Joel M Bradshaw

32I [Paul] would like you [the church at Corinth] to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord. 33But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— 34and 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. 35I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.–1 Corinthians 7

1. I do biblical counseling with both husbands as well as single men.
2. To the husbands, we follow Ephesians 5:25, which commands us to love our wives sacrificially.
3. On my end as a husband, I stay accountable to other men regarding that verse!
4. I don’t give Ephesians 5:25 to the single men.
5. Marriage is a good thing, but it does divide the attentions of the spouses. They are focused on each other as well as God. And this, of course, is not wrong.
6. The single person can just focus on God. He or she is therefore with a time and availability advantage in terms of ministry.
7. The key verse is 35. Paul wasn’t restricting them, but reminding them about being devoted to Jesus. A married couple can sing a song of praise unified and together that a single person cannot. A single person has the lone devotion of priorities that a married couple cannot have. Both are good.–JMB