1 Corinthians 7:25-28
Ps Paul Cheng
~8 min read
Dear Bethelites,
The Apostle Paul had been answering some of the questions the Corinthians had asked; some were single and wanted to be married, others were married and wanted to behave like single and practice celibacy in their marriage, yet others were married and wanted to divorce and have a new marriage. Basically, the Corinthians wanted a change in their situation.
Dear friend, the real problem is not that we need a change in our circumstances, but rather we need to obey the Lord in whatever circumstances He has called us. That was why Paul repeatedly said, “Remain as you are, abide as you are!”
Here in this passage, Paul was dealing with the question of being single. Some people treat singleness almost as if it was like a curse. But why do people think that marriage is the only good thing, and being single is like a curse. Well, they would associate singleness as loneliness. Oftentimes, people would say, “Oh, she is single; it is so sad. She must be really lonely.” But the truth is that some of the married couples are the loneliest people on the face of the earth.
Do you feel strange about being single? Do you feel deprived of something? Is this pressure coming from the outside or inside? If it is coming from the outside, one needs to ask, “Why do I need to subject myself to what the people or the world think?” If it is coming from the inside, then the question is, “What is the basis of this pressure; is it a physical, emotional or spiritual struggle? Did I speak to the Lord and commit to His will? Am I willing to accept His will to remain single?”
Apparently, the Corinthians were asking questions about singlehood, therefore Paul said,
Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful (1 Corinthians 7:25).
Some theologians believed that the word virgins refer to those who were pure, single, not married, while others believed that it was a reference to those who were singles or engaged to be married. That is the reason why some Bible versions would translate this word parthenos as betrothed, meaning they were virgins but already engaged to be married.
In other words, the anticipated Corinthians’ question was, “Paul, you have told us to continue with the Lord in the state that we are. If we are married, remain married, and if we are single, remain single. For that is a good thing! But I am sort of in a transition because I am engaged to be married. Should I continue with the marriage, or call off the engagement? If I follow through with the engagement, is it not a good thing?” Or Paul could be answering a straight-forward question, “I am a virgin, not married, thus, should I get married or not?”
But there is another possibility as Paul could be answering the question of a father who was sending her daughter away in marriage and he was asking, “Is this the right thing to do?” In those days, it was the father who gave permission for his daughter to be married, as verse 38 said,
So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better.
One cannot be dogmatic about what the anticipated question was, and the above were only suggested possibilities. But whatever the anticipated question was, basically, it was all pointing to the same thing, “Is it better to be single or married?”
In verse 10, Paul said, And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, which means this is not what I (Paul) say, but the Lord Jesus who said this. In verse 12, he said, But to the rest speak I, not the Lord, in other words, this is what I (Paul) say, not what the Lord said (Jesus did not speak about this matter particularly). But whether it was the Lord or the Apostle Paul speaking, both were equally authoritative because they were given by the inspiration of God.
But verse 25 is a little different, what Paul was saying here, was not so much an authoritative command. He was not commanding the people to be married or to be single, but rather to be married or to remain single was within the prayerful choice of the believer. In a way, he was giving them his counsel or opinion, that was why he said, yet I give my judgment.
As an Apostle who had obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful and trustworthy, Paul’s conviction was that it was better for single Christians to remain single if they had the gift from God. In verse 40, he said the same thing to those widows who were allowed to remarry because their husbands had passed away, But she is happier if she so abide (in her widow or unmarried state) and this is my judgment, my counsel or opinion. And Paul knew that it was the Spirit of God who had guided his thought in this matter.
This is an important point for us to learn. Oftentimes, we like to seek counsel from people. But the question is, “Who are we seeking counsel from?” We must only seek counsel from people who are faithful and trustworthy; people who are indwelt and filled with the Spirit of God, and their counsels would be a reflection of wisdom taught by the Holy Spirit. So, before you seek advice from anyone, you need to ask yourself these questions, “This person must first have a knowledge of the Bible, he must be knowledgeable. But knowledge is only one part, for he must be committed to the Bible. And his commitment to the Bible must also be reflected in his life. Is his life a reflection of biblical truth? Is he committed to the holiness of God, or is he just giving counsels in terms of situation ethics, worldly philosophies or human opinions? Is he giving counsel just to please people, or is he seeking to please God?” Indeed, some people like to present themselves as smart, wise and spiritual, and they love to play counsellors, but they are not concerned about glorifying God, only themselves. Therefore, one must be careful whom he or she seeks counsel from.
I. Marriage may bring trouble
The first thing we can learn from this passage is that marriage may bring trouble, and sometimes it is better to remain single.
I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be. Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife. But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you. (1 Corinthians 7:26-28)
Paul gave this counsel based on the relevant situation of the Corinthians. If you were to give counsel to someone, you have to take into consideration the issue in its context and how the Word of God may be applied in those circumstances. Paul was giving his counsel to the virgins (those who are not married) based on his understanding of the present distress. We do not know exactly what he was talking about, but we do know that the Corinthians were being afflicted for their Christian faith.
Marriage does bring along with it, unique blessings, but it also brings along with it, unique challenges. There are times when being single is better than being married. Times of intense persecution could be one such example.
Soon after the writing of this letter, the Corinthians would face severe persecution from the Roman emperor Nero. The believers would be losing their lives. Church history tells us that Nero was so cruel that he had Christian sewn up in animal skins and thrown before wild dogs to be torn apart and eaten up alive, as a form of entertainment. Other believers were dressed in clothes soaked in wax, tied to trees and set on fire, to become human candles for his night garden.
It was difficult enough to be concerned about your own faithfulness to the Lord in such times, but when you were married, you had to be concerned about your wife and children, and that would introduce more challenges into your life. When you were married, the problems and pain multiplied; you had to worry about their safety and livelihood, and vice versa, they had to constantly fear for your life. In the event of your death, who would take care of them in your absence? Your wife and children would have to endure the pain of watching you being beaten, stoned or imprisoned.
So, Paul was saying, “If you are not married, don’t get into it (that is my counsel to you) because of the present distress. It is already difficult to be a single person in such times, how much more to be a married person with all the added responsibilities. On the other hand, based on the current situation, if you are married, don’t get out of it just because you are facing the present distress; remain in your marriage and ask the Lord to give you wisdom and strength to persevere.”
Today, if there is a man who knows that he would soon be enlisted into the army to go to the Middle East and he would be fighting in the frontline; he knows that because of his dangerous job description, he could be killed at any moment. And this young man is asking this question, “Should I get married in this present distress?” You would probably say to him, “Based on the current situation, it is better for you to remain single. Why do you want to get married and possibly make your young wife a widow, and cause her to go through the pain of burying her husband, for say one week?” That would be our modern-day application.
But if you choose to go ahead and get married, have you sinned? No, you have not sinned! If the virgin chooses to get married, she has not sinned. Again, Paul says, nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you. Here, he was referring to the normal challenges that a married person had that a single person would never face. There are times when being married burdens us.
The word trouble literally means “pressed together, or under pressure.” Believers are still sinful, and it is hard enough for a sinner to live with himself, let alone with another sinner. When two people are bound together in marriage, the problems of the human nature are compounded. It is not that marriage is not rewarding, it is a great joy, but marriage may cause some problems. When two persons become one flesh, they are still two personalities, two distinct persons with their own likes and dislikes, characteristics, emotions and desires.
Each one has his or her own challenges with anger, jealousy, pride, forgetfulness, envy and selfishness. Surely, there will be trouble, and Paul was trying to say, but I want to spare you from these troubles.
With love in Christ,
Pastor Paul Cheng
(To be continued in our next pastoral chat)
1 CORINTHIANS 7Singleness Or Marriage (Part 1)Singleness Or Marriage (Part 1)1 Corinthians 7:1, 6-7
Singleness Or Marriage (Part 2)Singleness Or Marriage (Part 2)1 Corinthians 7:2-5
Divorce and Remarriage (Part 1)Divorce and Remarriage (Part 1)1 Corinthians 7:10-11
Divorce and Remarriage (Part 2)Divorce and Remarriage (Part 2)1 Corinthians 7:12-16, 39
Be Faithful to Your Calling (Part 1)Be Faithful to Your Calling (Part 1)1 Corinthians 7:17-19, 21-23
Be Faithful to Your Calling (Part 2)Be Faithful to Your Calling (Part 2)1 Corinthians 7:20, 24
Should I Remain Single (Part 1)Should I Remain Single (Part 1)1 Corinthians 7:25-28
Should I Remain Single (Part 2)Should I Remain Single (Part 2)1 Corinthians 7:29-31
An Undivided Devotion To The Lord (Part 2)An Undivided Devotion To The Lord (Part 2)1 Corinthians 7:36-40
An Undivided Devotion To The Lord (Part 1)An Undivided Devotion To The Lord (Part 1)1 Corinthians 7:36-40