- As for marriage, No i am not, and with good reason: I don't struggle sexually and I have no need of a helper. My joy is complete in Christ. Through contentment, I can do all things through Christ.
Now I'll ask you the same question in context: "Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be released. Are you released from a wife? Do not seek a wife." Its pretty clear that it is better (if lawful
and beneficial) to remain single in order to be more devoted to the Lord. But the whole council informs us that if you're struggling with sexual purity, then by all means, get married so that you don't burn. The key verse here is
1 Cor 7:32
"But
I want you to be free from concern.
One who is unmarried is concerned about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord" =fact.
Paul says he wants us to be free from concern because its good for us. It is the same with all of his "I want's"....they are consistent with what God wants.
2. As for widows, younger and more energetic widows would have a more difficult time resisting the temptations connected with idleness. With the congregation supporting them, their time normally given to maintaining a living would be free. Instead of giving this time to the service of Christ in visitation and counseling, younger widows would be more susceptible to going about from house to house and becoming idlers … gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to. Too much time with not enough to do is dangerous for anyone except those too old to get into trouble. Hence Paul’s counsel was that younger widows should not take the vow and be added to the list (
1 Tim 5:11); instead they should marry, raise a family, manage their homes, and by being thus occupied give the enemy no opportunity for slander.
Its not a conundrum. Both "I want you to remain (single) as I am"
and "I want younger widows to get married" are given for our spiritual growth. His "I want"s are consistent with The Bible and God's desire for
our sanctification.