Undivided Devotion
1 Corinthians Series
CCCAG 9-14-2025
Scripture: 1 Corinthians chapter 7
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Introduction
At a previous church, we had a sudden influx of younger people who had no church background and had tons of questions. So, we did a series on Wednesday nights called “Stump the Pastor”. People in the church would write an anonymous question on a piece of paper and turn it in with the offering. Whoever was speaking next week would take a few of those questions and do bible lessons around the subjects.
I bring this up because this is exactly what Paul is doing here in 1st Corinthians 7- he’s playing “stump the pastor” in the 1st century.
Chapter 7 reads like a pastor sitting in his office answering the stack of questions sent to him by the leadership in Corinth.
That’s why this chapter seems so disjointed and so unlike how Paul normally writes- usually he would give a principle and then defend it over several chapters like in Romans or Galatians.
And through it all, Paul has one goal in mind, which he states clearly in verse 35:
“I am saying this for your own benefit, not to put a restraint on you, but to promote what is proper, and so that you may be devoted to the Lord without distraction.”
This is the anchor of the whole chapter.
That is the message of 1 Cor 7- not just details about Christian marriage, but in devotion to the LORD Jesus Christ no matter where you are in life.
We are going to dive into this, but first let’s ask God to bless our time together.
Prayer
Because of the way this chapter is laid out in the bible, we are going to jump around a little within it and not follow the order as written. Let’s start in verse 17-
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1. Living Your Calling (vv. 17–24)
Let’s start in verses 17–24:
“Let each one live his life in the situation the Lord assigned when God called him. This is what I command in all the churches… Was anyone already circumcised when he was called? He should not undo his circumcision. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? He should not get circumcised. Circumcision does not matter and uncircumcision does not matter. Keeping God’s commands is what matters. … Let each of you remain with God in the situation in which you were called.”
Here is the principle-
You don’t need a change in circumstances to be faithful to God.
Like many today, The Corinthians were drawn to a performance based religion because that is what they were used to.
Performance based religious says if I do A, then B will happen. If I do this, then I’ll be blessed.
In other words to the Corinthian, there was always one more step to make before something favorable would happen.
“If I just get married, then I’ll be satisfied.”
“If I just get out of this marriage, then I’ll be free.”
“If I could be released from my employment or slavery, then I can finally serve God.”
Paul says, No. Serve Christ now, right where you are.
He even brings in examples - Circumcision or uncircumcision- basically in their context that means Jew or Gentile?
Doesn’t matter which one you are.
Slave or free? Doesn’t matter. Married or unmarried, same thing.
What matters is following the call of God and obeying HIM right where He’s planted you.
This idea tripped up people of all ages and circumstances in the church at Corinth.
Remember the culture-
Woman in polygamous marriages- some who became Christians said that “I have freedom in Christ, therefore I should just leave my husband.”
You had slaves who said, “Jesus set me free, therefore I should run away and be free of being a slave”
You had people not married but living together.
All kinds of drama and situations were in that church, just like most church’s today.
Here is the main point to what Paul is saying here-
It’s not like Jesus Christ saved you, called you, and equipped you for whatever ministry He has for you, only to suddenly realize-
“Wait, who forgot to do the background check on this person?
They are a mess! Why didn’t someone tell me they were in that kind of lifestyle or sin?”
No my friends- you didn’t’ catch Jesus by surprise.
The bible actually says this-
1 Cor 1:27 Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong. 28 God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world—what is viewed as nothing—to bring to nothing what is viewed as something, 29 so that no one may boast in his presence.
What this scripture tells us-
“God takes all of us-all the mess of our lives—all the failures, all the wounds, all the seasons of testing—and HE fashions them into a testimony that glorifies him.”
Consider your own life for a moment-
Those awful situations and fires you’ve walked through have forged who you are. Your experiences and giftings have been honed in the fire of adversity and are now ready for the Master’s use.
Or, you may be in that preparatory time now.
A while back I nerded out on the timeline of Israel’s wanderings in the desert for 40 years, and I noticed a pattern-
God led them by the pillar of fire/cloud. They would move their camp close to the promised land, God would send a test- they would fail that test.
God would say, “You’re not ready. Turn back to the desert”
If you map it out, it was a series of circles they walked for forty years.
Promised land-
Mess up
Take another lap.
For forty years the same pattern kept repeating.
It’s interesting to note- Prior to leading Israel out of Egypt, Moses had experienced the same thing on a personal level- forty years in a desert shepherding sheep.
So if you feel that you are in a desert right now, and that the calling of God is a distant thing-
No- you are in training right now. Submit to it no matter what your life circumstances are right now, so you can enter your promised land.
Instead of hearing the words, “Take another lap”.
God isn’t being cruel in holding back, but if your not able to handle the blessing, it will become a snare that brings harm and like a good Father, he knows that and won’t allow you to have it until you are ready.
You don’t give keys to the family car to a 5 year old, and some blessings are too much for you to handle right now, so you may need another lap to allow the character to develop so God can hand you the keys.
For now know this- you aren’t here at this place in your life by accident. God called you for such a time as this-
Today, right now, wherever you are, whatever you are involved in
He can use you now. Your test might just be the measurement of your willingness to surrender to HIM.
This is the foundation that is set for the rest of the chapter.
Let’s look how God can use us in our calling no matter what that looks like.
First, we will look at the gift of Singleness
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2. The Gift of Singleness (vv. 25–40)
Next, let’s look at verses 25–40,
“Now about virgins (or widowed): I have no command from the Lord, but I do give an opinion as one who by the Lord’s mercy is faithful. … Because of the present distress (Nero using Christians to light his gardens), I think that it is good for a man to remain as he is. … I want you to be free from concerns. The unmarried man is concerned about the things of the Lord—how he may please the Lord. But the married man is concerned about the things of the world—how he may please his wife— and his interests are divided. … Now I am saying this for your own benefit, not to put a restraint on you, but to promote what is proper and so that you may be devoted to the Lord without distraction.” (vv. 25, 26, 32–35)
This scripture might sound strange to most people, but the bible honors singleness. Paul even calls it a gift.
Now let’s be clear: not everyone has this gift.
In fact, I’d say very few people have this gift.
Back in verse 7, Paul says: “I wish that all people were as I am. But each has his own gift from God, one person has this gift, another has that.”
Why does Paul lift up singleness?
Because it goes back to our original premise- singleness allows for undivided devotion to the Lord.
A married person has divided concerns—working a job, taking care of a spouse, raising children, managing a household.
Those are all good, God-honoring concerns. This is the state that God calls most people to follow.
But there is a place for those who follow a different path- being not romantically tied to anyone.
Can we be honest for a minute? In most church’s, singles people are treated as though there is something wrong with them.
Singles can feel like they’re in the waiting room of life. People ask them, “When are you going to get married?” As if life hasn’t started yet. But Paul says: singleness is not a waiting room.
It is a platform for undivided devotion to Jesus.
Illustration: Think of some of the heroes of the faith—
Jesus Himself was single.
Paul was single.
Many missionaries and church leaders have remained single and used that freedom to serve Christ in extraordinary ways.
Takeaway: Encouragement- If you are single, you are not “less than.”
You are not incomplete.
Singleness is not a burden to endure but a gift to steward.
So, If you are single, don’t go looking for that special someone to fulfill you.
It’s the wrong focus for the Christian, and I’ve seen dozens of people force themselves into relationships that God did not lead them into and it ended very bad.
The correct focus is to find your fulfillment first in Christ, and then let HIS plan for you develop according to his plan for your life.
Put the first things first- seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all of these other things will be given to you as well.
Now let’s move to marriage-
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3. Marriage as Covenant (vv. 1–9)
Now Paul turns to marriage. Let’s read verses 1–9:
“Now in response to the matters you wrote about: ‘It is good for a man not to use a woman for sex.’ (be circling back to this in a moment) But because sexual immorality is so common, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman should have sexual relations with her own husband. A husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise a wife to her husband. A wife does not have the right over her own body, but her husband does. In the same way, a husband does not have the right over his own body, but his wife does. Do not deprive one another—except when you agree for a time, to devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again; otherwise, Satan may tempt you because of your lack of self-control.” (vv. 1–5)
I want to pause for a moment and talk about verse 1.
Many of you might have read this version of verse 1 in the past-
Now in response to the matters you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.”
You may be asking, Why did the CSB translation which I used change the phrase to “Use a woman for sex”, because when I read it to prepare for today, it shocked me a little so I did a deep dive.
The Christian Standard Bible that I’ve been using walks the line between the two competing ideals for bible translation. Those ideals are word for word and thought for thought. CSB goes word for word in most cases, except when word for word would be jumbled in the English Language, then switches to a thought for thought.
I say this not to nerd out on you, but to explain why some verses of the bible are worded differently among the translations.
In this particular verse, the main point behind this bible verse it is Paul being very specific about sexual exploitation. If you went strictly word for word, it gets “lost in translation”
What’s being addressed is in city of Corinth- the use of prostitutes, particularly in temple worship, or the use of concubines or sexual slaves was not only permitted but encouraged in their culture.
Hence the term “Use a woman for sex” is the best translation of this verse.
We have the same problem today. Pornography, prostitution, and human trafficking.
I don’t know if you realize this, but worldwide, right now September 28, 2025, we have twice as many slaves today as the Roman’s did at the height of their empire. Over 40 million people in slavery right now here on planet earth, half are sex slaves.
20 million sex slaves. That’s roughly the combined population of New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, and Phoenix — every man, woman, and child enslaved and used for sex.
Let that sink in.
For all of those who think the bible is outdated and not relevant to today— it’s as pointed as ever in showing these are not just ancient problems.
That is the point that Paul is highlighting here.
Paul in addition to being an apostle, is still a man. He understands the physical needs we all have, and God has given us an outlet for those needs- those God given needs.
God didn’t just grudgingly given us an outlet, but a gift that God commands us to use frequently.
Remember the first commands to humanity included be fruitful and multiply.
In other words, have lots and lots of intimacy. Paul affirms that idea here between a husband and a wife.
I know all the men are elbowing their wives at this point.
Notice how he frames it: intimacy is not one-sided. It’s mutual.
That’s why the bible warns against withholding intimacy.
Except for brief, agreed-upon times of fasting and prayer, intimacy should not be deprived.
Why? Because the number one-way Satan destroys families is through unfaithfulness because sexual drives are so powerful.
Application: Marriage is not just about romance or feelings. It’s a covenant. And in that covenant, each spouse has duties:
• Husbands: love, honor, cherish, protect, provide. Ephesians 5 calls husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church—sacrificially.
• Wives: respect, love, honor, cherish, serve husband and family. Respect is the primary language Paul highlights in Ephesians 5:33.
Speaking of duties in marriage-
Funny story-
Illustration: As many of you know, my wife and I did everything backwards like most people today- intimacy before marriage that produced our oldest daughter. When we got married, an interesting thing happened.
The first big fight we had- Tammie wasn’t making my lunches for work.
Keep in mind, we had lived together for almost two years prior to being married, and she had never made my lunch for me, nor had I asked her to make my lunch.
But for some reason, and I think it came from my step mom and how she did this for my father,
I had it in my head that now that we are married, Tammie’s duty was to ensure that my lunch for work was to be made, bagged, and in the fridge when I left in the morning because that’s what a good wife does.
Tammie disagreed. She said, “Make your own dang lunch. I’m working as much as you are AND have to take care of our daughter, clean the house, prepare meals, do laundry, and take care of your other needs. You can make your own lunch.”
That argument led to night on the couch- my choice not hers. In fact, if memory serves, that’s only happened one other time in our entire time of being together were we went to bed angry at each other.
But we now know- that’s exactly what the enemy wants.
He wants us separated into our own anger camps, because then he can try to slide in a replacement for our attention.
at work, or in the neighborhood, or online, or in your friend circle that is going through the same thing.
One thing leads to another, and the trap springs shut, destroying trust and possibly the marriage.
Takeaway: Don’t weaponize marital closeness and intimacy. Don’t neglect it either. Marriage is designed for mutual joy, mutual belonging, and mutual faithfulness.
Let’s talk now about faithfulness.________________________________________
4. Faithfulness in Marriage (vv. 10–16)
Finally, Paul addresses faithfulness in marriage.
“To the married I give this command—not I, but the Lord—a wife is not to leave her husband. But if she does leave, she must remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband—and a husband is not to divorce his wife. But I (not the Lord) say to the rest: If any brother has an unbelieving wife and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. … But if the unbeliever leaves, let him leave. A brother or a sister is not bound in such cases. God has called you to live in peace. … You don’t know, husband, whether you will save your wife. Or you don’t know, wife, whether you will save your husband.” (vv. 10–16)
Paul here echoes Jesus’ teaching: marriage is for life. Divorce is not God’s design.
Jesus said it’s because of hardness of heart that divorce was written into Jewish law, but it’s not God’s design.
I understand there are legit reasons for divorce, adultery being the primary. I’m going to mimic Paul for a moment and give my pastoral opinion- but I’d also say mental and physical abuse would be another. I’ll explain that further in a minute.
The bible doesn’t shy away from the messy situations that can happen in life and relationships.
The early church dealt with-
Some believers were married to unbelievers. Should they divorce them?
Paul says no—if the unbeliever is willing to stay, stay. You may be the very means God uses to draw them to salvation.
But if the unbeliever abandons the marriage (this is where I would argue the abuse criteria I mentioned a moment ago), the believer is “not bound.” God has called us to peace.
Despite all of this- the ideal is that the church must hold up God’s design for lifelong marriage and offer grace and healing for those who carry wounds of divorce or abandonment.
Illustration: I come from divorced parents so I understand the pain involved witnessing this as a child. I have great empathy toward anyone who has had to endure this.
I also HAVE to acknowledge that many people carry a wound given to them by the actions of a church or it’s members when they were going through this incredibly painful process.
It’s best that we few the church this way- This is a hospital for the spiritual sick, not a mausoleum for dead religion.
God’s moral law matters, but so does grace and forgiveness.
Extend grace for people who have had a failed marriage.
And above all remember- don’t judge others because they sin differently than you do.
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Conclusion
I know today felt a little like getting a sip of water through a firehose.
What do we take away from 1 Corinthians 7?
Paul’s primary concern, again in verse 35, is this:
“I am saying this for your own benefit, not to put a restraint on you, but to promote what is proper, and so that you may be devoted to the Lord without distraction.”
All Rise
If you are single—live with undivided devotion to Christ.
• If you are married—live with undivided devotion to Christ, expressed in faithfulness and intimacy with your spouse.
• If you are widowed or divorced—live with undivided devotion to Christ in the season where you are now.
Prayer/Altar call
