What does 1 Corinthians 7:35 mean?
Previous verses described why Paul—personally, not as a matter of faith (1 Corinthians 7:25)—sees an advantage for a Christian to remain single. That person, man or woman, will be able to remain undivided in their service to Christ. The married person will be divided in their efforts: between their obligation to please Christ and their additional spiritual obligation to please his or her spouse.Paul adds once more, for the sake of clarity, that he is not writing this as a command. He is not using his authority as an apostle of Jesus Christ to tell unmarried people not to marry. He offers this instruction to his readers in order to be helpful to them in considering whether to get married or not.
He says he wants to promote good order among them. Given what's been said in prior verses, this likely means Paul wants Christians to make marriage choices for appropriate reasons. Whether they marry or stay single, his intent is for believers to do so for the right reasons. Of course, Paul has his personal preference. He probably hopes more Christians will choose to remain single and take advantage of the opportunity to experience undivided devotion to the Lord.
First Corinthians 7:25–40 explores Paul's response to a question about those who are engaged to be married. Should they go through with it, considering his teaching that singleness provides opportunity to serve Christ undivided? Both are permitted, Paul insists, and you do well in either case. Paul's unique, personal view is that unmarried Christians can serve without the troubles that come with even the best marriages; they can remain fully focused on living for Christ. That is neither a command nor a judgment binding on anyone.
Paul rejects an idea concerning the Corinthian believers: that married Christians should not have sex. Perhaps some even thought marriages should be dissolved and avoided. On the contrary, Scripture says married Christians should have regular sex in order to avoid temptation. Those who are married ought to remain married. Unmarried believers with the gift of celibacy, however, should consider remaining single in order to avoid the troubles of marriage. That is Paul's personal preference, though that gift is not given to all others. Single believers can devote themselves to serving Christ without distraction. The time is short. All believers should live and serve Christ now as if this world is passing away.
