1 Corinthians 7:7-9
7 I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your 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 do.
9 But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
God designed most people to get
.
He created men and women
each other.
“So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 The man said ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called “woman,” for she was taken out of man.’ 24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.” —Genesis 2:21-24
His design for marriage serves three
:
- To save people from
.
Genesis 2:18: “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’”
Psalm 68:6: “God sets the lonely in families….”- To satisfy the sexual
he created.
1 Corinthians 7:2-3: “But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband. 3 The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband.”- To create
and give them a good home.
Malachi 2:15: “Has not the one God made you? You belong to him in body and spirit. And what does the one God seek? Godly offspring. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth.”
Psalm 127:3: “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.”
But choosing to remain
can glorify God.
He
some people to remain unmarried (vv. 7-8).
Matthew 19:9-12: “‘I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.’ 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 there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others—and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.’”
But living an unmarried life is
for those God empowers (v. 8).
Big Idea: Choose to
God whether you are married or unmarried.
If you are single, glorify God by living a
life (v. 9a).
If you are single, but have sexual desires, glorify God by getting
(v. 9b).
If you are widowed, you may
whether or not to remarry.
ends your marriage.
Romans 7:1-3: “Do you not know, brothers and sisters—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law has authority over someone only as long as that person lives? 2 For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law that binds her to him. 3 So then, if she has sexual relations with another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man.”- So, you are free to
to remarry.
1 Timothy 5:14-15: “So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander. 15 Some have in fact already turned away to follow Satan.”- If you choose
to remarry, use your time to serve the Lord.
1 Timothy 5:9-10: “No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, 10 and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the Lord’s people, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds.”If you are married, glorify God by how you
single people.
1 Timothy 5:2: “[Treat] older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.”