I have a question regarding a couple scriptures that seem to imply that they are not God-breathed. For instance, "To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord)" (1 Corinthians 7:12). Is this God-breathed? -- Jonathan K. (Research Triangle Park, North Carolina)
Paul says in 1 Cor 7:12 that certain instructions are from him, not from God. How does this fit in with the entire Bible being God-breathed? -- Anon.
In 1 Corinthians 7, which is a commentary on Matthew 19, Paul reminds the Corinthians what Jesus had already revealed on the subject of marriage ("not I, but the Lord"). Yet Jesus never gave direct, specific advice on "mixed marriages," marriages between a Christian and a non-Christian. That's why he says "I, not the Lord." Paul is certainly not denying his own inspiration as an apostle!
"I, not the Lord" does not mean Paul doubts his inspiration. (Just see the final verse of 1 Corinthians 7!) It means, in effect, "I am speaking about an issue the Lord did not cover." Similarly, "Not I, but the Lord" isn't meant to distinguish between levels of inspiration or authority, but simply to remind the reader that on covenant marriages the Lord had already spoken.
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