Reference

1 Corintheans 7

What does it mean to make the right choice when Scripture allows more than one faithful path? In this message from 1 Corinthians 7:36–40, we examine Paul’s closing counsel on marriage, singleness, self-control, and wholehearted devotion to Christ.

Whether you are married, single, engaged, widowed, or discerning your next step, this sermon offers biblical guidance for making choices that honor the Lord. Discover why Christian freedom is not independence from Christ, but the freedom to choose purity over compromise, conviction over pressure, self-control over impulse, and devotion over distraction.

Key Scripture: 1 Corinthians 7:36–40

Main Idea: Freedom in Christ is freedom to make right choices in devotion to the Lord.

P21 Oct 4TH -1 Corintheans 7 - 3640 -Right Choices.mp3

Sermon Manuscript

1 Corinthians 7:36–40

Introduction: Freedom That Belongs to the Lord

Today we conclude our study of 1 Corinthians 7. My prayer is that this chapter has helped us understand how marriage, singleness, self-control, and devotion all fit within the Christian life.

Over the weekend, my family found a buckeye tree while we were driving around Strongsville. My children were surprised that we could simply pick the buckeyes up from the ground. We had the freedom to collect them—and after gathering more than two hundred, we now have the makings of some impressive necklaces.

Freedom usually brings positive ideas to mind. As Americans, we think of the freedoms to speak, worship, associate, and petition our government. We should be grateful for those liberties. Yet believers possess freedoms of even greater value: freedom from slavery to sin, freedom to worship God wherever we are, and freedom to live holy and pleasing lives through Christ.

Christian freedom, however, is not independence from the Lord. Because we belong to him, our choices also belong to him. In this passage, Paul gives final counsel to unmarried believers. His central message is simple: freedom in Christ is freedom to make right choices in devotion to the Lord.

Scripture Reading

“If anyone is worried that he might not be acting honorably toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if his passions are too strong and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married. But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin—this man also does the right thing. So then, he who marries the virgin does right, but he who does not marry her does better. A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord. In my judgment, she is happier if she stays as she is—and I think that I too have the Spirit of God.”

Context

Throughout this chapter, Paul has addressed marriage, sexual purity, divorce, singleness, and Christian calling. He has taught that sexual intimacy belongs within marriage, that believers should honor the Lord in whatever condition he has called them, and that singleness can provide an undistracted opportunity for service. Because the time is short and the world in its present form is passing away, every believer must put devotion to Christ ahead of personal preference.

1. Make Right and Honorable Choices

Choose to Avoid Sin

Verses 36–38 present an interpretive difficulty because we do not have the Corinthians’ original letter to Paul. Some translations understand the passage as counsel to fathers deciding whether to give their daughters in marriage. In the context of the chapter, however, Paul is more likely addressing betrothed believers and the conduct of a man toward the woman he intends to marry.

If his desire is strong and his conduct is becoming dishonorable, marriage is a righteous course. Paul has already written, “If they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion” (1 Corinthians 7:9). Marriage is not a concession to sin; it is God’s appointed setting for sexual intimacy.

Believers must not place themselves in situations that invite compromise. Living together before marriage, treating engagement as permission for sexual intimacy, or taking advantage of another person’s affection is dishonorable. Our bodies belong to the Lord and are temples of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we must glorify God with them.

Choose to Act Honorably

Paul may also have in view a man who has delayed marriage despite a genuine pledge and a recognized social obligation. Customs vary across cultures and families, but the principle does not: Christian men should act with integrity toward women they pursue for marriage.

They should be considerate, self-controlled, truthful, and dependable. Their conduct should stand in clear contrast to the surrounding culture because marriage reflects Christ and the church. A Christian man should be a promise keeper, not a promise breaker. If he decides to marry, he should do so wisely, honorably, and openly before the Lord.

2. Make Right and Helpful Choices

Act with Conviction

Verse 37 describes the opposite decision. A man may settle the matter in his own mind and decide not to marry. Paul emphasizes that the choice must arise from conviction rather than indecision, fear, or selfishness.

Marriage is too important to approach casually. Faith should shape the qualities a believer seeks in a spouse, the discernment of spiritual character, the recognition of emotional and practical compatibility, and the decision whether marriage will support faithful service to Christ.

Scripture provides the framework. Proverbs describes the character of a godly wife, while passages such as 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 portray mature Christian character in men. Although not every man is called to pastoral ministry, every Christian man should pursue the qualities Scripture commends.

Romans 14 teaches that believers should be fully convinced in their own minds when making decisions of conscience. In the same way, choosing to marry—or choosing not to marry—must be an act of faith offered to the Lord.

Act with Self-Control

Paul also says that the man in verse 37 is “under no compulsion” and has authority over his own will. His decision is not driven by passion, pressure, or impulse. It is governed by self-control and devotion to Christ.

The Lord cares whom we marry, how we treat a spouse, how we relate to those to whom we are not married, and how we live in our present calling. None of these choices is spiritually neutral. Whether we live or die, marry or remain single, we belong to the Lord. Therefore, our decisions should demonstrate faith, conviction, and self-control.

3. Make Right and Blessed Choices

Marry Only in the Lord

In verses 39–40, Paul turns to widows. Marriage is a lifelong covenant, and death ends that bond. A widow is free to remarry, but Paul gives one essential qualification: the new spouse “must belong to the Lord.”

This principle applies to every believer considering marriage. Christians are called to marry fellow believers. Second Corinthians 6 warns against being unequally yoked with unbelievers because righteousness and wickedness, light and darkness, and Christ and unbelief do not move in the same direction.

A shared life requires more than affection. Husband and wife must be able to worship together, submit to Scripture together, pursue the same spiritual destination, and strengthen one another’s devotion to Christ. A person who does not belong to the Lord cannot help a believer become more devoted to him.

Belonging to the Lord begins with faith in the gospel: Jesus Christ died for sinners and rose again, and everyone who confesses him as Lord and believes in him is saved. Yet belonging to Christ does not end with a profession. It becomes visible in worship, repentance, obedience, and spiritual fruit.

Embrace the Blessing of Devotion

Paul’s personal judgment is that remaining unmarried may be the happier and better choice in light of the Corinthians’ present crisis. Singleness can offer freedom from certain pressures and distractions, allowing a believer to serve the Lord with focused devotion in body and spirit.

This does not make marriage sinful or singleness spiritually superior in every circumstance. Both are callings in which believers can honor God. Paul’s concern is that neither desire nor cultural pressure should displace devotion to Christ.

For those who desire marriage but have not received it, and for those who have lost a spouse, the Lord sees and knows your situation. As he saw Hagar in her distress, he sees you. Be faithful where he has placed you. Do not exchange devotion for disobedience. If he leads you toward marriage, choose someone who belongs to the Lord. If he calls you to remain single, receive that calling as a meaningful opportunity for service.

Conclusion

Paul closes the chapter by affirming that his counsel is trustworthy and Spirit-directed. Competing voices in Corinth offered conflicting ideas about marriage, abstinence, and singleness, but Paul consistently returned believers to one controlling truth: we belong to the Lord.

Therefore, use the freedom Christ has given you to choose rightly. Choose purity over compromise, honor over exploitation, conviction over pressure, self-control over impulse, and devotion over distraction. Whether married or unmarried, live as one who has been redeemed by Christ.

Closing Prayer

Father, you have called us to walk worthy of the gospel. You have saved us by your grace and mercy, and we belong to you because you have redeemed us. As we close this chapter, help us act with faith and conviction. Teach us to approach decisions with lifelong consequences in devotion rather than disobedience. Give us self-control, wisdom, and confidence in the truth of Scripture so that our choices are honorable and pleasing to you. We ask your blessing in Christ’s name. Amen.

YouTube Description

Key Scripture: 1 Corinthians 7:36–40

Main Idea: Freedom in Christ is freedom to make right choices in devotion to the Lord.

Hashtags

#RightChoices, #1Corinthians7, #Sermon, #BibleTeaching, #ChristianLiving, #BiblicalMarriage, #ChristianSingleness, #SelfControl, #DevotionToChrist, #FaithfulChoices, #MarriageAndSingleness, #WalkByFaith, #HonorGod, #GospelMessage, #ChurchSermon

One-Page Sermon Outline

Title: Right Choices

Text: 1 Corinthians 7:36–40

Main Idea: Freedom in Christ is freedom to make right choices in devotion to the Lord.

Purpose: To call believers to make decisions about marriage, singleness, and relationships with purity, conviction, self-control, and wholehearted devotion to Christ.

Introduction: Freedom That Belongs to the Lord

Freedom is valuable, but Christian freedom is not independence from Christ.
Because we belong to the Lord, our choices also belong to him.
Paul’s closing counsel applies to believers discerning marriage or singleness.

1. Make Right and Honorable Choices (vv. 36–38)

Choose to avoid sin.

Strong desire is not an excuse for compromise.
Marriage is God’s honorable setting for sexual intimacy.
Do not enter situations that invite impurity or misuse another person’s affection.

Choose to act honorably.

Treat marriage commitments with integrity.
Be considerate, truthful, dependable, and self-controlled.
If you marry, do so wisely and openly before the Lord.

2. Make Right and Helpful Choices (v. 37)

Act with conviction.

Do not decide from fear, selfishness, indecision, or cultural pressure.
Let Scripture, faith, character, and spiritual compatibility guide the choice.
Marriage or singleness should be embraced as an act of faith.

Act with self-control.

Do not be ruled by passion, pressure, or impulse.
Remember that every relationship decision belongs under Christ’s lordship.

3. Make Right and Blessed Choices (vv. 39–40)

Marry only in the Lord.

A believer is free to marry, but the spouse must belong to Christ.
Shared faith enables a couple to worship, obey Scripture, and pursue Christ together.