1 Corinthians 7:27 – Are you pledged to a woman? Do not seek to be released. Are you free from such a commitment? Do not look for a wife.(NIV)
1 Corinthians 7:27 – Are you married? Stay married. Are you unmarried? Don’t get married.(Message Bible)
First Corinthians chapter seven is a very serious treatise on matters of marital status. In this passage Apostle Paul seeks to answer the question of whether to marry or not! That is also our question today, to marry or not to marry?
The book of first Corinthians was written as a response to questions from the Corinthian church. Apostle Paul was given guidance, clarifying issues and answering questions. For example in chapter five he addresses a case of incest in the church. In chapter six he addresses lawsuits among believers. Chapter seven which is our focus he addresses issues on marital status. Chapter eight he addresses issues about food offered to idols, and so on and so forth!
1 Corinthians 7:1 – Now for the matters you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.”(NIV)
1 Corinthians 7:1 – Now regarding the questions you asked in your letter. Yes, it is good to abstain from sexual relations.(New Living Translation)
1 Corinthians 7:1 – Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.(New King James Version)
1 Corinthians 7:1 – Now as to the matters of which you wrote: It is good (beneficial, advantageous) for a man not to touch a woman [outside marriage].(Amplified Bible)
1 Corinthians 7:1 – Now I will answer the questions you asked in your letter. You asked, “Is it best for people not to marry?” (Contemporary English Version)
1 Corinthians 7:1 – Now, concerning the things that you wrote about: It’s good for men not to get married.(God’s Word Translation)
1 Corinthians 7:1 – Now, to deal with the matters you wrote about. A man does well not to marry. (Good News Translation)
Therefore chapter seven is interested in marital status. He begins with a radical statement that men should avoid sexual relationships with women. Others have translated it to be that men should not touch women or even that men shouldn’t marry.
Those who translate it as a question are getting it wrong. It is not a question as Contemporary English Version and others want to put it. It is a declaration of his position from the beginning and he repeatedly defends it through the entire chapter. It is a declaration of his position because the next verse doesn’t answer a question but clarifies his declared position. Don’t marry or don’t have sex, verse one, but because of sexual immorality please marry, verse two. Therefore verse one doesn’t have a question but a declaration that don’t touch a woman or don’t have sexual relationships.
A man shouldn’t touch a woman or have sexual relationships with her because first it’s not good if it happens outside marriage. It’s fornication and adultery which is sin against God. Secondly it may force them to get married even if they were not meant for each other, leading to a hard married life. Thirdly it may lead to unwanted children who struggle without one parent. Fourth is that heartbreak after sexual relationships is significantly painful. Fifth is that sexual relationships initiates a series of events that maybe emotionally irreversible. Therefore he begins by saying don’t have sex or touch a woman if you are a man!
1 Corinthians 7:26 – Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for a man to remain as he is.
1 Corinthians 7:28 – But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.
Because of the present crisis bro unmarried. Which present crisis? Those who marry wi lol face many troubles. Which troubles?
2 Timothy 3:1 – But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.
2 Timothy 3:2 – People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
2 Timothy 3:3 – without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,
2 Timothy 3:4 – treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—
2 Timothy 3:5 – having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
Second Timothy chapter three describes people who will be available for marriage in these last days. Look at the characteristics of your potential spouse. Isn’t this a crisis? To find the right person is a crisis. Living with such a person can be painful chaotic. This is what Apostle Paul wants to spare the unmarried.
1 Corinthians 7:8 – Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do.
1 Corinthians 7:26 – Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for a man to remain as he is.
1 Corinthians 7:28 – But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.
Apostle Paul’s consistent advice is that an unmarried life is better. He makes it clear that marriage is not sin and wrong. However, being unmarried is better because of the times we live in. People are selfish, self centered, arrogant and all these makes marriage a tough place to be. He also says that marriage makes it difficult to serve God wholeheartedly because a married person must keep attending to the family. Therefore he says unmarried people will be better off, yet marriage isn’t wrong or sinful.
1 Corinthians 7:32 – I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs —how he can please the Lord.
1 Corinthians 7:33 – But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife—
1 Corinthians 7:34 – and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband.
1 Corinthians 7:35 – I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.
The unmarried are better off but don’t feel restricted. This is not a command not to marry. This is advice from experience. Don’t feel restricted the Apostle emphasizes. Don’t respond and make comments as if you have been commanded to do something you don’t like!
1 Corinthians 7:2 – But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband.
1 Corinthians 7:9 – But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
1 Corinthians 7:36 – If anyone is worried that he might not be acting honorably toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if his passions are too strong and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married.
After the Apostle Paul has written with clarity on unmarried people being better off, he goes ahead to make a case for marriage. He says if sexual satisfaction is a big concern for you, you should get married. If you have sexual desires and the attendant needs of companionship etc, you should get married. You will be better of married than single.
An unmarried person who is struggling with sexual desires and its extras of companionship is a desperate person. That unmarried person is miserable. By all means such a person should get married without further delay. Those sexual needs when unmet can lead to sin and or misery. Therefore if this is your situation, being unmarried is not an option! Get married!
1 Corinthians 7:3 – The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband.
1 Corinthians 7:4 – The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife.
1 Corinthians 7:5 – Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
The case for sexual needs and desires goes even into marriage. The married should never ever deny each other sex. Fasting by abstaining from sex among the married should be so brief and in a predetermined period.
The Apostle says sexual starvation will invite Satan to tempt you. A sexually starved partner will be tempted by Satan to stray from marriage. Do not use sex as a weapon to force your partner to cooperate. Satan May take over and you will regret the consequences.
Your sex life in marriage must be good enough to keep the devil away. Routine unpalatable practices may eventually equate to no sex. Therefore couples must talk and adjust to each other’s needs to keep the devil away.
Sexual urges are presented as a major factor that should determine if one marries or not. A person with significant sexual urges must not consider being unmarried as an option. Married people must properly attend to sexual satisfaction to prevent Satan from visiting and tempting them.
1 Corinthians 7:10 – To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband.
1 Corinthians 7:11 – But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.
1 Corinthians 7:15 – But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or the sister is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace.
Apostle Paul warns that this advice should not be used as a basis for divorce by married people. If you are married stay married. Even if you think unmarried life is better for you, just stay married. If you separate from your spouse, stay single or go back to that spouse. Don’t use this advice to find a new spouse.
However if an unbeliever decides to divorce you who is a believer, let the person go. A believer doesn’t initiate divorce, that is why he says it’s the unbeliever who leaves the marriage. You are now free to remarry or stay unmarried. Whatever it is prioritize peace in the relationship. Don’t abuse this marriage advice!
1 Corinthians 7:38 – So then, he who marries the virgin does right, but he who does not marry her does better.
1 Corinthians 7:39 – A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.
1 Corinthians 7:40 – In my judgment, she is happier if she stays as she is—and I think that I too have the Spirit of God.
Apostle Paul ends his treatise on marriage or no marriage, by suggesting that the unmarried are better off. Single people both young, divorcees(those divorced by unbelievers, meaning the believer didn’t initiate the divorce), widows and and widowers are better off unmarried. The reasons are as we have explained at the beginning of this article.
1 Corinthians 7:36 – If anyone is worried that he might not be acting honorably toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if his passions are too strong and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married.
1 Corinthians 7:37 – But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin—this man also does the right thing.
At this point he addressees those dating, courting and engaged. After listening to this advice and you still get married you are perfectly okay. If you feel you may be unfair to your partner by abandoning marriage plans, please don’t change the plans go ahead and get married. If you are convicted that unmarried life is your calling, and you choose to terminate your plans to get married, you are still right. Go ahead and live as an unmarried person.
Whatever it is, don’t abuse this marital advice. Don’t use it to harm others or take positions that are extreme and impose them on others. May God help us to get married if we desire to. May partners come to us sooner than later. May marriages of those who desire marriage happen soon. May the married be sexually satisfied, stay peaceful and happily. May your married or unmarried life be fulfilling, in Jesus’s name, Amen!
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amen and thanks you for answering the long term question in marriage blessings
Amen