Saturday, February 18, 2012

UnMarried Christians- - 2nd class Citizens?

While i think I have written posts closely related to the topic for today, I do not recall looking at this specific theme. Marriage was instituted by God Himself, and He provides at least four Biblical reasons for people to marry.
A. Companionship- Genesis 2:18 "The Lord God said, It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." (NKJV)
B. Godly Offspring- Malachi 2:15 "Has not the Lord made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring."
C. Sexual Fulfillment- "The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife." ( 1 Corinthians 7:4)
D. To provide a divinely ordained illustration of the relationship between Christ and the Church. Ephesians 5:22-33 especially verse. 32. "This is a profound mystery- but I am talking about Christ and the Church.
In addition virtually all who teach in the Body are married, usually for a long period of time, so it is inevitable that they would extol the married state. Where does this leave those who are unmarried? Some are waiting to be married for the first time. Some are older and have never been married. Some are divorced and some have lost their spouse through death. But all are swimming in the culture of the world promoting the powerful romantic fantasy that if we only find the right person then all will be roses and wonderful.
But does the idea that one has to be married to have fulfillment and happiness accord with the Kingdom of God? As with everything else one should start with the example of Jesus who was single during His entire life on this earth. Someone will say that He is God and came to fulfill a specific purpose. True, yet he was able to do that in an unmarried state. But what of Paul? He also lived as an unmarried man and had a amazing walk with God.
An examination of 1 Corinthians 7 ( a portion of the Holy Spirit inspired Word of God) yields the following. "It is good for a man not to marry." ( verse 1) "I wish that all men were as I am. ( unmarried) But each man his his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that." (Verse 7 NIV) "Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am. ( V.8) "But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this." (V.28b NIV) "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. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world- how he can please his wife- 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." Verse 32-34.
Please understand that I am not in any way opposed to or think of as second class life-long God honoring marriage. I simply wish, as someone who has lived for almost thirty years as a unmarried man in Christ, to show the balance on the other side, and testify that it is possible to live a fulfilling godly life as a single person.

2 comments:

  1. Amen! You can add Isaiah to your list of biblical supporters: http://leorningcniht.wordpress.com/2011/02/05/gentiles/

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