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. Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for a man to remain as he is. Are you pledged to a woman? Do not seek to be released. Are you free from such a commitment? Do not look for a wife. 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.
What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not; 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; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.
- 1 Corinthians 7:25-31
Earlier in this chapter, Paul began addressing people with various relationship statuses and how they should act as believers in Christ. He previously talked about what marriage looks like for Christians, and now he addresses the question of whether Christians should get married.
First, it is important to note that Paul uses the word “virgin” to be synonymous with “unmarried” in this section. Next, it is important to note Paul’s opening statement in verse 25. Paul is not delivering something that God specifically commanded, but rather what he’s about to say is Paul’s own opinion. But he assures the Corinthian church that while this teaching is not directly from God, it is still inspired by the Holy Spirit who is the guiding force for Paul as he writes this letter.
Paul then starts verse 26a by referring to “the present crisis.” What is that crisis, and why does it matter? Scholars are not sure about that, but the most likely situation is that Paul believed that the second coming of Jesus and the end of this world as we know it was imminent in his day. If the world is about to end, why waste time changing your relationship status? Paul saw the urgency of sharing the gospel message of Jesus Christ with as many people as possible, so there was no time to waste on anything that did not support that mission. Paul could also be referring to the persecution that they would receive for being Christians, so their relationships would be a lower priority to worry about.
Paul then shares that “it is good for a man to remain as he is” (verse 26b). Given the context and what he then says in verse 27, this refers to a person’s relationship status. If a person is already married or engaged, stay that way; if a person is not currently married, stay that way.
But Paul makes sure to clarify in verse 28 that if you do get married, that is not a sin. Again, remember that this is Paul sharing his thoughts; while his writing is inspired by the Holy Spirit, it is not a command from God to remain constant in your relationship status. Therefore, it is not a sin if you do get married. But Paul is also expecting times of persecution and hardship to come for the believers, and he believes that if those who were single were to get married, they would experience even more troubles.
In verse 29, Paul tells them that the time is short. That could mean that he believed Jesus would be coming again soon, or it could mean that they would be persecuted and perhaps face death in the near future. Either way, he is emphasizing that they need to keep focused on the mission they are given – living out and spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Because of that, the people should not worry about all of their social or material problems (verses 30-31). This is a great example of the context of a statement being very important. If you just pull out the phrase “From now on those who have wive should live as if they do not,” for example, that appears to mean that Paul is telling husbands to completely ignore their wives! But in the context of this passage, Paul is telling the Corinthians that their human relationships or material possessions are not what is important any longer now that they are believers in Christ.
The believers then, and us today, should be living for Christ in all things. We should live for Christ in our romantic relationships. We should live for Christ and not dwell on the sadness of losing those we love from this life. We should live for Christ rather than holding firmly to our material possessions. We should live for Christ while using the things of this world but not making those things our focus. It’s all about perspective.
Whatever thing or person is consuming the lives of these believers, Paul is telling them that it is significantly less important than the mission of spreading the gospel of Jesus. Why? Because “For this world in its present form is passing away” (verse 31b). Everything that exists in this natural world is changing and passing away. This world is getting farther and farther away from the perfection in which it was originally created. But God is never changing, and the gospel message needs to be preached with urgency.
While this passage is often used to encourage those who are single, the bigger point that Paul is making here is that the mission we are called to for Christ is the most important thing in this world. While some may say that getting married (or not) is the most important decision a person makes in this life, in truth, the most important decision we make is following Jesus Christ and committing our lives to Him. Nothing else should matter to us as much as living for Christ and spreading His gospel!
The time is short for us today as well, so do not get distracted by the things of this world. Focus on God and what He wants you to focus on.
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