7:1ff - This has always been an interesting passage from Paul (And one you hear very few sermons on!). It seems a little strange...almost as if Paul is standing in opposition of marriage, a holy union created by God (Adam and Eve/helpmate/it is not good for man to be alone/etc.). What is the deal here? What are the pros of being married or spiritually single?
Married...Pros - Uhh...(clearing throat...reddening cheeks) physical union: Paul himself says if you can't control your lust, it is better for you to get married. Sex is also God created and awesome within the context of a loving marriage (The only place it's ever supposed to be!). Helpmate - God created Eve as a helpmate for Adam...guys and girls are usually very different and those differences make them an awesome team. Without my awesome wife I would be hopelessly lost..no bills would get paid, no schedules kept, no well-thought-out non-impulsive decisions would be made, etc. She rocks...she helps to make me a better person and a better minister. Foxhole buddy - it is good for sanity and soul to have a constant person who is always in the "foxhole" with you...take place in your battles and victories, supporting and defending you...again, AWESOME! Family - with a wife comes the possibility of having kids. My two sons have changed me in ways that I couldn't possibly explain, and it has made me a better person and brought me closer to God. There are many more reasons, but these are the biggies (for me anyway).
Spiritually single (Choosing the stay single because you are so tight with God)...Pros - (I'm guessing here, because I am happily married, but I'll try my best) Free to serve God comletely...anywhere...anytime. I will admit, there are times when his sounds cool...to live a life like Paul, going from place to place with your only concern being the spreading of the gospel...I wouldn't change anything about what I did, but I can understand where Paul is coming from. When married, you have to think about your family...the amount of time you spend with them...the way that you are raising you kids...taking care of them...etc. Single = unattached, which frees you up for ministry opportunities sure. Just imagine the kind of relationship you have with God, when you make the conscious choice to stay single (And sexually pure) because He is literally all you need! AWESOME! In the time Paul is writing the Christians were under intense persecution...if a man or woman were single, the might be more willing to live a bold faith because they wouldn't be worried about their spouse and kids. Morbidly speaking, it is probably easier to face death for your faith when you aren't worrying about the ones your leaving behind. Again, there are probably many more pros for staying single, but the central focus (In my mind) is that you can serve God without reservation.
*Question - is it strange that Paul encourages Christians to stay single if at all possible, yet Christian churches will rarely hire a single minister? Food for thought.
2 comments:
Msg-17And don't be wishing you were someplace else or with someone else. Where you are right now is God's place for you. Live and obey and love and believe right there. God, not your marital status, defines your life. Don't think I'm being harder on you than on the others. I give this same counsel in all the churches.
Summation – live in the right here, right now because God has allowed you to be here and now.
I know that this chapter is about married verses unmarried, but how true today are these verses or parts of verses taken by themselves:
NIV – 31 those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.
Msg – 31 - Deal as sparingly as possible with the things the world thrusts on you. This world as you see it is on its way out.
NIV – 32 I would like you to be free from concern.
Msg – 32 I want you to live as free of complications as possible.
Christ is freedom – I wish we all acted more like we believed it.
j
ps - i agree with you brando - most single ministers are looked down upon. this has been quite some time ago, but i remember hearing of one who was asked to resign because he had not found a wife in a "sufficent amount of time". See that petty squabble think from the last post...
Yea, I tell people that marriage is an intense commitment and you will be sacrificing a ton of stuff. I love my wife and am happily married, but I have high regard to those who can stay single and find everything they need in Christ. As James said in his post, live in the here and now. Regardless of where you are in life, it is a waste of time to reflect and regret decisions we've made regarding this topic because there is no going back! We need to live for now and do the very best we can right now to live for Christ!
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