BIG IDEA:
STAYING SINGLE HAS MUCH TO COMMEND ITSELF . . . BUT MARRIAGE IS STILL A GOOD OPTION
INTRODUCTION:
Richard Hays: It is notoriously difficult to determine from Paul’s response exactly who the people were that the Corinthians designated as virgins, and what question the Corinthian letter may have posed about them. The following interpretation, which is supported by all major modern translations except JB, seems to make the best sense of the evidence: the virgins are young women who are betrothed but not yet married to men in the church. The question raised by the Corinthians is whether young people in this situation may go ahead and marry or whether as Christians they are now obliged to remain unmarried. Paul’s answer to this question is completely consistent with the pattern we have seen in all the other cases in this chapter: it is better for them to remain as they are (in this case, unmarried), but if they choose to marry, that is no sin. The conclusion of the unit (v. 38) sums up Paul’s position nicely: “He who marries his fiancee [literally, “virgin”] does well; and he who refrains from marriage does better.” The decision is left to the persons involved, with some encouragement from the apostle to stay unmarried if they are able to choose that course freely and decisively (v. 37). . .
Why should the unmarried remain unmarried? Paul offers two interrelated reasons: the present order of the world is going to pass away in the very near future, and marriage presents many distractions that may hinder service to the Lord.
Gordon Fee: The argument, then, is in three parts:
(1) Paul begins with an opening statement (vv. 25–28), in which he picks up their slogan, agrees with it, and then qualifies it.
(2) He follows this (vv. 29–35), offering two interrelated reasons for his preference for celibacy, neither of which is to be understood as an attempt—as the pneumatics are doing—to put a noose around their necks (v. 35).
(3) Rather (vv. 36–38), the two options, to marry or to refrain, are both open to them. If one feels a compulsion to be married, so be it (v. 36); but if one is under no such compulsion, so much the better (v. 37). So then (v. 38), the one does well, and the other, especially in the light of present conditions (v. 26), does even better.
He concludes the whole discussion with a final word to the women (vv. 39–40), reminding them that they are bound to their one husband as long as he lives, but that on his decease they too have the same two options: to remarry (within the context of the faith) or to stay as widows, of which the latter is preferable. But again, this is his opinion, wherein he also thinks he has the mind of the Lord
Paul Gardner: Paul addresses advantages of remaining unmarried, writing mainly with specific reference to those who have never been married (“virgins”). Though the advantages to being single are considerable, including the ability to be more committed to the affairs of the Lord, this does not mean that marriage is wrong. In the last two verses, Paul returns to talk of a widow (cf. 7:8), who, though free to marry, may be more blessed if she remains as she is (vv. 39–40). Paul’s goal is that each person should understand that “undivided devotion to the Lord” (v. 35) should guide these decisions and that such a stance benefits the whole church. . .
The Benefits of Remaining Unmarried (7:25–40)
A. Matters for the Unmarried (7:25–38)
- Living in the End Times Relativizes Marriage (7:25–31)
- The Unmarried Can Offer Undivided Devotion to the Lord (7:32–35)
- Consider Sexual Passions When Deciding Whether to Marry (7:36–38)
B. Matters for Widows (7:39–40)
(:25) PROLOGUE – LISTEN TO ME ON THIS SUBJECT
A. Topic: Responding to a Particular Question Regarding Virgins
“Now concerning virgins”
We must understand that Paul was asked a specific question or was addressing particular circumstances that faced the believers of his day in Corinth.
He starts out with his focus on the virgins . . . but then expands his answer since most of the same principles would apply to any unmarried parties – those who had been divorced, widows, etc.
Paul had been answering questions regarding sexual relations in marriage, regarding whether singleness or marriage was appropriate for different groups, and whether conversion requires a change in one’s outward physical circumstances. He now leaves the more general discussion of overall contentment to finish with his discussion of the single state vs. marriage.
Mark Taylor: The view taken here is that “virgins” refers to betrothed young women of marriageable age and that Paul directs his instructions primarily toward the men who took the lead in such matters. The question before Paul is what those currently engaged should do about marriage in light of the “present crisis” (7:26).
Gordon Fee: The view adopted here is that it was a term that the Corinthians used in referring to some young betrothed women who, along with their fiancés, were being pressured by the pneumatics and were now themselves wondering whether to go through with the marriage. Paul’s response is basically from the man’s point of view because it was the cultural norm for men to take the initiative in all such matters. This assumes the influence of Roman culture, since by the time of the early Empire it was common for men to act on their own behalf, without the father acting as patria potestas as in earlier days. This view has the distinct advantage of seeing both crucial passages, one at the beginning and the other at the end (vv. 27–28 and 36–38), as being addressed to the same man, without the need of changing either topics or persons addressed.
B. Tone: Sanctified Guidance vs Authoritative Command
“I have no command of the Lord, but I give an opinion
as one who by the mercy of the Lord is trustworthy.”
The Lord did not provide teaching in this area and Paul is not trying to command any particular practice. He is led by the Spirit to provide principles that require application depending on the situation.
SIX CLARIFICATIONS ABOUT GETTING MARRIED VS REMAINING SINGLE (OR SIX REASONS FAVORING REMAINING SINGLE)
(Largely following outline of Dr. John MacArthur in this section)
I. (:26-28A) CLARIFICATION #1: PERILOUS TIMES WOULD FAVOR REMAINING SINGLE
A. Basis for Paul’s Argument: Pressure of Immediate Circumstances
“I think then that this is good in view of the present distress,”
Ray Stedman: My own view is that because the apostle is aware of the fact that he is writing Scripture — that it is for all Christians in all times, as he infers in some of his letters — that he is not talking about any particular, immediate crisis then, but he is referring to the returning crisis that every generation of Christians have to face. Remember in Second Timothy the apostle says to his son in the faith, “that in the last days perilous times shall come,” (2 Tim 3:1 KJV). I think it is a mistake to read that as though he meant “in these last days,” or “in the last days” as a reference only to the time preceding the return of Christ. Actually the church is always living in “these last days.” They stretch from the first coming of Christ to his second return, as Hebrews 1 makes clear where it says, “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son,” (Heb 1:1-2a KJV). Therefore, this is a reference to what Paul thinks of as continuing, returning cycles of trouble.
Richard Hays: In light of this point, we may reconsider the meaning of v. 26: “I think that, in view of the present necessity, it is well for you to remain as you are” (author’s translation). The italicized phrase is usually understood to refer to the eschatological sufferings that Paul expects to come upon the church. Another meaning, however, fits the context better. The translation “impending crisis” (NRSV) is simply wrong: the participle enest san refers to present, not future, events (cf. 3:22, where the same word refers to “things present” in contrast to “things to come”). The more difficult question concerns the meaning of the noun anagk . This is usually interpreted to refer to some sort of suffering or (as in NRSV) “crisis.” The ordinary meaning of the word, however, is “necessity” or “urgency.” An illuminating illustration is given by Paul’s use of the same word just a few paragraphs later: “[N]ecessity [anagk ] is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me if I do not preach the gospel!” (9:16, KJV). In light of this usage, it seems probable that the “present necessity” to which he refers in 7:26 is the urgent imperative of proclaiming the gospel and doing the work of the Lord in the short time that remains. This interpretation links verse 26 with verses 32–35 and explains more clearly why Paul regards celibacy as preferable to marriage: It frees the time and attention and energy of believers for the crucial work that is to be done in the precious short time before the parousia.
Craig Blomberg: Paul knows that after Christ’s first coming, his second coming could take place very soon (“the time is short” — v. 29a). This does not mean that Paul had set any dates or necessarily expected the Lord to return within his lifetime. Rather he, like the rest of the New Testament writers, recognized what C. E. B. Cranfield has phrased so aptly, that the Parousia is near … not in the sense that it must necessarily occur within a few months or years, but in the sense that it may occur at any moment and in the sense that, since the decisive event of history has already taken place in the ministry, death, resurrection and ascension of Christ, all subsequent history is a kind of epilogue, necessarily in a real sense short, even though it may last a very long time.
All Christians should therefore sense an urgency to serving the Lord, caused by the uncertainty of the time of the end, after which point it will no longer be possible to win any more people to Christ or to disciple them to maturity. Paul is well aware that distractions of marriage may temper this urgency. So those who choose to wed must not become so preoccupied with their families that they can no longer effectively serve Christ (v. 29b). The same is true with other normal human activities—celebrations and wakes, commerce and shopping (vv. 30–31). All are legitimate endeavors, but all remain fleeting. The Christian should therefore be less involved in the affairs of this world than the non-Christian.
B. Basic Conviction — Maintain the Status Quo (Applies to everyone)
- Categorical Judgment
“that it is good for a man to remain as he is.”
Immediate group in view was the single man – this is the emphasis
- Application to both Married and Unmarried –
but Paul gives a word to both
a. Application to Married – Stay Married
“Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be released.”
b. Application to Unmarried – Don’t Pursue Marriage
“Are you released from a wife? Do not seek a wife?”
C. Balancing Perspective: Getting Married is a Valid Option
“But if you marry, you have not sinned;
and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned.”
II. (:28B) CLARIFICATION #2: PRESSURES OF MARRIAGE WOULD FAVOR REMAINING SINGLE
A. Caution of Inevitable Pressures
“Yet such will have trouble in this life,”
B. Compassion of Pastoral Heart
“and I am trying to spare you.”
III. (:29-31) CLARIFICATION #3: PASSING OF THE WORLD WOULD FAVOR REMAINING SINGLE
Anthony Thiselton: The seven verses that follow (vv. 29-35) focus on the single theme of the need to avoid whatever distracts the Christian from single-minded service of the Lord. This may take the form of preoccupations about possessions, property, business, and all that married responsibilities entail for maintaining the household in decent living conditions (vv. 30-31); or general anxieties about relationships, including anxiety about … how to please his wife (vv. 32-33); and anything that causes the Christian to be pulled in two directions (v. 34). Paul applies this mutually: the woman who has become married is anxious about the affairs of the world, how she is to please her husband (v. 34b).
A. Priority of Serving the Lord – Given the Short Window of Opportunity
“But this I say, brethren, the time has been shortened,”
Charles Hodge: It is the design of God in allowing us but a brief period in this world, or in this state, that we should set lightly by all earthly things;
B. 5 Applications – Don’t be Distracted from Serving the Lord by:
- Marriage
“so that from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none;”
- Misery
“and those who weep, as though they did not weep;”
- Merriment
“and those who rejoice, as though they did not rejoice;”
- Material Possessions
“and those who buy, as though they did not possess;”
- Mundane Pursuits
“and those who use the world, as though they did not make full use of it;”
C. Reason for Such Urgency
“for the form of this world is passing away.”
Daniel Akin: Cultivate the Proper Perspective –
Proper priorities will grow out of the proper perspective, seeing all of life with kingdom eyes. Paul writes, “[T]his world in its current form is passing away.” The Message reads, “[T]his world as you see it is fading away.” This world is not our home. This world is not our home because we will die. This world is not our home because it will die, too. It will pass away. We should long for an eternal home, a new heaven and new earth, which will arrive in God’s timing (Rev 21–22). We are to pine for that “kingdom that cannot be shaken” (Heb 12:28). In Colossians 3:1-2 Paul says, “So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.” Having been transformed by the gospel, we should have new affections, desires, and passions. This world thus loses its attraction. It no longer controls us. Christ does. It no longer sets our agendas. Christ does. The Lord Jesus Christ and his kingdom will last forever. This world and its stuff will not. Each of us should seek to become heavenly minded, for that will lead to us accomplishing the most earthly good.
IV. (:32-35) CLARIFICATION #4: PREOCCUPATIONS OF MARRIAGE WOULD FAVOR REMAINING SINGLE
A. The Goal = Undistracted Devotion to the Lord
“But I want you to be free from concern.”
B. The Reality = Marriage Complicates the Situation
- Case of the Single Person
“One who is unmarried is concerned about the things of the Lord, how
he may please the Lord;”
- Case of the Married Person
“but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how
he may please his wife, and his interests are divided.”
Anthony Thiselton: The only “mixed” marriages that Paul contemplates are existing marriages in which one partner, but not the other, comes to Christian faith. Deliberately to marry someone who did not endorse or understand a Christian’s relationship with Christ would indeed be to exacerbate being pulled in two directions (v. 34).
- Case of the Single Person
“The woman who is unmarried, and the virgin, is concerned about the
things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit;”
- Case of the Married Person
“but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how
she may please her husband.”
C. The Motivation Behind This Instruction = to Promote the Goal
“This I say for your own benefit; not to put a restraint upon you, but to promote
what is appropriate and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord.”
V. (:36-38) CLARIFICATION #5: PERSONAL CONVICTION MAY FAVOR EITHER SINGLENESS OR MARRIAGE
A. The Father May Choose to Marry Off His Virgin Daughter
“But if any man thinks that he is acting unbecomingly toward his virgin
daughter, if she is past her youth, and if it must be so, let him do what he wishes, he does not sin; let her marry.”
B. The Father Does Well to Keep His Virgin Daughter
“But he who stands firm in his heart, being under no constraint,
but has authority over his own will, and has decided this in his own heart,
to keep his own virgin daughter, he will do well.”
C. Both Options are Good . . . But Singleness Still has More to Commend It
“So then both he who gives his own virgin daughter in marriage does well,
and he who does not give her in marriage will do better.”
VI. (:39-40) CLARIFICATION #6: PERSEVERANCE IN THE STATUS QUO IS WHAT PAUL RECOMMENDS FOR OLDER WIDOWS
Craig Blomberg: Verses 39–40 round out the chapter by reaffirming monogamy as a lifelong commitment. These verses also contain the only explicit reference to remarriage in this chapter. Christian widows and, by implication, widowers are free to remarry, so long as they marry fellow believers. As in verse 8, Paul reiterates his preference for the single life but will not absolutize it. “I think that I too have the Spirit of God” (v. 40b) does not reflect any doubt on Paul’s part but represents a slightly sarcastic aside to the Corinthians, who felt that only they had attained true spiritual insight.
Mark Taylor: Since Paul has already addressed “widows” in 7:8, he does not seem to be addressing them once again as a distinct group. Even though his instruction takes into account the widow and her freedom to remarry, it appears that Paul is still on the topic of the “betrothed virgins,” reminding them that once married a wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. In other words, Paul speaks to the issue of the permanence of marriage, both at the beginning and end of the unit (7:25–40; cf. 7:10–11), which is another strong consideration for decision-making for those contemplating marriage. If the husband dies, then the woman is free to marry whomever she wishes, but “he must belong to the Lord.” Paul’s judgment, however, is that she will be happier if she remains single. Thus, this concluding paragraph draws the discussion of chap. 7 to a close by reiterating the permanence of the marriage bond and by stating the guiding principle of the chapter one final time, “to remain as you are.”
A. Permanence of Marriage Must be Honored
“A wife is bound as long as her husband lives”
B. Freedom to Remarry in Certain Situations
“but if her husband is dead, she is free to be married to whom she wishes,”
C. Caveat Regarding Marriage for Any Believer – Must be to another Believer
“only in the Lord”
D. Status Quo Has Much to Commend Itself
“But in my opinion she is happier is she remains as she is;
and I think that I also have the Spirit of God.”
Ray Stedman: He is obviously thinking of an older woman, a widow whose husband has died, who is left alone, and facing the declining years of her life. She misses the companionship, she misses the fellowship of her mate, and, in the emptiness of her life, she is tempted to plunge back into marriage just for companionship alone. “Now,” Paul says, “be careful there.” That is an emotional pressure and many succumb to it without any thought about what the alternatives might be. But, he says, if she does succumb it is all right; it is not a sin to remarry as long as it is to a Christian, someone “in the Lord’ — whom she can share her faith and life with — “But in my judgment she is happier if she remains unmarried.“