Marriage, Singleness, and the Freedom of the Gospel

Introduction

1 Corinthians 7 is one of those texts that can become dangerous if you read it the wrong way. Not dangerous in themselves, but because they can trigger the wrong reflexes in you: legalism, activism, the idea that the Christian life comes down to a list of "you must" and "you must not" about your love life. In this message preached on June 21, 2026 from 1 Corinthians 7:25-40, Jacques Nussbaumer, a theology teacher at the Vaux-sur-Seine Faculty and a member of the CAEF's service and reference commission, invites you onto a very different path: learning to read these verses in the light of the Gospel so you can discover true Christian freedom, in marriage as much as in singleness.

Article outline

1. Two markers for reading the Bible without getting defensive

The preacher starts with two general remarks on how to approach Scripture, and the epistles in particular.

First marker: some texts are difficult, and that's fine. Verse 36 of 1 Corinthians 7 is a good example. The World English Bible renders it: "But if any man thinks that he is behaving inappropriately toward his virgin daughter..." Other translations note it could equally mean a man wondering whether he should marry the woman he's engaged to, or a father wrestling with whether to give his daughter in marriage. These are two very different scenarios. Both readings can be defended from the Greek text.

This kind of difficulty doesn't affect the authority or relevance of Scripture. The Bible isn't a magic word: it is the Word of God and the word of man. Your normal understanding of Scripture needs to include the fact that there are regularly interpretive difficulties, and sometimes several possible readings of the same passage. It is the biblical text that holds authority, not the interpreter. So you need to stay careful and modest with your interpretations, and not get defensive too quickly over difficult verses. It's also a spiritual exercise: you sometimes tend to confuse faith with certainty, when in fact God leads you first on a path of faith and trust, starting from what is clear in Scripture.

Second marker: the Bible speaks from a context, into a context. If we understand that Paul is talking about a father giving his daughter in marriage, we recognize that most of us no longer find ourselves in that situation. We no longer marry off our children; they marry within a free and voluntary covenant, and for many reasons that's a good thing from a Christian standpoint. This is a reminder that the Bible contains many instructions tied to a different context, and that it's not a matter of applying them as-is today.

When you read one of Paul's letters, he's writing in a context, for that context: here, the city of Corinth in the first century. What matters is perceiving how Paul thinks through the Christian life starting from the Gospel. His logic isn't to hand down new rules, but to help Christians ask: how should we understand and apply Jesus Christ and his message in this particular context? That same fundamental question faces you today: how do you interpret Jesus Christ and his message in your modern, French, Parisian context?

The more you learn to read the Bible this way, the less you'll be tempted by legalism. For Paul, the Gospel is liberating. You are saved by grace through faith: there's no more trying to follow rules to please God. Your whole way of thinking needs to learn to live inside that freedom.

2. The heart of the passage: a wisdom for living in the light of the Gospel

In a hypersexualized society that pushes some people to define their identity primarily by their sexual orientation, what a relief to be reminded that what defines you most fundamentally isn't your sex life, it's the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Your identity is in him, and your whole life is in him.

On that foundation, Paul takes up singleness and marriage. His answer rests first on a discernment of the times: he speaks of "the distress that is coming" (v. 26), warns that "the time is short" (v. 29), and reminds us that "the form of this world is passing away" (v. 31). To borrow a well-worn metaphor: Paul is telling them, "Friends, the iceberg is right ahead of us, the Titanic is going to sink. Travel light, and don't tie yourselves into bonds that would keep you stuck on the ship." He wants them to be "free from cares" (v. 32), so that they can be "devoted to the Lord, without distraction" (v. 35).

This reading of the present time isn't just about marriage: in verses 30 and 31, all of a Christian's life choices are placed under this same light. Christian wisdom involves reading the times by the clock of Jesus Christ. Facing a real-estate decision in your city, you might ask: does this choice let me stay connected to my church, support God's servants financially, take part in the life of God's people? Facing a career choice, you might see one brother turn down a promotion to protect time for serving the church, while another advances in his career precisely to support the mission or bear witness inside a large company. The question is: what is your spiritual reading of the times, and how does it help you decide wisely?

Concretely, for marriage: you want to get married, good. But you're not obligated to marry either. Single people have too often heard the line "you're next" at a wedding. There's no obligation. Social, family, or cultural expectations must remain subordinate to your Christian freedom, the freedom of those who are, first and foremost, servants of the Lord. There are today a significant number of single people in our churches, and it's essential to affirm them rather than devalue them. Singleness is not a lesser status. For some it's a gift life has handed them; others live it well and joyfully, there's no reason to push them toward marriage.

3. Verses 36-38: firm resolve, without compulsion, in full control of one's will

Verses 36 to 38 are hard to translate. The preacher highlights three elements in verse 37 that Paul ties to Christian freedom: "firm resolve," "without compulsion," and "having control over his own will." In that era, not everyone had this freedom: slaves weren't always free regarding their own marriages, and arranged marriages were common. Paul always examines how Christian freedom can be lived out in the real context of his readers.

And as you live in a society with incredible freedoms never known before in history, what Paul says here should challenge you. When you see the cultural and commercial pressure pushing people to spend indecent sums on a dress for a single day of celebration, you can rightly ask questions about freedom in the Lord. More deeply, there are troubling similarities between Corinth and our evangelical circles today. In Corinth, some were tempted toward a form of asceticism (7:1); at the same time, there was sexual immorality, even incest (chapter 5). We find a similar contrast in our own circles.

The preacher, in his fifties, an evangelical and a pastor's son, knows a bit about what goes on behind the scenes. Among evangelicals, the question of what's forbidden in marital and sexual matters has often tended to become an obsession: rules of "you must, you must not" have crowded out teaching people about Christian freedom. The framework God gives for our love lives is indeed the covenant of marriage, not as a form of compulsion, but as a secure space in which to experience and grow in that love. Yet we've spent far more energy on the prohibitions than on the conditions needed to make that space genuinely secure.

Over the past few years, we've been discovering how much our churches (for all their sometimes prudish talk), were also filled with domestic violence, marital rape, incest, and sexual abuse of every kind. Worse, a number of these cases of abuse were at times covered up by leaders, especially when they involved people who were well regarded. This is a shame on God's people. Today, we need honest language about the past and clear language about the future. We need to insist firmly on respecting a spouse's will: "firm resolve, without compulsion." There is no marital obligation or duty that can be forced by physical or psychological pressure. It's even more unthinkable to force a child, a young man, or a young woman into relationships imposed by a parent, a friend, a pastor, or a youth group leader. That must be impossible among God's people.

The CNEF has set up the Stop Abus service to support victims of abuse in churches. But beyond exposing wrongdoing, we need to teach and promote a genuine Christian freedom (centered on serving the Lord and reflecting the Lord himself), one that is infinitely respectful of the boundaries set by the dignity of others, whether that's your spouse, a child, or anyone else.

Key takeaways

• Reading the Bible means learning to think first from Jesus Christ. The meaning of a biblical text for you will always be a meaning shaped in the light of the Gospel.
• Faith is not certainty. God leads you on a path of trust, starting from what is clear in Scripture, without requiring that you master every interpretation.
• Marriage and singleness are two equally valid paths. Neither is a lesser status, neither is imposed as a duty; both are contexts for Christian service lived in the freedom of God's children.
• Discerning the times is a spiritual act. Your big decisions (housing, career, commitments) deserve to be re-read in the light of the Gospel and of the season your church and your context are going through.
• Christian freedom is infinitely respectful of others. It rules out any form of physical or psychological compulsion in your emotional and sexual life, whether inside or outside marriage.

Personal application

• When you face a difficult biblical text, do you reach for certainty too quickly, instead of humbly accepting that several interpretations can exist without the authority of Scripture being called into question?
• What are the big choices (marriage, singleness, housing, career, commitments) you've made or are considering? Can you re-read them in the light of the season your church is going through and of the Gospel?
• How does your church or community treat single people? Does it place pressure on them, or does it fully recognize the value of their path?
• In your marriage, your family, or the people around you, do you make room for the other person's "firm resolve, without compulsion"? Are there areas where you need to unlearn obligation to make room for respect?
• Is your devotion to the Lord "without distraction" (v. 35), or do other priorities pull at your heart in a way that gets in the way of your undivided consecration?

Scripture references

• 1 Corinthians 7:25-40 · the main passage for this message
• 1 Corinthians 7:1 · the temptation toward asceticism at Corinth
• 1 Corinthians 5 · the sexual immorality Paul condemns
• 1 Corinthians 6 · context from the preceding chapter

FAQ

What does 1 Corinthians 7:25-40 actually say about marriage and singleness?

Paul is answering concrete questions from the Corinthians, starting from the Gospel. He reminds them that getting married is not a sin, and neither is staying single, and that both paths are good. His first concern isn't to hand down a universal rule but to help Christians stay free for the Lord in a time he sees as short and difficult.

Why can some verses, like 1 Corinthians 7:36, be translated in two different ways?

Because the Greek text is ambiguous. Depending on how the words are read, it can describe a man hesitating over whether to marry, or a father hesitating over whether to give his daughter in marriage. These translation uncertainties don't call into question the authority of Scripture: they're a reminder that the Bible is the Word of God and the word of man, to be read with humility and in community.

How can the church better welcome single people?

By no longer treating singleness as a lesser status or a stage to move past. By dropping lines like "you're next." By affirming the service single people can offer the Lord with the particular freedom Paul describes in verses 32-35, and by fully entrusting them with the responsibilities they're called to.