Does God Promise You a Spouse?
In 1 Corinthians 7, the apostle Paul writes:
Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry. But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. (1 Corinthians 7:1-2)
Does this mean that God promises a spouse to all Christian men & women? Later in the same chapter, Paul writes:
I say this as a concession, not as a command. I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. (1 Corinthians 7:6-7)
From this passage, it sounds like Paul himself is not married. At very least, we can take away from this passage that not all Christians will (or should) get married. But on the other hand, many should, “since there is so much immorality”
Does your relationship need help?: Talk to a mentor
Do you want to start over?: Facing the future after a major loss
Rob Eagar’s article “Does God Promise You a Spouse?” explores this topic in more depth, giving practical advice and strong encouragement to those who may be wondering when or if they’ll ever get married.
If you have questions about marriage, singleness, or relationships, please feel free to contact an online mentor today to talk about it.
Tags: Apostle Paul, Bible, celebacy, darren hewer, Experience, God, husband, marriage, Men, wedding, wife, Women
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Scott,
I haven’t read Alcorn’s book but I can’t see why God would make us capable of love if that love, ultimately means nothing. I know that the love that we feel, that we are capable of, is only a reflection of the love that God feels and the love that He is capable of. I know that God’s love is most certainly NOT without meaning, so I can’t find any logic that He would make our love, which is a reflection of His own, meaningless.
I have no idea what Heaven will be like. I don’t know how it works for people who are widowed and have two spouses here on Earth. I don’t know who we will be or what we’ll be like, but I am sure that it is, quite literally, more than we can imagine. I have heard it said that in Heaven we will be the best versions ourselves, that we will have the personalities we would have had if we’d never experience pain or rejection or criticism. Which is a lovely idea. But as for who we will love in Heaven, or who we will be with I genuinely have no idea.
Wedding vows bind two people “as long as we both shall live” but I think that’s primarily to keep people from marrying more than one person simultaneous on Earth. I don’t know what it means for Heaven. But those same vows speak of “what God has joined together”. Why would He join together something that He was planning to rip apart later on?
I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your wife. I wish I could tell you what Heaven is like. I cannot do that. But I can tell you this: your marriage to your wife, your love for her and hers for you was not meaningless. How could anything so all-encompassing, so utterly life-altering be reduced to meaninglessness? Surely the commitment of that and the life that followed is one of the most meaningFULL things of all?
I don’t know why God allows suffering. I know that the world we live in is a world broken and not the world the way it was supposed to be. I know that suffering is sometimes for correction and sometimes for the glory of God but knowing that is only cold comfort. I do not doubt that God knows what He is doing, but sometimes I do wish He would explain it to the rest of us. I know that knowing He loves me should be enough, and on good days it is. But sometimes that knowledge is only enough to sustain from utter dispair and not enough to comfort. I do believe we will know someday, I wish we could know now.
Claire
Claire Colvin
Sr. Ed., TruthMedia
http://www.thelife.com/experience
I read an article online about a guy whose face continue to grow due to a weird type of tumor.
He had a nose that probably weighted 10 plus pounds and in one picture you can see a single tear rolling down his distorted cheek. It was one of the saddest things I could ever imagine.
All I could think of is, why would God allow this to happen to someone?
What is God’s purpose in this?
I keep wondering about this as I lost my spouse due to complications from a horrible and extremely rare and painful disease last summer.
When people tell me that it is all part of God’s plan and that in the end we will all be married to Jesus I wonder “why we should even bother being married then?” Don’t cite scripture on this as I already know what Paul said.
I read Randy Alcorns book “Heaven” last fall and to sum it up, at least in my interpretation, We will all be married to Jesus, and therefore will not need or desire to feel loved by any other. We will, however, enjoy the ability to perform the natural talents we were given on Earth, ala athletism, artistry, social enterprise, andeven business acumen.
We will even enjoy great mansions and lush gardens which we earn through our works on Earrth and will rule accordingly.
This seems wrong to me as to some people injcluding myself, these things mean absolutely nothing. I could care less about social standing in Heaven or where I may sit and I certainly don’t desire to rule over anything at all. Isnt it the love we felt while on Earth which matters more than anything else?
Someone explain to me why in the perfect world to come, intimacy cannot and will not be allowed, by the all loving and knowing Father who created us?