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"Now concerning virgins..."

Text: 1 Corinthians 7:25

THE PEOPLE WHO WERE “SINGLE”

Paul turned his attention to those who were unmarried. Some were perhaps not quite ready to be married. How should the choice be made? To be married, or to remain single?

“Now concerning virgins: I have no commandment
from the Lord; yet I give judgement as one whom the
Lord in His mercy has made trustworthy.
I suppose therefore that this is good
because of the present distress-
that it is good for a man to remain as he is:
Are you bound to a wife?Do not seek to be loosed.
Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife.”
1 Corinthians 7:25-27

1. “Concerning virgins”

a) There was no direct commandment from the Lord.

b) Paul however, ventured an opinion.

i) As one whom the Lord had made trustworthy (that is “faithful”).

ii) Consequently, his opinion on this matter would also be sound.

2. “The present distress”

a) Paul was making a reference to life as it existed there and then.

b) There was some measure of distress.

i) The slave system existed.

ii) There were many challenges living under Roman rule (the laws of the land, wars that took place, persecutions that were carried out).

3. Given such circumstances

a) The individual should remain where he is.

i) If he is single, he does not need to feel constrained to be married.

ii) If he is married, he does not need to feel that he must be loosed from that marriage.

b) The state of an individual does not matter very much.

i) What ought to be borne in mind is that one is a slave of the Lord.

ii) The consciousness of being bought at a price, and belonging to the Lord ought to be foremost in the mind of the believer, rather than his earthly station in life.

4. What Paul had in mind

a) His own choice and example of living for the Lord.

b) He was free but he chose to be a slave of the Lord.

c) His whole life was devoted to serving the Lord and he could not be happier in his life!