
  John 3:16 says "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
To find out more about God’s love and free gift of eternal life click here... In 1 Corinthians 7:7, God says through the Apostle Paul while addressing the topic of being single, marriage, and re-marriage: “I wish that all men were as I am.” (single) “But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.
In one sense, Paul wished that all believers could be unmarried, I wish that all men were as I am. He said that in light of the great freedom and independence he had as a single person to serve Christ But he did not expect all believers to be unmarried. He did not expect all who were then single to stay single. And for those who were already married it would be wrong to live as if they were single, to become celibate while married.
Although celibacy is good for Christians who are not married, it is a gift from God that He does not give to every believer. Just as it is wrong to misuse a gift that we have, it is also wrong to try to use a gift we do not have. For a person who does not have the gift of celibacy, trying to practice it brings moral and spiritual frustration. But for those who have it as God’s gift, singleness, like all His gifts, is a great blessing.
The attitude among Christians today about singleness, however, is often like that of Jewish tradition in Paul’s day. It is looked on as a second–class condition. “Not so,” says the apostle. If singleness is God’s gift to a person, it is God’s will for that person to accept and exercise the gift. If that person is submissive to God, he can live in singleness all his life in perfect contentment and happiness.
Obviously, singleness has many practical advantages. It allows much greater freedom in where and how a person serves the Lord. He is freer to move around and to set his own hours and schedule. As Paul points out later in the chapter, married persons have many cares and concerns that the unmarried do not have: “32 I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord's affairs--how he can please the Lord. 33 But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world--how he can please his wife-- 34 and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world--how she can please her husband. 35 I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.”
Each man has his own gift from God, one has this gift, and another has that. Our purpose should be to discover the gifts he has given us and to use those gifts faithfully and joyfully in His service, without either envying or disparaging the gifts we do not have.1 No matter your past circumstances, we love you and welcome you. We would love to grow in the Christian way of living with you under the authority of God’s Word. In 2 Corinthians 5:17 God tell us “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" 1MacArthur, J. 1996, c1984. 1 Corinthians. Includes indexes. Moody Press: Chicago |