Singleness and Service for the Lord

Ken Rathbun

My purpose in this article is to examine in a balanced way what 1 Corinthians 7 has to say about single people and ministry. The key word in the previous sentence is “balanced.” I also think it is helpful for you to know how my life experiences inform the way I think about this passage, particularly as it deals with one’s status (especially marital) in life and ministry.

Full disclosure: I spent nearly thirty- nine years as a single person, and now I have spent not quite fourteen years married. In my adult life I have been involved in service at the local churches in which I held membership. I have also served the Lord in full-time ministry as a single person and as a married person; both in the pastorate and as a Baptist Mid-Missions missionary. In all honesty, I do not consider myself to have succeeded often enough spiritually in my life as a single, and neither have I done so as a married person. To each status, I have brought my own selfish desire and sinful nature. I am just so grateful for God’s grace to me and the forgiving nature of the woman I married. She has often had opportunity to exercise it and has done so without limitations.

Getting back to our topic, I have heard a number of sermons preached on 1 Corinthians 7 and ministry. Candor compels me to say that in some cases it seemed to me a proper balance with Paul’s main points was lacking. I think the natural tendency is that whatever preachers say about the passage, they do not want to disparage the institution of marriage. To my mind, this (good) intention can result in a diminishing of Paul’s emphasis on singleness and ministry.