JST - 1 Corinthians 7:29-40

To finish out chapter 7, the confusion still remains strong as it seems that Paul is doubling down on the whole “it’s better to be single and celibate than married.” This is tough to reconcile with what we know to be true about the gospel. The article ongospeldoctrine.com says, “reading this chapter gives the impression that Paul supported the celibate life; that marriage is inferior to the unmarried state.” It seems that in his epistle, Paul is contesting that those who are single can focus on the work of the Lord, whereas those who are married “careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife,” and conversely how the woman may please her husband.

But we know that marriage is ordained of God, so what’s going on? The answer comes from the Joseph Smith Translation which specifies that Paul says, “I speak unto you who are called unto the ministry.” This changes the context of these verses from the church population in general specifically to missionaries. The article says, “He said that is it preferable for a missionary to be single. The missionary can concentrate more on his work and better magnify his calling. This counsel would only apply for the short time he served his mission. Those who had wives and were called on missions were for that period of time as though they had no wives.”

It really is a no brainer why this makes sense, single missionaries can concentrate on teaching the gospel and taking care of themselves, while married missionaries might struggle with missing their families and being concerned for their welfare. I also think that part of this might apply to regular church members who haven’t married because they haven’t been compatible with any other single church member of the opposite gender. This means that someone who is not married could focus on the work of God while looking for a spouse who is also a member. Basically, it means that instead of being obsessed with finding any spouse who will take them, single people can focus on the kingdom while looking and waiting for a spouse who meets the membership and testimony standards.

 There is some talk about virgins and I don’t really know that he’s talking about there, but there is nothing in the study material so I’m going to guess that it was probably very specific to that time and culture. Finally Paul reminds them that “the fashion of this world passeth away,” which to me is a way of saying to keep an eternal perspective because ultimately that’s what matters and is the sole motivation for those who are trying to serve in the kingdom of God.