Resurrection and the Body 5: You Don't Have to Get Married (1 Cor. 7:25-40)

[Sung Psalm: 39]

I can see why preaching Paul’s message from 1 Corinthians 7 would have resulted in the early Christian monastic movement.

Paul values singleness more than we do – which should question our preoccupation with getting married!

But I can also see why preaching Paul’s message from 1 Corinthians 7 would have resulted in the early Protestant rejection of monasticism!

Because Paul does not take kindly to those who would forbid people to marry.

Last week, Paul took us a little detour through matters of race and class. Now he returns again to gender, sex, and marriage.

We have a new category:

• In verses 2-7, Paul spoke to married couples.
• In verses 8-9, those separated or widowed.
• In verses 10-11, those contemplating separation.
• In verses 12-16, those married to unbelievers.
• In verses 17-24, those seeking “improvement” in situation or status.

Now Paul speaks to the “betrothed.” The word here is parthenos – which is frequently translated “virgin” – but “virgin” in English doesn’t quite communicate the right idea here. Paul is speaking to those who are of marriageable age, but have never married.

Why the ESV say “betrothed”? Because in the Roman world – with marriages being arranged by parents – the “never married” would almost certainly have been betrothed at a young age....