divorcing a non-believing spouse, Paul argues that staying with the unbelieving partner “sanctifies” that partner. The word “sanctify” simply means set apart. By marrying a Christian, the non-Christian and their family have a set-apart or special exposure to the Christian life and the possibility of becoming a Christian. There is a blessing by being married to a believer. There is also a great opportunity for the children to come to Christ.

otherwise your children would be unclean,

If there was a divorce and the children went with the unbelieving partner, then they would not have exposure to the Christian or the gospel. This phrase does not refer to baptism of babies but to an opportunity for children to hear the gospel message if they have at least one parent who knows Christ. These children are in a place of privilege. The word “unclean” carries the idea that children of non-Christians will be defiled by not being exposed to the gospel.

but now they are holy.

Remaining married to a non-Christian allows the children to be set apart (“holy”) unto an exposure to the gospel and the Christian life. They are not made morally holy but are set apart to an opportunity to be exposed to Christianity.


PRINCIPLE: A new dynamic works in the life of a non-Christian married to a Christian.


APPLICATION: Far from the idea that the Christian married to a non-Christian will be defiled, the non-Christian has a great opportunity to become a Christian. The Christian imbues the non-Christian with the fragrance of Christ (2 Co 2:15). Also, children of mixed marriages have much greater opportunity to come to Christ if the Christian remains with the non-Christian. Timothy came to Christ even though his father was not a Christian. His believing mother influenced him to come to Christ.

1 Corinthians 7:12-13

Published on September 21, 2002 in 1 Corinthians. 0 Comments
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1 Corinthians 7:12 But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. 13And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him.


12 But to the rest I, not the Lord, say:

Now Paul turns to the subject of Christians married to non-Christians (7:12-14). The “rest” refers to Christians married to non-Christians. Corinthian believers wanted to know whether a Christian being married to a non-Christian changed the nature of marriage. Were they as members of the body of Christ to remain married to non-believers? This was a sincere question by the Corinthians seeking a proper understanding of the Christian life. Marriage to an unbeliever does not defile the believer.

The phrase “not the Lord” does not deny inspiration of Scripture but only indicates that the Lord did not speak to this issue while He was on earth. Jesus never gave a total exposition on divorce while He lived on earth.

If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her.

Paul argues that marriage to a non-believer does not change the nature of marriage so, when people become Christians, they are to remain married. If the non-believer wants to remain married, then the believer should remain married.

13And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him.

In both cases, whether the believer is the husband or the wife, continuance in marriage is dependent upon the willingness of the non-Christian to continue the marriage. Christians should not divorce against the will of the unbeliever.


PRINCIPLE:  As a general principle, a Christian is not to divorce the unbelieving partner.


APPLICATION:  An unequal yoke to a non-believer can be frustrating but it is not grounds for divorce. The believer is not to take the initiative in divorcing the unbeliever.

1 Peter 3: 1Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, 2when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear.