Java with Juli: #527 Why Friendship, not Romance, is the Greatest Love of All
Full Transcript
There’s a lot of conversation today about marriage. Marriage rates are declining, particularly among the younger generation. And so you might be hearing from church or your Christian friends, you have to get married. And then you might wonder, well, what if I don’t want to? Is it okay to not get married?
Well, I think first of all, that’s a pretty complicated question at a basic level. When we look at scripture, the Bible actually addresses this in the book of First Corinthians. Paul, who himself was not married, was fully devoted to the Lord. And he said, if you get married, it’s not a bad thing. It’s a good thing. And if you choose not to get married, it’s not a bad thing. It’s a good thing. Actually, in his context, he said, I wish more of you were like me, not married.
Now, why is this a complex topic? Because I think we have to break it down even further and say, what is the reason that you’re getting married or not getting married? You know, because the principle of being a Christian is not about whether or not you’re married. It’s about whether you’re living for yourself or you’re living for the glory of God. And the scripture says, we can choose to get married for the glory of God, or you can choose to stay single for the glory of God. And so my question to you is not whether or not it’s okay to get married, but why do you not wanna get married? What are you gonna do with your life as a single? And conversely, what would you do with your life as a married person? I think it’s tempting in our world that is so focused on me and what I want to get married for selfish reasons or to stay single for selfish reasons. And so if you’re a follower of Christ, the more important question is what has the Lord called you to do? And whatever it is, singleness or marriage do for His glory and for His honor.
