1 Corinthians 7:32-40 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is 1 Corinthians 7:32-40. Let’s go!
1 Corinthians 7:32-40 (NIV)
32 I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs–how he can please the Lord.
33 But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world–how he can please his wife–
34 and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world–how she can please her husband.
35 I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.
36 If anyone thinks he is acting improperly toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if she is getting along in years and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married.
37 But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin–this man also does the right thing.
38 So then, he who marries the virgin does right, but he who does not marry her does even better.
39 A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.
40 In my judgment, she is happier if she stays as she is–and I think that I too have the Spirit of God.
On verses 32-40: Here Paul gets realistic about the cost of getting married. Every married person can attest to this: once you are married, you are no longer looking out for just yourself. Now you have a spouse and possibly kids to be concerned about.
It’s for this reason that Paul seems to prefer singleness for Christians in 1 Corinthians 7. Paul here even seems to encourage those who are engaged but who are not settled on their decision to marry to strongly consider singleness (v36-38). It’s not because marriage is sinful, but because practically speaking a single person has a lot more time and a lot less complicated life that he or she can devote to serving God.
So what does that mean for us? For single people, be busy about the Lord’s affairs. Use the time and freedom you have right now to serve God with “undivided devotion” (v35). And if you desire to get married one day, trust the Lord that as you seek Him first, He will — in His way and in His time — provide the best partner for you, someone who also wants to serve God with their life.
If you are married, don’t see your spouse and your family as a burden or a distraction from God’s calling. Remember that your spouse and your family are now a huge part of your calling. So do your best to model for your spouse and your family what Christ’s love looks like. See them as your primary ministry. Pray together and share God’s Word with each other. Serve God together as a family. In so doing, you won’t just be raising a family, but God will use you to raise disciples in your home and build His kingdom.
Praise God! Whether we’re single or married, we are surrounded by opportunities to serve Him. Let’s make the most of those opportunities and serve God with as much undivided devotion as possible.
Father, with what I have and in the context I am in, may I live this life to serve You. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
