1 Corinthians 7:29, commentary and pictures

The time is short, so those who have spouses are to live as though they had none, and likewise those who weep as though they wept not and those who rejoice as though they rejoiced not. This brevity means probation is brief and life uncertain, with the perils of the last days already upon the world and eternity directly before us. Married life is therefore to be held with self-renunciation and restraint, not making husband or wife the chief focus of thought nor hindering wholehearted devotion to God's work. The shortness calls for urgent, consecrated, energetic labor without delay to warn sinners, exalt truth, and give self wholly to the salvation of souls. It also requires watchful, self-denying living, binding about wants, economizing, doing present duty faithfully, and praying constantly to overcome through Christ.

Time Is Short

The declaration is that time is short, so that those who have wives are to be as though they had none, and likewise those who weep as though they wept not and those who rejoice as though they rejoiced not. It stands with the same testimony given by the apostles and by angels that time is very short, the night is far spent, the day is at hand, and Christ comes quickly. That time has continued longer than was expected does not make the word fail, because the promises and threatenings of God are conditional.

The shortness means probation is brief, life is uncertain, and no one knows when probation will close, while walking humbly before God enables a person to end labors with joy. The time is short because the perils of the last days are upon us, with coming trouble and afflictions and anguish and distress upon every soul. It is short amid increased satanic forces and fulfilled prophecy, which call for clear, faithful messengers, and amid stormy times near the end that require urgent action. It is short because many little children will be swept off by death before the end, which bears on the wisdom of having children now.

The verse marks the present as the preparation time for eternal life, with eternity before us, calling for striving to make sure work for eternity and doing quickly what must be done. Its brevity directs life and work toward eternity with accountability to God for time, words, and influence, so there is no time to lose. Plans for temporal needs must not displace preparation for eternity, but life is to be lived aware of mortality and that the consequence of sin is death.

Marriage in Short Time

In one sense and in some sense those who have spouses are to live as though they had none, because the time is short, and this is to shape how all believers live, including those who are married.
Married people are not to make one another the chief focus of thought or to demand exclusive sympathy and affection, for marriage does not excuse selfish attachment.
Instead personal relationships are to be held with self-renunciation and self-sacrifice, lived by Christlike principles in view of the passing world and the solemn day of God.

Those whom God calls to a special work, if they have wives, should be as though they had none, living with the same readiness and devotion to God's work as if unmarried.
They are to hold family ties in a way that does not keep them from work for God, and in missionary service this favors those free from needless distractions who give the work priority, while a devoted wife able to help can stand with her husband and contribute greatly.
This belongs to a solemn time so near the judgment, on the very borders of the eternal world, when trouble and afflictions are coming upon the world with anguish and distress upon every soul, so the called must be wide-awake and earnest, giving whole souls to warning the world and not veering from it by divorcing interests and hearts from it through accumulating domestic cares.

The call is to restrain family life and the bringing of children into the world so as to give self fully to God, as consistent people whose works correspond with faith.
Wisdom is to be used by anyone considering bringing children into the family, considering whether that choice fits the demands of God's cause and the use of physical, mental, and moral powers.
It is not wise to have children now, because the perils of the last days are upon us and many little children will be swept off by death before the end.
To center on family cares and to raise helpless children requiring constant time, care, and attention is serving tables, which displeases God and leaves workers in almost uselessness, whereas married men and women who can work for God and live as though free from family cares could be teaching the way of salvation to large numbers and bringing many sons and daughters to Christ, a soul-winning work that will bring great reward in the kingdom of God.

Now in the last days on the very borders of the eternal world, married men must live with restraint toward their wives and refuse indulgence of base passions.
The verse condemns defilement of the marriage bed and abuse of marriage privileges to gratify uncontrolled sensual desire under the garb of Christianity, which debases husband and wife beneath the brutes and destroys physical, moral, and religious health at the cost of health and religion and life itself.
Those who continue in such defiling sin in heart and life are defiled and will never be accounted worthy to have the pure robe of Christ's righteousness.
Because the time is short, parents must learn patience in the intelligent training of their children, keeping prayer in the home and instructing them line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little, watching over their souls as those who must give account, with the sacred responsibility to train them to meet in the kingdom of God and rejoice in their salvation.

Urgency for God's Work

The shortness of time calls for greater efficiency, deeper consecration, and urgent, faithful, energetic labor in the mission of Christ without delay, with essential work and whatever is to be done done quickly. The Lord's work must be done without delay because the time is short. The limited time for saving souls calls for laboring without ceasing for those still in sin, warning people of Christ's coming, and earnestly sharing truth with those who do not know how little time remains. There is little time for the work of sharing truth, so believers should use all their abilities to make its saving principles clear and awaken others to the urgency of the times. Whatever is not needed for necessary needs should therefore be given to God as a thank offering.

Believers are to serve as clear, faithful messengers for God while satanic forces increase and prophecy is fulfilled. The truth must be urgently exalted and proclaimed with certainty, with the trumpet giving a certain sound. This is to be done by wisely drawing deceived souls to the light without discouraging any soul, refusing to move blindly, and needing more of God's grace to be saved from Satan's snare. The verse calls for giving self wholly to the Saviour, following the leadings of His Spirit, devoting entire strength of body, soul, and spirit to the salvation of souls as co-workers with Christ, with self and all laid upon God's altar. Those bought with Christ's life-blood, including those serving in schools and sanitariums, are to give themselves wholly to God's service rather than live for self or worldly purposes. Not a moment is to be idled away but every moment rightly employed in working for the Master at all times, preparing the heart and working faithfully for one's own salvation and that of others, sanctifying those met in work and ordinary life by relying on Jesus for strength to follow His example. When all is dedicated to Him unreservedly, God works with human efforts and blesses and encourages with cheerfulness and happiness and a large measure of His Holy Spirit.

Every ability — including time, experience, influence, and every gift from God — should be used in God's service, in proclaiming the message of truth, and in a way that honors Him, sharpened by the nearness of the final message of mercy to the world. The work of advancing the cause and sending truth broadcast to the world must be done with urgency and at the very best advantage, on a broad basis and not in a small way, without stinting the means needed to do it in the most successful manner. Opportunities that can save time and effort should be used, since the time for giving the last gospel message to the world is short. The very short time calls for the Lord's work to be done quickly and faithfully, with humility, since God will not use the proud in His cause. Those who have consecrated soul, body, and spirit to God must do His advancing work faithfully and quickly and stay very humble, feeling a solemn obligation to work without selfish interest, use influence for what is right, and never by word or action oppose those advancing God's cause.

The short time for the last gospel message and its test of faith calls believers bearing a final warning to let conduct show true belief in the sacred truths professed and honor for God's law. Believers should live with urgency and practice self-denial and continued well-doing while opportunity lasts, using present opportunities faithfully to save money, do missionary work, and share the knowledge of God's word, with reward in due season when time is no longer. Advancing work, including the great call for publications, must be done faithfully, quickly, and very humbly. Efforts must be concentrated to one object with no place for the enemy in unbelief and selfishness, moving as fast as opening providence leads, extending missionary labor far more extensively than imagined, and strengthening the message by means such as a paper, a health institute, and a publishing house on the Pacific Coast, with enlarged faith and extended vision and influence exerted on the right side.

The statement that time is short does not mean schools, sanitariums, food stores, or churches should not be built. The remaining time makes wise investment of God's money and the establishment of needed institutions and memorials for God urgent, so they can support proclamation of the last message of mercy and missionary work in every city, with urgency and care not to make mistakes, including in decisions about where to spend money on needed buildings, since souls are precious and wickedness is increasing. With the end near and stormy times expected, it calls for urgent action in leaving cities, settling in the best locations, and quickly preparing workers through schools. Missionaries called by God must bring every available help into service at once, laboring urgently without waiting on personal preparation such as first studying the language, but preaching through an interpreter in order to reach hearts, gain the language by working, and keep up courage. Since time is short and ministers of these last days are few, they must throw all energies into the work instead of consuming time in much reading and study, spending less time over books and more time before God in secret prayer and sacred meditation for heavenly wisdom, strength, power, the holy unction, and close connection with God and holy angels, so that truth already understood shines out in clearness and harmonious beauty and preaching reaches hearts with tremendous, compelling power to draw every honest soul who loves truth.

Those laboring together in the Lord must not be discouraged but come into sacred nearness to the Lord and stand unitedly to do His will wherever the way opens. The shortness of time requires good courage in the Lord with no doubts harbored in the mind, even when means are needed everywhere for advancement of the work, and requires giving this message to the world under the influence and in the power of the Spirit of God.

Watchful Self-Denying Life

Because time is brief, every soul has daily, important duties from which none is excused, and present duty must be done now at any cost to self without hesitancy in the face of difficulties, for opportunities once lost never return and even a moment of delay brings danger. The short appointed working time means life in this world is not for pleasing self but for doing the will of the heavenly Father, choosing the way of best service to His cause with all selfishness put out of the heart so that it has no controlling power. The same urgency requires helping others quickly and diligently in missionary work, setting aside personal pleasure, using time well, and working while opportunity remains.

Keeping the nearness of the end and shortness of time ever before them calls for the missionary spirit that gives no rest day nor night to the careless and indolent in God's cause and work. It requires binding about wants, economizing from principle, living cheaply, spending nothing to gratify eye or taste, expending on self only what is absolutely necessary, selling possessions and cutting down real estate, settling debts so as to be just before being generous, and giving whatever is not needed for necessary needs to God as a thank offering to save souls for whom Christ died. This follows the example of Jesus Christ, who for our sakes became poor that through His poverty we might be made rich and who was bound about with poverty in His great mission in this world, and it brings great blessing and greater piety, with less gratifying of self and personal wants and greater valuing of means for the good it will do in carrying forward work that has cost much to establish missions and needs much more.

Shortness of time is a reason to do work well rather than to hurry or slight it, so that in house-building and all work done in the home, and in character-building, everything is done with painstaking effort, care and thoroughness, slighting nothing, that God may approve it. The short time creates urgent need for energy in Christian life and work, for spiritual awakening, solemn attention to truth, personal religion, repentance, faith and love, with constant watchfulness and unwearied prayer for the Holy Spirit's help and use of the help and light God has given. Through Christ's strength passions exposed by heaven's light are to be resisted and put to death, and others taught to overcome.

With remaining time brief, believers must stay on guard every moment lest Satan obtain victories over them, bracing up in Jesus Christ, praying and believing, staying watchful, relying on Jesus, and being of good courage. Because hours of probation are short at best, people should cling to the Mighty One, hold fast to promises that will never fail, bear their whole weight upon them and test them, live and work in God, put self out of sight, and let Jesus appear as chiefest among ten thousand and altogether lovely. Since time is short and laborers few, strength and healing should be sought from God to do the work He gives, each doing with fidelity the part God assigns, advancing in spiritual life, preparing for salvation, and walking carefully with God in the work that remains.

The short time for work calls for urgency and a serious, elevated manner of life and service, with preparation to move to the city founded and built by God. Since time is short and eternity near and souls precious, unwise contention must be avoided because it gives wrong impressions that balance souls in the wrong direction with results eternity will reveal, and words from God in counsel, advice and warnings must be carefully sought, listened to and understood in their true import rather than treated as strange things. The brevity of remaining time requires asking what one is in this world for, reaching out instead of centering, and blending together and uniting in labor in the Spirit of Christ so that difficulties disappear. It exposes Satan at work for the mastery in tempting some to desire to stand at the head, showing that selfishness and desire for supremacy will continue until unconverted ones lay aside preconceived opinions, are transformed and learn to labor unitedly, lest they remain clogs to the wheel, and it calls all to be so filled with God's grace and truth as to reveal the beauty of holiness in harmonious action, a burden felt intensely even in sleepless hours of the night.