1 Corinthians 7:25-35

Is Celibacy Preferable To Marriage?

McGarvey thinks the third question must have been, "Is celibacy or virginity perferable to marriage?" Paul was inspired in his judgment (7:40; 14:37), so we can rely on his answer. The basic rule to be followed was to stay the same. Because of the distress Christians found themselves in at that time, married or unmarried were to seek no change (1 Corinthians 7:25-27).

Remember, the statements above were statements of inspired judgment, not commands. If one could not control himself, marriage was not a sin. It would simply increase the number of problems to be handled and Paul would have liked to help them avoid that (1 Corinthians 7:28). Paul digressed into a discussion of the shortness of our time upon the earth. The suffering of this life is limited.

When this life is over, even if one used life's pleasures to the fullest, it was going to seem as if he had not used life's pleasures fully. You may recall, the pleasures of sin are short lived (Hebrews 11:24-25; 1 John 2:17). When the distress came, Paul wanted them to be free of the extra cares of marriage. The unmarried can center his whole attention on the Lord's work. In contrast, the married man has to watch for the needs of his family and divide his attention. This, of course, was stressed because of the pressures (distress) they were to face. A woman is like a man in respect to this issue. All this advice was for their good at that time. He did not mean to place them in the path of undue temptation, only to help them avoid an extra load of cares. This, then, should not be used to substantiate a marital prohibition (1 Corinthians 7:29-35).