unmarried

May 27, 2015

The Night is Coming

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25 Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. 26 Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for a man to remain as he is. 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. 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.  29 What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not; 30 those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; 31 those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.–1 Cor. 7:25-31 NIV

​​There was never a time in the first century that the church was not under duress and persecution. Perhaps at the time of Paul’s writing this letter, the problem was more severe.  Whatever the situation was at that time, Paul felt it was good advice for a single person to stay that way and not add the obligation of a spouse and children to the weights they were already bearing. This was most likely a temporary injunction against marriage because of the situation.  It would be a stretch to try to make it fit into any argument against marriage since Paul so eloquently covers that in other Scriptures. It would be better to spend the short time that is left in serving God because the things of this world are temporary and passing away. Our most important work is to help to establish the Kingdom of God which is eternal.

4 I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.–John 9:4 NKJV

Post 05-27-2015

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May 23, 2015

Forgive and Forget

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8 Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. 9 But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry,for it is better to marry than to burn with passion. 10 To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. 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 Cor. 7:8-11 NIV

​Pau​l feels that his not being married gives him more freedom and more time to serve the Lord. He says that it would be good if you would stay unmarried unless this would cause you to commit the sin of sex outside of marriage. If you desire intimate companionship and children, then you should marry a Godly person. But once you make that commitment, you must remain faithful to that one spouse. God would prefer that we not divorce at all, but He gave us free wills and He knew that we would do that.  Paul is writing a short paraphrase of what Jesus told the Pharisees in Matthew 19. 

7 “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”​ 
8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9 I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”—Matt 19:7-9 NIV

​Notice that when Jesus answers, He replaces the word “commanded” with the word “permitted”​.  Because of our free wills, God will not force anyone to stay married, but He would prefer that we allow Him to show us how to forgive and forget.
Post 05-23-2015