September 25, 2024
A group of Pharisees questioned Jesus about divorce hoping to get Jesus to go on record with something that could be later used against Him. Jesus, of course, is never beaten in debate or thrown off by anyone. He answered their questions not by siding with any of their popular teachers, but by citing the will of God as written in the Word of God. His statement on divorce is strict and even goes beyond the divorce to future relationships of the couple.
The Pharisees left frustrated. The whole incident raised a further issue with the disciples. They asked whether or not a Christian should even pursue marriage at all. Faced with high standards for marriage, the disciples raised the issue of whether or marriage was a viable option for followers of Christ. We do not know the status of most of the disciples but we do know that Peter was married because Jesus healed his mother-in-law.
Jesus answered that singleness is not the answer for everyone. He gives three scenarios why a person may avoid marriage:
- A person may be born without the ability to marry.
- A person may have been made unable to marry, presumably by violence or surgery.
- A person may choose not to marry for the sake of their work for the Kingdom.
In the course of Christian history, some have sought to avoid sexual sin by extreme measures, most notably, the theologian Origen. Neither these surgical measures nor vows can produce holiness. Within the confines of marriage, sex is not sinful.
It is of this third category that we are most concerned. Singleness is not a requirement for personal holiness. It is also wrong for an institution to demand singleness to serve a church function. The choice must be a person’s own conviction not made under any coercion.
The Apostle Paul had an opinion on this issue. He would prefer people to not marry. However, he was clear to say that his personal stance was not required or even preferred. He did make clear that the only biblical option for a single person is celibacy (I Cor. 7:9,36).
Whatever a person’s status, married, divorced, or single, it is incumbent upon them to seek to glorify God in that state. Divorce is not the unpardonable sin, though it can disqualify a person for some ministry opportunities in the same way that it can open others. Married people should seek to glorify God in their marriage. A single person can be complete in Christ and find ways to glorify God in their singleness.
Singleness isn’t for everyone and it may not be forever. This is what Jesus meant when He said, “He who has ears, let him hear.”
Chapel of the North Hills 
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