To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single, as I am. 9 But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion. (1 Corinthians 7:8–9)
In context, Paul isn’t commanding them to marry. He, & the Lord, are **advising** them to marry. This is a harm reduction technique designed especially for people in a relatively new church who were having issues adapting to monotheism in general & who lived in the shadow of the Aphrodite temple.
Aphrodite supplied a plethora of temple prostitutes, & some of the members of that church were utilizing their services. Paul stops short of commanding the unmarried to marry. He advises them to do so &, by implication remain monogamous, as a means of confuting Aphrodite’s prostitutes & as an exercise in godly self-control.
The Bible does not command anyone to marry. If so, that would lead to the concept that what makes sexual activity prior to marriage immoral is the lack of the marriage itself, which renders the inner workings of the hearts & minds of moral agents.
The Bible commends both singleness & marriage & provides instructions & examples of how to live these estates out wisely in the world in which we live. At the same time, it (the Bible) reminds us that God doesn’t judge us based on outward appearances & bares actions alone — rather God examines & evaluates the desires that underwrite our thoughts, words, & deeds & judges us accordingly.
The Bible also teaches us that God’s moral threshold for absolute righteousness is defined as absolute, meticulous, perfect love for God first, then everyone & everything else, then (& only then) ourselves.
It’s important for us to remember that & live that out as best we can, especially when it comes to particular issues within a great many churches. When you read the Corinthian letter, you get the sense that there were people talking down about each other, which was one of the causes of the many divisions among them.
The Bible’s definition of love itself (1 Corinthians) & God ‘s most holy, wise, & perfect moral threshold for righteousness reminds us that, unless God unilaterally & temporarily restrains us from loving ourselves first or, alternatively, permanently removes our ability to fail Him in this regard, all sexual activity (& everything else we think, feel, say, & do) is a sin.
We need to know & understand this, insofar as living with that in mind (a) takes us & our egos down a (much needed) & (b) if : when enough us do this, helps us to majorly curtail hypocrisy in judgment, & real. (& imagined) prejudice & bigotry. Maybe, just maybe that might help curtail the spirit of hate, hypocris, & vengeance at work in this world.
In other words, when we realize we are all in sin, it helps us realize that we are all in this together & sitting in judgment of each other in the spirit of comparing our sins to each other &/or pointing fingers at everyone else around us like the Corinthians did (1 Corinthians 5) is at the root of the hot mess in our homes, churches, societal institutions, & the world in general.
Love liberates.
O LORD, Hear our prayer(s)!
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