Not I, But the Lord

Bruce Ware, my theology professor during IBS, resolved an issue for me in 1 Corinthians 7. In this chapter Paul seems to differentiate between what God says (not I, but the Lord) and what his opinion is (I, not the Lord), presenting a difficulty if Paul is writing authoritatively as an Apostle. What is the status of an Apostle's opinion? Bruce Ware points out, however, that Paul is not contrasting the will of the Lord with just friendly advice. Instead, when he says "not I, but the Lord" he is referencing something that Jesus said during His earthly ministry, and when he says "I, not the Lord" he is passing on authoritative instructions that God is relaying through one of His Apostles. It seems so obvious now, I wonder that I didn't understand it before. Very helpful, no?