\u201cI think that in view of the present distress it is good for a person to remain as he is<\/em>\u201d (I Corinthians 7:26).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Christians faced struggles and persecutions peculiar to their profession as Christians. Paul was dealing with a situation in which there was a \u201cpresent distress.\u201d We don\u2019t know exactly what this crisis was. It could have been some kind of tribulation, persecution, or perhaps a famine or something else. Whatever it was exactly, Paul advised that it would be better under those circumstances not to marry.<\/p>\n This is not altogether unknown to us. We tell people that if they are sick, they should stay home. If they are \u201cshut-in,\u201d we do not expect them to meet like normal. If they are in the hospital, no one thinks they are sinning if they cannot meet. We don\u2019t tell the sick that they need to come to services and, if they don\u2019t, they aren\u2019t trusting God enough. These are personal distresses, and people need to use their judgment about what to do. This is not like altering services because I have a ball game to attend.<\/p>\n A present distress requires that judgments be made based upon that particular crisis. Paul advised against marriage, but said it was his judgment and there was no sin involved if someone married anyway. For us, judgments are being made about how much and how often our contact should be. Some will disagree, but here is a critical point: these judgment calls under a present distress are not about changing God\u2019s plans, overturning Scripture, disobeying the Lord\u2019s command to assemble, showing a lack of faith, and so on. Godly people are trying to navigate their way through a storm for which they have little to no precedent. This is temporary. It will pass. The last thing brethren need to be doing right now is calling their brethren\u2019s faith into question because they are making judgments based upon a present distress. Even if you personally don\u2019t think this is a bid deal, others do, and we need to help alleviate fear and stress by showing mercy.<\/p>\n Paul advised against marriage because of a present distress. Imagine brethren telling Paul that he was explicitly denying the Lord\u2019s plans for marriage. Imagine Paul being charged with trying to change God\u2019s will or calling into question his faith over this. Paul should have just ignored that present distress and told them not to make any adjustments whatsoever. Who will tell Paul?<\/p>\n It may be that we find ourselves having to adjust to a new normal. It will take a little time to figure it out and make the needed adjustments. Elders and churches have difficult decisions ahead of them. While these decisions and adjustments are being made, we need to avoid vilifying one another. Love is patient and kind.<\/p>\n Many of these matters in our present distress are going to center around how we treat one another. How will we treat our elderly? How will we show love to one another when we ourselves may get sick? How will we serve the needs of those who are ill? How can we build up one another during a time when we cannot be together the way we normally are? How will we show mercy and compassion if we will feel \u201cjust fine\u201d but might put others at risk if we are not careful? How will we respect the way others feel, regardless of how we might feel?<\/p>\n If ever there is a time to show love, respect, and mercy, now is it. Pray for each other. Build up one another. Perhaps we may find that a time like this can help us to refocus, to draw closer both to God and each other. Use the time well.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Doy Moyer \u201cI think that in view of the present distress it is good for a person to remain as he is\u201d (I Corinthians 7:26). Christians faced struggles and persecutions peculiar to their profession as Christians. Paul was dealing with a situation in which there was a \u201cpresent distress.\u201d We don\u2019t know exactly what…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[188],"class_list":["post-20941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-trials"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":21315,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-the-lords-supper-be-taken-by-yourself\/","url_meta":{"origin":20941,"position":0},"title":"Can the Lord’s Supper be taken by yourself?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 7, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello, I have a question: Since many church services are canceled due to COVID\u201019, I\u2019ve been thinking about a relevant question: When church services are canceled, can a Christian partake of the Lord\u2019s Supper by himself? My answer has been \u201cNo\u201d because we \u201ccome together\u201d to do it (1\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":37727,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-greater-progress-of-the-gospel\/","url_meta":{"origin":20941,"position":1},"title":"The Greater Progress of the Gospel","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 8, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer One of the highlights of Paul's attitude is that he was always more concerned for the spread of the gospel than for his own personal agenda or safety. He was willing to die for the Lord if it meant that the gospel would be proclaimed and more\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Paul-in-Prison-300x207.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":32732,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/are-we-approaching-the-end-times\/","url_meta":{"origin":20941,"position":2},"title":"Are we approaching the end times?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 29, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: II Tim 3:1-4; Matthew 24:12; I Corinthians 7:26-27. Are we approaching the end times? Between now and then, can we expect things to get worse and not better? e.g. sins like greed, immorality, suffering, etc. Is it better and safer to be unmarried and childless in current times if\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":48001,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-our-faith-known\/","url_meta":{"origin":20941,"position":3},"title":"Is Our Faith Known?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 28, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"by Dennis Stackhouse As the apostle Paul was beginning his letter to the Christians at Colossae, he made this statement in Colossians 1:3-4:\u00a0\"We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":41822,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-shouldnt-only-in-the-lord-mean-only-marry-a-christian\/","url_meta":{"origin":20941,"position":4},"title":"Why shouldn’t “only in the Lord” mean only marry a Christian?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 11, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I want to thank you for the lesson Because of the Present Distress. My concern is that of the widow's decision in I Corinthians 7:39-40. If Paul was not categorical about the term \"only in the Lord\" as to marrying only a Christian, contrasting your earlier lesson on marriage\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":19669,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-a-church-pay-school-fees-as-an-act-of-benevolence-if-the-student-has-no-family\/","url_meta":{"origin":20941,"position":5},"title":"Can a church pay school fees as an act of benevolence if the student has no family?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 8, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Please, brother, can a church pay school fees as an act of benevolence if the student has no family? 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A \u201cdistress\u201d here is something that creates a great hardship or \u201csevere pressure\u201d (Thiselton). There certainly can be distresses in time that can cause us temporarily to alter our normal habits. We are in such a time now. It is not exactly the circumstances Paul was dealing with, but surely we can see some application. While this virus is not peculiar to Christians, it does affect Christians because our practices involve close personal and social interaction. Christians are going to want to be together. Yet here we are in our own present distress that causes us to change some habits.<\/p>\n