Dr Paul Allen

1 Corinthians 7:8–9 “To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single, as I am. But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.” A question from the first-century Corinthian church regarding sex in marriage moved the Apostle Paul to write 1 Corinthians 7, where he deals with various issues related to matrimony. Having acknowledged that God has not given every believer the gift of celibacy (v. 7), Paul in today’s point expands on this point and its relation to singleness. The basic question addressed in verses 8–9 is what single people are to do if they find that they do not have the gift of celibacy. First, Paul notes in verse 8 that it is good for single people—whether they have never been married, are divorced, or have lost a spouse—to remain unmarried.  Singleness is not to be despised in the church, and unmarried people should not be treated as second-class citizens. Moreover, to treat

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh ( Genesis 2:24). When a man and a woman people marry it is important for them to leave their parents . It is sometimes difficult for parents to let their children leave, and it is sometimes just as hard for the children, but it is necessary. Leaving does not mean cutting off one’s parents, but it does mean geographical separation. We remove ourselves from the boundaries of the home where another couple is in authority and establish a new home. What happens if a newlywed couple lives with their parents? We see this when a couple wants to get married but they do not have very much money. The parents offer to have them live with them. It is very unwise to get into this situation. Think about it. I bring my wife to live in my home, and pretty soon she is thoroughly intimidated by the way my mother does things. Or we move in with her parents. Her father is the authorit