in light of . . . Paul comments on Christian conduct in light of eschatological reality, referring to it as the "imminent distress," "impending crisis," (7:26), and in verse 29, as "the appointed time." Within this eschatological bracket, Paul urges a certain kind of existence that is one of non-attachment to people and things, for in his view "eschatology really determines the conduct of life." [1]

rhetoric - The basic idea is stated in 29a: "the appointed time has grown short." According to Fee the entire clause is clear: God has compressed the time of salvation so that from now on believers might have a totally new perspective as to their relationship with the world. The various examples which follow are expressed in the strongest form of dialectical rhetoric-"as if." [2]

the learning curve? - Paul’s list in 7:29-31 is illustrative of the sorts of matters that are not ultimate and should not be confused as such: marriage (29), mourning and rejoicing (30), purchasing/owning (30), and a sweeping category that functions like "et cetera." "When we use a disproportionate amount of the world’s resources, we should have questions of conscience. All of us ‘use the world’ . . . and doing so raises not only the questions of proper stewardship but also the fitting concern not to be entrapped by the world’s values. [3]

[4] Singleness has become a viable option for increasing numbers of college and career-minded people. What would you see as the advantages of the single life?

What attachments/ activities / relationships have you noticed that rob people of vital, active living?

If there was one thing that came close to obtruding in your own perspective of life-and death-what would that be?

block #1 - Recall a time when you were a guest at someone’s home . . . Even with first-rate hospitality by our host, even with a comfortable bed-it is not ours. The recreational area can be entertaining; but we’re not quite the same as at home for it isn’t ours. Such is the attitude that Paul describes for the Corinthians.

block #2 - Time is short and we are nearing the end. No matter how one’s eschatology pans out, time slips by and we become aware of our own end. If we are on a mission, then losing sight of the immediacy of our time and life, can keep us from completing what God has called us to accomplish in the given time.

block #3 - recall the five areas of human life that should be affected by our own sense of The End-our own life’s end. Suggest ways that we can fully be engaged in the world of these five areas without being attached. [5]

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[1] Hans Conzelmann, Hermeneia: 1 Corinthians (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1975), page 133.
[2] Gordon Fee, First Epistle to the Corinthians (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1987) p. 340.
[3] New Interpreter’s Bible X (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2002), page 888.
[4] Serendipity Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing Co., 1998), page 354.
[5] Joseph Byrd in The Abingdon Preaching Annual 2003 ed. (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2002), pp. 54-56.