Sunday Sermons
The Christian and Being Single
1 Corinthians
7:25-35
7:25 “Now concerning virgins”: “The opening words of this phrase suggest that this was a specific question raised in the Corinthian's letter” (F.F. Bruce p. 73). Compare with 7:1; 8:1. In the context we will find advice given to both unmarried men (7:26-28a) and women (7:28,34,36-37). It seems that some in Corinth were struggling with a question, “should an engaged young woman or man, go ahead and follow through with the marriage?” “I have no command of the Lord”: “That is, no expressed precept” (Alford p. 1016). “Paul is quick to let us know what God commands and what He doesn't. I wish preachers in general were that quick” (McGuiggan p. 112). “Now he repeats that the Lord did not address this concern of their's either. But more than that seems to be intended here; the issue itself lies in the category of concerns for which there are no commands of any kind, just advice or judgments” (Fee p. 328). “But I give an opinion as one who by the mercy of the Lord is trustworthy”:“And it is that of a man who, through the Lord's mercy, is deserving of your confidence” (Mon). Please note that this is advice that one could lawfully follow or not follow (7:28). Paul refused to allow his well-reasoned advice to rise to the level of a command. Love and concern are Paul's motives for giving this advice. He gives this advice from the motive of, “what would be the best for them” (7:35). In addition, God allows this advice to be given, inferring that God knows that this advice may be helpful for some members in Corinth.
7:26 “I think then that this is good”: “Paul proceeds to express therefore the previously mentioned judgment, and calls it his opinion, not because he is uncertain, but simply because it is not a command, but advice” (Robertson p. 131). “In view of the present distress”: The following advice was given to Christians in a particular situation. Under different circumstances, Paul will encourage people to marry (1 Timothy 5:14). The term “present” indicates that the distress was far more than “impending” but was already upon them. We are not told what this distress was, but it appears to be some type of persecution against Christians in this part of the world. When Paul wrote this letter, he was suffering persecution in Ephesus (15:32/16:8; 4:9-13). Many commentators view the "present distress" as the period of time before the Second Coming of Christ. I like what McGuiggan says here, “Tut, tut. I hardly think that Paul would contradict what he wrote in 2 Thessalonians 2:1ff (not to mention what he wrote in 1 Thess. 5:1-3 and 2 Thess. 3:6-15). Nor do I think that Paul would view the return of Christ as a ‘distress’ of any kind” (p. 113). Paul did not view the Second Coming as distressful rather he welcomed it (1 Corinthians 16:22 “O our Lord come!”, which is the meaning of the term Maranatha). “For a man to remain as he is”: That is, to remain either married or single (7:27).
7:27 “Are you bound in a wife?”: “Didst thou marry at one time, and art thou thus married now?” (Lenski p. 313). “Are you married?” (NIV) (1 Corinthians 7:39; Romans 7:2). “Do not seek to be released”: Present tense, “do not be seeking”. The "present distress" did not change God's mind concerning divorce. Now, if persecution does not justify divorce in God's sight, then "irreconcilable differences" an even poorer excuse. The only exception to this part of verse 27 is Matthew 19:9. Even in 1 Corinthians 7:15, the believer is not to seek the divorce, rather they are to allow it to happen if the unbelieving mate insists upon it. “Are you released from a wife?” From the next statement we will learn that the “release” in this passage is a release that allows a person to marry. The statement is not necessarily the same as being divorced, for not all divorces end in a right to marry someone else (7:10-11).
7:28 “But if you marry, you have not sinned”: Indicating that those released have been Scripturally loosed, such as widows and the Scripturally divorced. Therefore 1 Corinthians 7:27 is not discussing those that have been unlawfully put away, put away for Scriptural cause, or put away their mates not for fornication-- for those people do sin when they remarry (Matthew 5:32; Matthew 19:9; Romans 7:3). Neither is this verse teaching that marriage is always right and divorce is always wrong. “If a virgin marries, she has not sinned”: “The whole matter of marrying in spite of the present distress has nothing to do with committing or with avoiding sin. No one must entertain such an idea or draw conclusions from such an idea. Paul seems to fear something of the sort because the Corinthians perhaps wanted to know whether the Lord had left a command regarding the marrying of maidens. Let it be understood then, Paul says, that it is no more a sin for a maiden to marry than for any other person” (Lenski pp. 315-316). “Yet such will have trouble in this life”: That is, in view of the present distress. “A man who has no wife or children is in a stronger position to resist persecution than one who must consider what effect his stand will have on his dependents. Paul wants to spare his friends the agonizing decisions which family responsibilities impose in such a situation”. Times of distress always are tough upon those with families (Luke 21:23; 23:29).“And I am trying to spare you”: Paul says, “I'm not trying to make your lives harder, but easier. I'm not trying to burden you down with a bunch of unnecessary rules. I'm trying to spare you from agonizing decisions”. God is not trying to make our lives harder but easier (Ephesians 6:1-2; 1 Peter 3:10-12; 1 John 5:3; Deut. 6:2,24 “for our good always”).
7:29 “But this I say, brethren, the time has been shortened”: Various views exist concerning what Paul meant by this statement: The time before the distress hits is short? The time of the distress has been shortened (Matthew 24:22)? “So that from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none”: “That is, they should learn to live in such a way that when the choice must be made between allegiance to Christ and family affection they will be able to choose Christ” (Willis p. 249).
7:30 “And those who weep, as though they did not weep; and those who rejoice, as though they did not rejoice; and those who buy, as though they did not possess”: Paul is not forbidding any of the above. “One (the Christian) lives in the world just as the rest--married, sorrowing, rejoicing, buying, making use of it--but none of these determines one's life. Paul does not discourage buying and selling. As with the other items, the Corinthians are expected to continue doing such things. But Christians do not buy to possess; that is to let the world govern the reason for buying” (Fee pp. 340-341).
7:31 “And those who use the world, as though they did not make full use of it”: “The world, with its resources and its opportunities is there to be used, but it is unwise to put all one's eggs into the basket of an order whose present form is passing away” (F.F. Bruce p. 75). “For the form of this world is passing away”: The term “form” here means the external and outward manifestations of society that are always in a state of flux. Even the marriage relationship is temporary and transient (only for this life). This is “Paul's way of saying that the things people hold dear and treasure are not to be too treasured. In light of the distress and for however long it lasts the joys of marriage and ownership are to be held lightly. They are not to be leaned on too heavily because they won't bear the weight. The married man will discover that in life's arena the relationship is fragile and the pain to be endured will sour the sweetness of the relationship. If one is mourning over some loss, he will find that the trial will make that loss appear insignificant. In 31 he tells them that they are not to become too dependent on the joys of living because those are the very things which vanish in times of distress” (McGuiggan pp. 116-117). Paul's teaching here is refreshing. Christians are allowed to marry and enjoy the wholesome things of this life, but we must always remember that we cannot elevate any of the things of this life above God. There's nothing wrong with recreation, entertainment, family events, or social activities, yet the Christian must keep all such and or like things in subjection to the fact that God comes first (Matthew 6:33). Jesus' attitude was to appreciate the good things of this life, enjoy them when you have them (1 Timothy 4:4); but we must always to willing to sacrifice them, if need be (Luke 14:33). In addition, the external things of this life can never serve as the foundation for our happiness. Paul reminds us that being married is a wonderful thing, but getting married is not the key to happiness, one needs to be happy in God before they marry.
7:32 “But I want you to be free from concern”: Note God’s love for these people. Paul does not want to burden them down, he wants to lighten their load. Jesus had the same desire (Matthew 6:25-34; 11:28-30). “One who is unmarried is concerned about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord”: This is what the life of a single Christian should look like. Stop for a moment and see how God views the single life, it is not a bad thing, but each man does has his own gift in this area (7:7).
7:33 “But one who is married is concerned about the things of the world”: Obviously, not the sinful things of the world, this statement is further explained as: “How he may please his wife”: What a wonderful comment upon marriage. Marriage is a life of service to another person(Ephesians 5:25; Deuteronomy 24:5). How can it be said that Paul hated women, when he noted that in marriage it is the task of the man to please his wife?
7:34 “And his interests are divided”: “That does not mean that he is full of anxieties, but that he cares for both the Lord and his wife. The divisionmay mean that he has less opportunity for service than is available to the unmarried” (Fee p. 344). Clearly this is not a sinful thing, for it is not sinful to marry nor it is sinful to concentrate on the needs of one’s wife. He points out the "reality" of married life, especially married life during times of distress. “A man who is a hero in himself becomes a coward when he thinks of his widowed wife and his orphaned children” (McGuiggan p. 117). “The woman”: Paul now repeats the same thing from the female perspective. “That she may be holy both in body and spirit”: We should first of all note that Paul is not teaching that the unmarried or the virgin woman is holier than the married woman. Remember, the “unmarried” woman includes a widow. Secondly, marriage is a holy relationship (Hebrews 13:4), nothing about it makes one "less spiritual" in the sight of God. The phrase probably means something like, “is anxious to please the Lord in all she is and does” (Tay), or “holy in every way” (Fee p. 346). Since these woman are free from the obligations of a marriage, they can dedicate more of their time to the "direct" service of God. Yet taking care of a husband and raising children is serving God as well (Ephesians 6:4; 5:22ff). “How she may please her husband”: Look at that expression again and its companion in the previous verse. Does this attitude prevail in our marriages? Also note that falling in love was present in the ancient world. It is a myth that everyone in the “old days” simply married for the sake of convenience or having offspring. Paul knew that couples in the first century married because they were in love.
7:35 “This I say for our own benefit; not to put a restraint upon you”: “A third time Paul declares that he is consulting for the welfare of his readers, not insisting on his own preference nor laying down an absolute rule looking to your advantage I say” (Gr. Ex. N.T. pp. 835-836). “He doesn't want them to feel guilty should they decide to marry. He just wants to them serve God as undistractedly as possible” (McGuiggan p. 117). “But to promote what is appropriate”: “By these words Paul does not want to restrict them, as the ascetics would do, but to free them for whatever is appropriate in their case (apparently either marriage or celibacy) so that they may have constant and unhindered devotion to the Lord”(Fee p. 347). “To secure undistracted devotion to the Lord”: After all, that is the important thing, even more important than the love and companionship in marriage. Whatever we do in life, God must come first, even before our own families, personal goals, hobbies and so on (Luke 14:26-35; Acts 20:24 “But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God”).
