Sermon Central
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10. To Be Married Or Not To Be Married… Series
Contributed by Don Jaques on Nov 28, 2017 (message contributor)
Summary: Through giving specific advice to people in all different types of relationships, Paul instructs the Corinthians to serve God right where they are and not seek some sort of life or relationship change in order to serve him effectively.
1 Corinthians 7:7-9 (NLT)
7I wish everyone could get along without marrying, just as I do. But we are not all the same. God gives some the gift of marriage, and to others he gives the gift of singleness.
8Now I say to those who aren’t married and to widows--it’s better to stay unmarried, just as I am. 9But if they can’t control themselves, they should go ahead and marry. It’s better to marry than to burn with lust.
Advice to single people who desire to get married: Go ahead and get married if you can. (v. 7-9)
Just as it is not “more spiritual” for a married couple to deprive themselves of the sexual relationship with each other, it is not “more spiritual” for a single person to remain single just for the point of trying to be a good Christian.
Throughout history there have been people known as “ascetics” who believe that the way to spiritual maturity is through the denial of anything the physical body finds pleasurable. They advocate only eating certain bland foods, only dressing in bland clothing with bland colors, and they believe that denying sexual urges elevates one to a higher spiritual plane.
What does the Bible say?
Paul mentions that certain individuals are given the gift of singleness and are able to control their sexual desires. For these people, Paul says it is better for them to stay unmarried (just as he himself is). (Next week in verses 32-38 he will explain why being single can be a great benefit to your spiritual life and for the Kingdom of God.)
But if a single person decides that they are going to live a celibate lifestyle simply as a means to spiritual maturity, and that decision to stay single creates in them an unhealthy amount of…let’s just use the same word Paul uses…lust, then it is better to marry. Again – there will be more on this next week.
TRANS: Now Paul turns his attention to followers of Christ who are married to followers of Christ.
1 Corinthians 7:10-11 (NLT)
10Now, for those who are married I have a command that comes not from me, but from the Lord. A wife must not leave her husband. 11But if she does leave him, let her remain single or else go back to him. And the husband must not leave his wife.
Advice to those in Christian marriages: stay married. (v. 10-11)
You may feel like you will be able to serve the Lord better if you are not married – but Paul reminds the Corinthians that it is not God’s will for Christians to separate from each other in order to be freed to serve Him more effectively.
Maybe God has given you some grand idea of how you are called to be a missionary in a foreign country – but your spouse would never go for it. The question could come to your mind, “Shouldn’t I pursue this ministry dream for the sake of the Kingdom, even though it means divorcing my spouse?” Paul’s answer is a resounding NO.
It is never God’s will that you divorce your spouse in order to free yourself to serve Him. What you need to do is serve the Lord in the situation you find yourself. It may not be perfect – but offer yourself as a living sacrifice to Him in your present situation, and keep praying for a way to fulfill your “ministry dreams”.
