Our identity is not wrapped up in our marital status, but in our redemptive status.
For any single there are pressures from within, from cultures, from family and from church. Our culture is obsessed with romantic relationships and unfortunately at times, the church is no different. In the church, my guess is that we are often ignorant to the perception we give to singles.
But, how are we to view singleness? How does the gospel shape our view of singleness? Often we look at 1 Corinthians 7:29-31, where Paul speaks about singleness. The first thing to note is v. 29, Paul shares the time is short.
1. The Eschatology age is now.
I bet you never thought we would talk about end times and singleness together. Both Paul and Jesus spoke of the kingdom of God that is breaking into human history. We are now living in the end days. The early Church was living as if this was its last day, and that shaped its worldview. This is why Paul says in v. 31 that everything is passing away.
Ben Witherington directed my attention to this:
“This being the case what had been said before on the matters of marriage, divorce, and singleness is no longer adequate, since it was not addressed to the current salvation historical frame of reference. In short, new occasions teach new duties, and to those to whom more is given (by way of grace and divine help) more is required. In essence, both Jesus and Paul up the ante on fidelity and restrictions compared to what is mentioned in the OT about marriage and divorce. In fact Jesus even says that Moses made those rules due to the hardness of the human heart, but that factor will no longer be taken into consideration now that the Kingdom is coming. 2) Jesus, followed by Paul, is perfectly clear that in light of the eschatology situation, it is no longer required, even of Jews that they marry. The creation order mandate— “be fruitful and multiple or multiply” (and the obligation to marry that goes with it) must now be seen as a blessed option, not an obligation for all of God’s people” .
Some of you might be saying, “But, I want the blessing”, but remember: Our identity is not wrapped up in our marital status, but in our redemptive status.
2. Being married and not being married are good conditions.
In light of what the church culture may say, Paul is clear that being single is a good condition. In What is the meaning of Marriage, Tim Keller comments about how big a statement this is.
In Ancient religions and cultures, they placed an absolute value on the family and of bearing children. A single person would be considered less than human.
Paul shares that for those that choose to be single, and those who have yet to find a spouse that their future is not guaranteed by the human family, but by God.
Our identity is not based upon being married or single. We are to live as only Jesus matters.
3. A call to Develop a Devotion to the Lord
In the text Paul is sharing, I do not want you to have divided interests. He shares this in hopes that people would have undivided devotion to the Lord. These restrictions or instructions are not meant to hinder, but rather to remind us of our anchor as followers of Jesus is in Christ.
How does the gospel shape our view of singleness? It shares that our identity is not wrapped up in it, but in Jesus.
Ben Witherington shares:
“The church does not exist for the sake of creating nuclear families. The primary family is the family of faith according to Jesus, and the nuclear family is to fit its agendas into those of the family of faith, not the other way around. A family church should be one that is a family to all who are present, single or married, not one that is merely an incubator for nuclear families.”
What has been your experience of being single in the church?
Resources:
“Jesus and Paul on Singleness, Marriage and Divorce: – Ben Witherington
February 2014 I taught at this at Sunnyside Wesleyan Church Downtown site.
