BEING SINGLE

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT

BEING SINGLE

As an unmarried person, you have distinct opportunities to grow in your faith and to make a substantial contribution to the kingdom.

In fact, the season you’re in has the potential to be the most formative period of your life. How can you best honor God in this time? Many Christians wonder if they should move toward marriage or embrace the kind of single life the apostle Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 7.

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In order to evaluate your situation,
ask yourself two questions:

QUESTION #1
HAVE I BEEN STALLED?

Popular American culture tends to discourage marriage; implying people can live a more exciting, fulfilling life by remaining unmarried.

Even Christians with the best intentions often drift into a single lifestyle marked by recreational relationships, hyper individualism, consumption and leisure.

Following this cultural path, it’s no surprise some Christian singles find their lives stalling out to loneliness, a series of broken relationships and a general lack of purpose. Those who find themselves in this cycle need to pause and reflect on how to become intentional rather than passive with regard to the single life.

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QUESTION #2
TO WHAT AM I CALLED?

In the scriptures God calls adults to follow one of two callings – either a path to Biblical marriage or a life of celibate service (Genesis 2, 1 Corinthians 7).

The best way to honor God in your singleness is to be intentionally set apart for His purposes, recognizing that His call to both marriage and singleness is much different from the popular single culture because it includes a commitment to absolute purity, active engagement in Christian community, and faithful stewardship of your talents and resources. Singles who cultivate such qualities find it easier to discern if God is calling them to Biblical marriage or celibate service.

  • Celibate Service: Al Mohler of Southern Seminary explains that celibacy means sacrificing the companionship of marriage, the pleasures of sex and the blessing of children for your entire life without being bitter about it. In that context, serving God in celibacy makes full engagement in the body of Christ – giving and receiving fellowship – vitally important. It is not a “consolation prize” for those who haven’t yet found a spouse – but a purposeful life devoted to serving others as worship and “being Jesus” to others.
  • Marriage and Family: Singles who don’t feel called to celibacy should pursue a Biblical marriage (Ephesians 5:22-33) with hopeful preparation. While one may not know how and when they will marry, they can become intentional about eliminating roadblocks. They can remain faithful in purity, stewardship and community. They can also take initiative and pray purposefully for a good marriage. For men it means moving beyond passivity and taking the initiative to “leave and cleave” (Genesis 2:24) and to “find” a wife (Proverbs 18:22). For women, it means preparing for marriage in prudence (Proverbs 19:14), in purity (Ephesians 5:1-5), in community (Titus 2:3-5 and Ephesians 4:11-16), and in prayerfulness (Matthew 7:7-9 and Matthew 21:21-22).

Whatever the circumstances of your life, you can find purpose and fulfillment as you break away from a stalled culture and honor God in hopeful pursuit of either celibate service or a God-honoring marriage.

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NORTHWOODS COMMUNITY CHURCH CARES

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GOING FURTHER

RESOURCES

  • Get Married: What Women Can Do to Help it Happen by Candice Watters

    Watters makes the case that a biblical marriage is an honorable pursuit; one that women can help nurture along. Her book helps women see how they can “live like they are planning to marry.”  

  • Boundless.org

    Webzine that offers young adults encouragement to live abundantly as singles while seeking God’s best in either celibacy or marriage.  

  • A Guy’s/Girl’s Guide to Marrying Well

    Boundless.org has put together short, practical guides for singles to help them become proactive about whether, how and who to marry. (Available as a free download at www.boundless.org/guys or boundless.org/girls)

Northwoods Singles Ministry

Northwoods Community Church offers a variety of Life Groups and other opportunities targeting non-married adults. Consult the Life Group Locator Guide available at campus information booths to find a Life Group Class that fits your schedule and family life stage. For details regarding the Singles Ministry, go to https://northwoods.church/20s30s/

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OUR LOCATIONS

Northwoods has four physical campuses, each unique and serving a different area of our community. We also have an online campus. We hope you join us at one of our campuses this weekend.

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OUR CHURCH

Northwoods is a church made up of a diverse and vibrant community of people, with campuses throughout Illinois. Find out more about what we believe, our leadership team, and ministries for the whole family.

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