What is the meaning of 1 Corinthians 7:27? Are you committed to a wife? Do not seek to be released. “Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be released.” (1 Corinthians 7:27a) • Paul recognizes the covenant nature of marriage. Once a man has entered into this God-ordained bond, the right response is fidelity, not escape. ‑ Jesus said, “What therefore God has joined together, let man not separate” (Matthew 19:6). ‑ Malachi 2:16 warns that the Lord hates divorce because it “covers one’s garments with violence.” ‑ Ephesians 5:25–28 reminds husbands to love their wives “just as Christ loved the church,” underscoring permanence and sacrificial care. • Paul’s counsel guards believers from treating marriage lightly or abandoning their vows under the pressure of hardship, persecution, or the allure of a supposedly freer single life. • The instruction is not a denial of the biblical exceptions for divorce (e.g., sexual immorality in Matthew 5:32), but rather a call to honor vows where those exceptions are absent. Are you free of commitment? Do not look for a wife. “Are you free of commitment? Do not look for a wife.” (1 Corinthians 7:27b) • Paul encourages those presently single to remain so if they can, because: ‑ “The time is short” (1 Corinthians 7:29), highlighting the urgency of kingdom work. ‑ The unmarried can be “concerned about the things of the Lord—how to please the Lord” (1 Corinthians 7:32). ‑ Jesus acknowledged singleness “for the sake of the kingdom of heaven” and said, “The one who can accept this should accept it” (Matthew 19:12). • This is not a universal prohibition on marriage. Verse 28 follows immediately: “But if you do marry, you have not sinned.” Instead, Paul offers a wise, Spirit-inspired perspective for believers weighing life choices in a challenging cultural moment. • Remaining single may spare a believer “many troubles in this life” (1 Corinthians 7:28), such as divided loyalties under persecution or economic strain. The guidance is pastoral, not legalistic. summary 1 Corinthians 7:27 calls married believers to honor and keep their vows, resisting any impulse to dissolve the union, while urging single believers to consider the advantages of remaining single for undistracted devotion to Christ. Both states—married and single—are gifts from God, to be embraced gratefully and stewarded faithfully in light of eternity. |
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