Clearly, he was not married at that time, but whether he married afterward is also a matter of speculation. The undisputed letters are considered the most important sources since they contain what everyone agrees to be Paul's own statements about his life and thoughts. He identifies himself as unmarried in 1 Corinthians 7:8: "To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single, as I am." In verse 34, an “unmarried” person is distinguished from “virgins” who have never been married. I had a classroom of undergraduates before me, all of whom were in the vicinity of 18-21 years old—except for one student. He has completely devoted himself to the gospel ministry. God will make that plain in due time. Don’t feel constrained by Paul’s example.
Getting married is good too. Of the 27 books in the New Testament, 14 have been attributed to Paul; 7 of these are widely considered authentic and Paul's own, while the authorship of the other 7 is disputed. Some believe Paul was married based on his status as a Pharisee. Paul uses the term “unmarried” two other times in this chapter to refer to those who were previously married. For one thing, it’s held that Paul was a member of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council, and (the argument goes) a man had to be married in order to be on the Sanhedrin. Not the least of which is the fact that the Greek word for “widower” was rarely used in ancient Greek and was never used in the Koine period (For some reason, first century speakers did not use the word “widower.” My hunch is that they didn’t use it because of the negative social connotation attached to the term. As a single adult, I can't help feeling resentful when I see the Christian community placing so much emphasis on the importance of marriage. If we want to understand how this verse applies to us, we need first of all to whom it is addressed. And she had decided that she wanted to come back to school and learn the Bible, and so there she was in the midst of all these whipper-snapper undergraduates. Copyright 2011-2020 Got Questions Ministries - All Rights Reserved. And if so, it is not a less-than life. Christian Truth It is for this reason that many interpreters—including myself—believe that these words imply that the Apostle Paul married earlier in his life. Clearly he was not married when he wrote 1 Corinthians. It is possible that he was widowed at the time of the writing, or that he had never been married but later was, or both. There is no Greek term that corresponds to the word “single.” So if you just drop that word, it gives you a more literal sense:I don’t believe it is the case that Paul was never married. And it was great.But I was teaching this text about widows, and when I laid out the interpretive options (“it is better to marry than to burn with passion” But I never forgot what she said because I think it rang really true. If that is a constant distraction for you—especially if God brings some particular person into your life—then you are just fine to get married. Some believe that the apostle Paul was married because history tells us that a member of the Sanhedrin was required to be married. I don’t believe it is the case that Paul was never married. My own study of history leads me to believe that singleness was far more common in the past than it is today. So why do people sometimes say that Paul was married? History tells us that to join the Sanhedrin a man must be married. Each one has his own calling from the Lord, and we come to know that calling through the gifts and opportunities God gives us—or withholds from us. Lean into it for the glory of God. As an exemplary Pharisee (Philippians 3:5-6), Paul would have sought to fulfill the creation mandate to “be fruitful and multiply,” which means he almost certainly would have been married at some point.
You are not at a disadvantage in God’s kingdom by remaining unmarried.
And verse 8 seems to confirm that he was in fact married but subsequently widowed.How has Paul spent his life since becoming a widower? That leads me to believe that “unmarried” in verse 8 also refers to someone who has been previously married. He knows that most men burn and should marry.
Doesn't the Bible view marriage as a "second-class state"? The Apostle Paul does not negate God’s original design for men and women but he knows that since the Fall, we live far from an ideal world so he gives principles to live by, yet he still champions marriage and childbearing. Paul says you are in a better position. In verse 11, “unmarried” clearly refers to someone who was previously married but divorced.
He knows that women are more protected and provided for when cared for by a husband. In fact, it would have been nearly unthinkable to imagine a never-married Pharisee. It’s not as literal as it could be. Of course not.