Devotional 14 November 2025

November 14, 2025 • Steve Torres

1 Corinthians 7:9.jpg

“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. To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife. (1 Corinthians 7:8–11, ESV)

Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 7:8–11 remind us that God’s primary concern is not whether we are married, unmarried, widowed, or separated. His priority is that we live holy lives in whatever state we find ourselves. Paul is dismantling Corinth’s obsession with status and replacing it with a far deeper question: Are you honoring God with your body?

To the unmarried and the widows, Paul says it is good to remain single: if they can do so with purity. Singleness is not less spiritual, nor is marriage more spiritual. Each state is a calling. If remaining single allows someone to glorify God with undivided devotion, Paul calls that good (1 Cor. 7:32–35). But if singleness becomes a place of temptation, marriage is just as good, because marriage is God’s provision for holiness: “It is better to marry than to burn with passion” (1 Cor. 7:9). Holiness, not independence, is the point.

To the married, Paul’s instructions echo Jesus’ teaching: a wife should not separate from her husband, and a husband must not divorce his wife (Matt. 19:3–6). Marriage is a covenant, not a contract. Its permanence is rooted not in culture but in creation (Gen. 2:24). But Paul also shows tenderness and realism: if separation occurs, the path forward is either reconciliation or remaining unmarried (1 Cor. 7:11). Even in relational brokenness, holiness is preserved through obedience.

To the one who was divorced against their will, Paul offers dignity and protection. First-century Roman divorce laws were often cruel, especially to women. Yet Paul does not condemn the innocent. Instead, he calls them to continue honoring God with their body, even in painful circumstances. Holiness is not lost because someone else sinned.

Paul’s warning to husbands, “do not divorce your wife,” reflects something he said earlier in the chapter: the husband’s body belongs to his wife, and the wife’s body belongs to her husband (1 Cor. 7:3–5). This mutual belonging is meant to protect both spouses from impurity. Marriage is supposed to be a beautiful place of mutual care, not a trap or a weapon. To cast off a spouse is to expose them to spiritual danger, something God opposes (Mal. 2:14–16).

Through all of this, Paul keeps one truth in focus:

“You were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Cor. 6:20).

Your calling is holiness. Your circumstances are simply the setting where that holiness is lived out.