Concerning change of status. 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 Single persons and widows are to marry rather than live under the burning of unfulfilled passions. It is important for all saints to remember our bodies are God's dwelling place. The spiritual aspect of who we are must not be governed by the physical needs and desires we might have. Celibacy is the real way to deal with the tendency some seem to have towards members of the same sex. We can "remain eunuchs" for the kingdom of God's sake. Intimate access to another person's body is strictly and only, under the bonds of marriage between one man and one woman. Contentment and godliness go together and is "great gain." Fill life with meaningful activity if you are single. Live one day at a time in the way God opens up the path before you.
We are three-part beings - body, soul, and spirit. When God saved us by His grace each part of us has a spiritual aspect. The Holy Spirit uses my body. The Son of God uses my soul as a tool to transmit His Gospel to the world through the members of my body. The Lord Jesus Christ left us an example of how to use our soul to His glory. The spirit of me that received life when I was born again into the family of God, links me with my heavenly Father. Now when two believers become one in Christian marriage, it goes way beyond the physical union to where we become one in the Lord. Not only are we released from the temptation to find physical fulfillment elsewhere, but we can learn and grow together in our spiritual life through our ongoing communion.
Marriage then includes communion as well as physical union. There is no need for a husband to seek to lord it over his wife, and there is no reason for the wife to seek a life of autonomy on her own. Marriage is intended to fill the needs of both when they are yielded to the Lord and to each other. Whether one is married or single does not make one more important than the other. We are to thankfully accept our present situation and go on to please the Lord in the role in which we are found. Paul could devote himself completely to his ministry by being single, but he did not criticize those who were married because marriage is of God.
Marriage is the God-appointed way to avoid "burning with passion." This does not mean we should marry just anyone who comes along or strikes our fancy. Apparently, some in Corinth who were going to marry, decided not to get married, but their normal desires were being frustrated. When this happens, a person can become obsessed with what they want but cannot have. The passions of human need are to be dealt with in marriage with one partner, but the principle of marriage "in the Lord" should apply to all, not just to widows. Handling the pressures of passion is easier and better than dealing with the frustrations of unhappiness in marriage to the wrong person.
The teaching about the permanence of marriage comes right from God at the beginning of the human experience with Adam and Eve. The Lord Jesus supported that teaching when He was here and taught this subject of marriage. However, when an unbeliever leaves one whom God has saved and does not want the sanctifying effect of a child of God in his or her life, and leaves and is joined to another person, the bond of marriage is broken. The physical bond of marriage is broken at the death of one partner or at the physical joining of one partner to another person. The believer is not to leave a marriage because God has saved them. Their new life creates a whole new dimension to a family in which the unbelieving spouse and unbelieving children are set aside by God to hear the Gospel and be saved as well. The marriage commitment does not change but the new life in Christ has a positive influence in view so blessings will extend to the family members.
If a person who is a believer in Christ is given an ultimatum to deny Christ and reject the testimony of faith in Him, they need to know that to deny the faith and the Lord Jesus Christ who died for them is far worse than dissolving a marriage. If the unsaved spouse is determined to leave after attempts at reconciliation and living the positive blessings of Christian life before the other has not produced or maintained unity - then the believer can let the unbeliever go.
Married couples should pursue unity, not separation, but when one is rejected because of faith in Christ, that decision has been made by the unbeliever. If the unbeliever goes with another person and is physically joined to that person the believer is freed from the bonds of the marriage. We are not told to deny the faith to preserve a marriage. Marriage is intended to be for life. But our new life in the family of God is forever.
The principles in such a personal and intimate part of life are that a believer is to remain unmarried unless it is “in the Lord.” Be consistent with what the Lord Jesus taught in Mark chapter ten. Consistency in obedience to God can help a skeptical unbelieving spouse to see the reality of faith in Christ. Social status is unimportant to God. He simply wants us to be obedient to Him in this life. When we are married, we are to remain married to our spouse. Celibacy is not to be despised in spite of the difficulties associated with it. Spiritual wisdom and biblical guidance enable a person to live in whatever position and condition God, in His sovereignty, dictates.