Marriage Matters

The most important implication of this passage, though, is that those of you who are single need to be committed to serving the Lord. If you have never married, or if you are widowed or divorced, you do indeed have some opportunities that those of us who are married don't have. Now, I know you still lead very busy lives. But, please make sure that all the discretionary time you have, when you are not working, sleeping, etc. is not used up on recreation, entertainment and social activities. Use some of that time to serve the Lord, either here at church or in some other ministry. Many of you folks who are not married are already doing that, and I'm very grateful for that, but I know a few of you really are not. Surveys say that single adults spend more time watching television than those who are married. I don't know if that is true of Christian singles, but if it is true of you, I suggest you cut down on some of that television time and devote it to ministry. If you don't think you have any gifts and abilities that can be used to serve the Lord, or if you don't see any opportunities to be involved in ministry, make sure you talk to me. I know I can help you figure out some better ways to use your time than watching television or playing computer games.

The third lesson we find in our text, perhaps the most important one for many of us, is that we need to be content in the situation we are in. Those of you who are single need to be content; those of us who are married need to be content. Paul puts it this way in 7:17 Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches. He repeats that thought with various examples through 7:24 Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to. And then in 7:25 Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord,... This does not mean that Paul's writing is not inspired by God's Spirit and thus not God's Word. No, he simply means that there are no commands which Jesus gave while He was on earth that apply in this situation. Paul still writes under the inspiration and with the authority of God's Spirit. He continues, 7:26-28 Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for you to remain as you are. Are you married? Do not seek a divorce. Are you unmarried? Do not look for a wife. 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. Now, when Paul says that those who marry will face many troubles, he is not making a general statement. He really does think marriage is a good thing. Again, if you doubt that, just read Ephesians 5:22 and following verses. Because of what he calls in verse 26 "the present crisis," he thinks staying single is a good thing. What is the present crisis to which he is referring? Bible scholars have been trying to figure that out for a long time. Some suggest he is talking about the seven-year great tribulation which will precede the return of Jesus Christ to the earth. But, if that were the case, no Christian should have ever gotten married in the past 2000 years, since the Lord's return is certainly much closer today than it was in Paul's time. Others have suggested he is talking about a time of great persecution, but history doesn't have any record of this in that area at that time which would have fit with what Paul is saying. The best guess is that Paul was probably talking about a severe famine which did occur sometimes in that part of the world. Paul gives very practical advice. It is easier to feed one mouth than two, and if kids come along it makes it that much more difficult. If someone is married, he certainly didn't want to get divorced. It might be wise, however, for those who are not married to postpone any wedding plans until that present crisis subsides.