The Gift of Marriage and Celibacy

Text: (1 Cor 7:1-7)

 

In 1 Corinthians 7:1, “to touch a woman” means to get married. When Paul said it was good for man not to get married, he was not contradicting Genesis 2:18 (where God created a helpmeet for Adam). Social conditions have since changed and sin has complicated the marriage union. Husbands find it difficult to love their wives, and wives find it difficult to submit to their husbands. As a result, there are broken marriages and families.  It was in view of sin that Paul said it is better that one does not get married, i.e. it is good to get married, but it is better to be single.

(1)    The Gift of Marriage (1 Cor 7:2-16)

Marriage is a divine institution and has its purposes (Prov 18:22, Heb 13:4). It is needful (especially in Corinth) “to avoid fornication” (1 Cor 7:2). 1 Corinthians 7:2 also teaches that marriage is a monogamous relationship between one man and one woman. In a marital relationship, there are certain obligations (1 Cor 7:3-5). In verse 3, “benevolence” has the meaning of a debt. The husband and the wife are indebted one to another. Both must willingly consent to meet each other’s sexual needs. We must not belittle our sexuality.

Those who are married must work hard to stay married and to make their marriage work. (Note that the married ones are not less holy or inferior to those who are single.)

(2)    The Gift of Singlehood (1 Cor 7:17-35)

Singlehood is also a gift from God. A single person can totally and fully devote himself for God’s service. God will grant him the grace to be single. The advantages of singlehood are as follows:

-    free from marital hardship (v 28: “trouble in the flesh”),
-    more time to serve God (vv 29, 31),
-    can serve God “without distraction” (v 35).

(Note: It has been said that “Marriage makes Marthas out of Marys.”)

Each one of us has our individual calling from God (1 Cor 7:17, 20, 24), and we must personally know what God’s calling is for us.

Your Body and Spirit belong to God

Scripture Text:  (1 Cor 6:12-20)   We each have a body and a spirit. The body can be seen and touched physically while the spirit cannot. God has given us each a body and a spirit so that we can do His will and give honour and glory to Him. In 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, the Apostle Paul warned the Corinthian church against the sin of sexual immorality which can destroy both our body and spirit. Sexual immorality abuses our body and spirit in two ways. (1)    It controls us (vv 12-13) The Apostle Paul used food to illustrate this point. Not all food are good for us. We have to exercise both control and discipline so that we will not eat food that are harmful to our body. Similarly, for our sexual appetite. We must exercise control by guarding our own eyes and avoiding places that will make us vulnerable to sin. We must control our sexual needs and not let it control us. (2)    It perverts us (v 15) Man is often not content with God’s creation and original intent for him. He wants to change and alter the use of it, i.e. pervert it. God forbid! An example is in the matter of marriage. Marriage, as ordained by God, is between one man and one woman, to join together as one flesh and unto Him in one spirit till death. However, man perverts it by divorce, homosexuality, etc, which are against God’s original design. The only way to escape from the perversion of sexual immorality is to flee from it (v 18). Our body is the temple of God (v 19). God has bought us with the blood of Jesus Christ (v 20). Jesus has died for us. Sin can no longer have any power over us. As our body and spirit now belong to God, we must live a holy life, always glorifying God with our body and spirit and not follow after the ways of the world which lead only to destruction. May God help us.