Now for the matters you wrote about: it is good for a man not to marry. (1 Corinthians 7:1).

Huh?

Not marry?

But God designed marriage, did he not? I mean, the whole rib thing in Genesis, the “It’s not good for man to be alone…the two shall become one flesh” part.

Is Paul trying to change the fundamental nature of humanity?

Nope

This, Beloved, is why it is dangerous to overemphasize any one passage of Scripture. Doing so is confusing and can lead you astray and make you annoying. Yes, the Bible is clear that marriage is a gift from God to be treasured and respected. Paul himself extolled the importance of marriage, even using it as an analogy for Christ’s relationship with his Church.

Yes, it’s OK to be married, or get married, or want to get married.

So, what about this verse?

Context, Beloved

Paul starts the verse by referencing, “The matters you wrote about.” So in this chapter he is answering questions that the Corinthians had previously asked him. As we will see later in the chapter, the Corinthian Church was dealing with a lot of garbage, and people were having a rough time of it. Since their world was in so much turmoil, they had apparently asked Paul if he thought it was wise for people to be making lifelong commitments…and Paul gave his answer.

He was talking to the Corinthians.

No offense, Beloved…but it’s not always about you.

Happy Friday