1 CORINTHIANS 7:25-38 NIV
25 Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy.
26 Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for you to remain as you are.
27 Are you married? Do not seek a divorce. Are you unmarried? Do not look for a wife.
28 But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.
29 What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none;
30 those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep;
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.
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.
MATTHEW 19:10-12 NIV
10 The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”
11 Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given.
12 For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”
1 CORINTHIANS 7:7-8 NIV
7 I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.
8 Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am.
The Bible affirms singleness; the single life is not an inferior life and the married life is not necessarily the superior life.
Singleness as a PROPER LIFE
1 CORINTHIANS 7:25-27 NIV
25 Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy.
26 Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for you to remain as you are.
27 Are you married? Do not seek a divorce. Are you unmarried? Do not look for a wife.
MATTHEW 22:30 NIV
30 At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.
The single life is a God-ordained life. It is a proper life.
Singleness is not defined by the lack of something. Rather, it is defined by the sufficiency of the gift of God.
It is better to be single, remain single and die single than to marry the wrong person.
1 CORINTHIANS 7:28 NIV
28 But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.
Singleness as a PRODUCTIVE LIFE
1 CORINTHIANS 7:32-34 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.
Singleness is not about detachment but about being fully engaged in the things of God.
Singleness as a PURE LIFE
1 CORINTHIANS 7:36-38 NIV
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.
As Christians, our values are to be different from the values of this world.
Make a decision to do the right thing.
If you want to be married to the right person, you’ve got to be the right person first.