Single Life
What about single Christians?
God’s establishment of marriage in the Garden of Eden laid the foundation for all righteous interactions between men and women. He established males and females as complementary but different, with different roles and authority, but of equal value, and gave sexual relations to bless couples in their oneness.
Knowing that, we can look further into Biblical manhood and womanhood. What about Christians who remain single? Is their relationship with God diminished in any way? No. Bruce Ware rightly says:
With that, we can look further into Biblical manhood and womanhood. We’ve explored the blessings and deep spiritual significance of Christian marriage, but what about those Christians who remain single? Is their relationship with God diminished in any way? No. Bruce Ware rightly says:
“While Scripture commends marriage as ordained of God and good (1 Tim. 4:3-5), it also commends singleness as a life of extraordinary purpose and contribution, never speaking of any fundamental loss but only extolling the potential gain of the single life devoted to God (1 Cor. 7:25-35). Since human marriage is the shadow of the reality of the union of Christ and the church (Eph. 5:32), no believing single will miss out on the reality of marriage even if God calls him or her to live without the shadow.”1
The Apostle Paul was unmarried and encouraged others to remain unmarried as well, provided they were able to keep their sexual desires in check (1 Cor. 7:8-9). He pointed out that singles could devote themselves solely to the Lord, whereas those who were married were also concerned with how to please one another (1 Cor. 7:32-35). Whether one remains single by choice or because God hasn’t provided a suitable spouse, a single person devoted to God, without the distraction of a spouse, can be an extraordinary Christ-like servant and witness to God.
1Bruce A. Ware, “Male and Female Complementarity and the Image of God,” in Biblical Foundations for Manhood and Womanhood, ed. Wayne A Grudem, Foundation for the Family Series (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2002). p. 90