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1 Corinthians 7 on Singleness, Marriage, and Obedience
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We live in a culture that constantly tells us we are missing something. Advertisements bombard us—on television, YouTube, social media—all designed to convince us that the next purchase, the next achievement, the next milestone will finally make us complete and content.
But here's the truth: you will not be content unless you are worshipping the Lord. Whether you desire marriage, a career milestone, a house, or any other goal, these things alone cannot satisfy the deep longing in your heart. We all have what might be called a God-sized void in our hearts, and it was never meant to be filled by anything in this world. You and I were made to worship the Lord and Him alone.
1 Corinthians is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to the church in the city of Corinth. Paul himself was single and had planted this church. Corinth was a prosperous, strategic city—think of it as the New York or Los Angeles of that era. People came for sports, entertainment, business opportunities. It was the place to be.
Yet very quickly, Corinth became known for its wrongdoing. Prostitution and idol worship were rampant. Paul wrote to the Christians there because they faced real questions: How do we live out our faith in the midst of all this? One of the major topics Paul addresses is marriage and singleness—a big deal then, and still a big deal today.
Let's look at 1 Corinthians 7:17-24. Paul writes:
"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... Let each of you remain in the situation in which he was called... Each person is to remain with God in the situation in which he was called."
Biblical scholars recognize this passage as the structural center and main point of Paul's teaching on marriage and singleness. It's the "meat of the sandwich"—the essential message sandwiched between his words to the married and his words to the unmarried.
Paul uses the illustration of circumcision to make his point. The Corinthian Christians had a misunderstanding: they thought becoming Christian meant changing something about yourself or your circumstances through your own effort—that following God was work-based. They asked questions like: "Do I need to be circumcised to be a Christian?" or "Does being a Christian mean I must be single?"
Paul corrects this firmly: Keeping God's commands is what matters. Not your external status or circumstances, but your obedience right where you are.
God calls you to serve Him in the situations He has assigned to you—whether you are married or unmarried, a janitor or a teacher, a nurse or a student athlete. Your family, your job, your neighborhood, your season of life—these are the places where God calls you to obey Him.
Henry Blackaby captures this well in Experiencing God:
"We long for an important assignment from God, yet we are unwilling to prove ourselves faithful in the smaller, seemingly less important tasks... When God is ready to involve you in an assignment, he will take the initiative to reveal what he is doing or what he's about to do."
Here's the hard question: Is obeying God your top priority, or do you just want Him to give you a different season of life? Do you want a relationship with God, or are you just interested in what He can do for you?
Many of us live in an endless cycle: When I'm single, I want to be married. When I'm married, I want kids. When I have kids, I want grandkids. It never ends. If you expect any season of life to satisfy you, you will be disappointed.
Tom Brady, widely considered the greatest football player of all time, was interviewed after winning his third Super Bowl at age 27. The interviewer asked him, "What's it like to be you?" His answer was haunting:
"Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there's something greater out there for me?... I've reached my goal, my dream. Me? I think there's got to be more than this. This can't be what it's all cracked up to be... What else is there for me?"
When asked what the answer was, Tom simply said: "I wish I knew."
Only God can satisfy your deepest desires.
Paul now shifts to another illustration—slavery—to reinforce his point about obedience in your current season. In Roman times, roughly 50% of the population were slaves, but slavery took many forms. Many slaves were educated, skilled, and literate—some were doctors, teachers, and accountants. Some lived in relative ease; others in constant hardship.
Paul's point is powerful: If someone bound by slavery is called to obey God right where they are, how much more are you?
The core message is this: Do not worship a season of life. Don't think, "If only I had this, then I'll start serving the Lord wholeheartedly." That's the trap of idolizing your circumstances.
Paul says in verse 24: "Brothers and sisters, each person is to remain with God in the situation in which he was called." This doesn't mean you're stuck—you're not locked into your circumstances forever. But as a Christian, you are called to obey God right where you are now. Love Him. Serve Him with all that you are. Trust that the Lord will change your assignment according to His timing if He sees fit.
Be fully devoted to God in your current season of life.
Now let me speak to different groups of people in the room:
If you knew today that you would be single for the rest of your life, how would you begin serving God? That's the question I want you to sit with.
Paul writes: "I'm 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." (1 Corinthians 7:35)
Life does not start at marriage. Don't make an idol out of marriage. Don't wait until you're married to begin doing what God has called you to do. If you feel called to the mission field, don't let marriage hold you back. Are you serving the Lord half-heartedly because you're waiting for a relationship?
Here's the truth: You are fully seen and fully known in Christ. Marriage doesn't solve your loneliness—it solves your singleness. The God-sized void in your heart can only be filled by the Lord.
Yes, marriage is good. Paul acknowledges this. But he also says: "If you do not have self-control, they should marry, since it is better to marry than to burn with desire." If you're gratifying physical desires outside of marriage, God calls you to turn away and return to purity.
You can accomplish so much in your singleness, but pursue undistracted devotion to the Lord, not distractions to fill the time. One of my biggest regrets as a student is that I didn't read until I was 18 years old. Those years pass in a blink of an eye.
Instead of scrolling on your phone, open Scripture. Study God's Word. Spend time with Him. Meet a friend for coffee and ask: "What is the Lord teaching you?" Pray for one another. All of this beats passing time on social media.
Know this: if you are single today, you are not less than those who are married. You are not incomplete. You have the opportunity to serve God distraction-free. You're completely devoted to Him with no divided loyalties.
Don't wait to be married to begin serving God wholeheartedly.
How can you show your love for God through your marriage?
The Bible speaks beautifully about marriage. Genesis 2:18 says: "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper corresponding to him." Proverbs 18:22 tells us: "A man who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord."
Marriage is a gift from God and is meant to be a picture of God's love for His people. It's filled with affection, support, encouragement, and a lifelong partner to run the race with you.
However, Paul is honest: in a fallen world, the demands of marriage can compete for your full devotion to the Lord. Paul writes that the unmarried person is concerned with pleasing the Lord without distraction, but the married person's interests are divided—they must also please their spouse.
Yet Paul also says: each has their own gift from God. Marriage is a gift. Singleness is a gift. The call is the same: be fully devoted to God in your season.
1 Thessalonians 4:3 reminds us: "God's will is for you to be holy." Ask yourselves: What if God designed marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy?
If you are married, you have a profound opportunity: to be a picture of God's love for the world. God sent His one and only Son as a gift so we could be restored in right relationship with Him. Husbands and wives can mutually love one another, fully give of themselves, and be this gospel picture for the world.
It's been said that healthy marriages lead to healthy families, which lead to healthy churches, which lead to healthy communities, which lead to healthy nations. If others looked at your marriage, would they see the gospel?
Love God by loving your spouse and serving Him together.
Have you considered why marriage exists? Marriage is a covenant between one man and one woman, and it's an expression of God's love for you. It's a picture of mutual self-giving.
Paul tells us: "You were bought at a price. Do not become slaves of people." (1 Corinthians 7:23) What does it mean to be bought at a price?
Every one of us has fallen short of God's standards. The Bible calls that sin. The wages of sin is death—we deserve to be eternally separated from Him. But God offers a free gift through Jesus Christ. While we were still sinners, Jesus died for us. That's the price you were bought with.
To be a Christian means to believe savingly in Jesus Christ—to believe He died on the cross for your sins, that He rose from the dead three days later, and to follow Him all the days of your life.
If you're not a Christian today, we hope you would become one today. Get right with the Lord and choose to follow Him all the days of your life.
