Note to the reader: This article is unusually long given the complexity of the topic. I’ve made every effort to balance conciseness and thoroughness. Although longer than the articles that you are accustomed to reading, I appreciate the reader’s patience and time investment in wrestling with this important issue.

Introduction

“The gift of singleness.” The mere mention of it quickly leads to quips from single twenty (or thirty)-somethings of it being “the gift that nobody wants.” Although the topic is certain to stir up the emotions of many whenever it is brought up, if the church is to have a solid biblical theology of singleness, we must have a proper understanding of what this gift actually is.

1 Corinthians 7 is the key text that expounds upon this gift, of which there are two primary interpretations. Some believe the state of being single is itself “the gift of singleness” that Paul references here, while others contend that it is the ability that God gives to few that enables them to forgo marriage for the sake of the kingdom. For the purposes of this article, the former view will be referred to as the “wide” view (i.e. all singles have this gift), while the latter will be referred to as the “narrow” view (i.e. few singles have this gift).

The Wide View

A simple Google search of “the gift of singleness” reveals the wide view has many advocates. For our purposes, we will be interacting with articles written by Tim Challies and Jayne Clark of CCEF.

Both authors cite one of the passage’s key texts, verse 7, where Paul writes, “I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another.” Challies explains that this “gift” is a gift of God’s grace, drawing from the origins “gift” has from “grace” in the original Greek. Thus, both singleness and marriage are gifts from our heavenly Father. Our circumstances our God’s gift to us that we must accept as such from him. This does not mean that either condition will be carefree and without struggle. God’s intention through the gift of singleness and marriage is that we would grow in him and be effective for the kingdom in the lives of others.

Jayne Clark makes a similar argument, making reference to Paul’s discussion of spiritual gifts in chapter 12. She argues that just because some singles struggle with being single does not mean that they do not have the gift of singleness. Just as someone who was struggling in their marriage cannot validly say that they don’t have the gift of marriage, struggling with singleness does not mean that you don’t have the gift of singleness. Clark claims that although “gift” in Greek does refer to singleness and marriage in 1 Cor. 7:7, “gift” is an objective gift of a particular state in life that God gives you, not a spiritual gift such as those mentioned in chapter 12.

Now, Challies and Clark, are, in a sense, correct in saying that the state of being single is a gift, but only insofar as that whatever God ordains in our lives is a gift. Everything that happens is “for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28). Singleness, even unwanted singleness, is a gift in light of Romans 8, but when the larger context of 1 Corinthians 7 is examined, we will see that Paul has something very different in mind here.

The Narrow View

In his discussion of marriage and singleness, Paul explains, “‘It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.’ But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband” (1 Cor. 7:1-2). This demonstrates that although singleness is theoretically a good option for Christians, many Christians should marry as a guard against sexual temptation. Although the Corinthians wrote to Paul stating that believers ought to remain single, Paul contests this, knowing the human capacity for sexual sin. As one commentator, Archibald Robertson, explains, “In a society so full of temptations, he advises marriage, not as the lesser of two evils, but as a necessary safeguard against evil. So far from marriage being wrong, as some Corinthians were thinking, it was for very many people a duty.”1

The Gift of Singleness Defined

In his defense for marriage being normative, Paul explains that although God had given him the ability to remain single, others had not been given that ability saying, “I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another” (v. 7). This is the key text that advocates of the wide view use to defend their position, but is the state of singleness really the “gift” that Paul has in mind?

Calvin unequivocally contests the wide view:

If this passage had been duly weighed, that perverse superstition connected with the desire of celibacy, which is the root and cause of great evils, would never have gained a footing in the world. Paul here expressly declares, that every one has not a free choice in this matter, because virginity is a special gift, that is not conferred upon all indiscriminately…Guard, accordingly, against rashly devoting what is not in your own power, and what you will not obtain as a gift, if forgetful of your calling you aspire beyond your limits.2

From this, Calvin demonstrates that this gift cannot be merely the state of being single, but is the ability to forgo marriage, an ability that God gives to few. For those that do not have this ability, they are admonished to marry instead of attempting to do something that God has not given them the ability to do.

Robertson emphasizes, “We perhaps understand the Apostle’s wish better if we assume that it refers, not so much to the fact of remaining unmarried, as to the possession of the gift of continence, without which it was disastrous to remain unmarried.”3 Given our sinful nature, God has given marriage to men and women as a guard against it. Attempting to remain single when not having been divinely enabled to will prove disastrous.

Paul then continues his argument with an admonishment to the unmarried. “To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single as I am. But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion” (v. 8-9). Thus, “in consequence of the weakness of their flesh, these persons must not neglect the remedy which they have in their power, as appointed for them by the Lord.”4 Here, Paul further emphasizes that not all who are unmarried have the gift of singleness, but only those who can be in that state and not “burn with passion.” In light of this, “the Apostle would wish those who are at present practicing chastity, to continue in it and persevere; but as they have no security for the continuance of the gift, he exhorts all to consider carefully what has been given them.”5 Those who do not should marry to avoid unnecessary occasions to sin, as this is God’s solution to those who do not have this gift.

It’s All Greek to Me: A Word Study of “Gift”

“Gift” in verse 7 comes from the Greek word χάρισμα (charisma), which may be defined as “special gifts of a non-material sort, bestowed through God’s generosity on individual Christians,” and in the case of this passage, “the power to be continent in sexual matters.”6 Biblical scholar Moisés Silva explains further that although this word is sometimes used to refer to “divine grace in a general sense…, it is mainly [Paul’s] distinctive term for the manifold outworking of divine grace in individual Christians” which gives them a “special, spiritual endowment for service in the life of the community.” This includes a variety of gifts including distinguishing spirits, tongues, apostleship, celibacy, and others.7 Thus, Paul’s use of χάρισμα is not a reference to a particular state in the life of the believer, whether that be singleness or marriage, but a Spirit-enabled equipping for divine service in particular individuals. When examining the use of this word in the entirety of the New Testament, there is not one example of this being used to describe a particular state in life that the believer has found himself in.8 This is only used to refer to the gift of the gospel or to certain abilities that God has imparted to particular believers. This alone should give us great pause before accepting the wide view of this passage as the correct reading.

The Purpose of the Gift

Paul then expounds upon this gift in verse 26 writing, “I think that in view of the present distress it is good for a person to remain as he is.” As he continues into verse 27 (“Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife.”), it may seem that Paul is really advocating the wider view. However, this verse is clarified by verse 28 (“But if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if a betrothed woman marries, she has not sinned. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that”). In light of this, Paul’s admonishment to not seek a wife should not be understood as an outright command, but as a principle of what is best given the “present distress.” By not marrying, Christians will avoid additional burdens that are placed on them by marriage.9 Those who decide to marry despite this admonishment are not sinning, as Paul explains. Thus, we must understand this principle as applying more to those who have the gift of singleness, as they are the ones that God has sovereignly enabled to carry it out.10

It is then in verses 32-35 that Paul explains the reason for this gift. “I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided” (1 Cor. 7:32-34a). Paul explains that those who are able to remain unmarried find it more spiritually beneficial to remain in that state. As Calvin explains, “The man who can exempt himself from [the burden of matrimony], ought not to refuse such a benefit, and it is of advantage for those who resolve to marry, to be forewarned of those inconveniences, that they may not afterwards, on meeting with them unexpectedly, give way to despondency”11. Any married couple will tell you that marriage is very hard, and those who can forgo it will forgo the burdens that come with it.

It is important to remember that Paul is not commanding Christians to forgo marriage. Instead, Paul is contrasting the Christian deciding “to ‘please’ the Lord or the world, as the representative of which the marriage partner functions…It stands under the heading of advice; the renunciation of the world is not regulated by law.”12 The Christian will have heavenly and worldly concerns if he is married and will not be able to focus solely on the heavenly as those who are single. As Paul clarifies in verse 35, “I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.”

Thus, when examining the passage in context, it becomes clear that “the gift of singleness” is not the state of being single. Given the persecutions that Christians are subject to and the trials that come with the Christian life, the Christian will have many spiritual benefits if they remain unmarried. Despite this admonishment, many Christians struggle to control the sinful manifestations of their sexual urges. Because marriage can assist in controlling this, those Christians who do struggle are encouraged to marry and are free in Christ to do so. Those who are able to control them possess this gift that Paul is speaking of and are encouraged to remain single to fully devote their lives in service to God.

The Wide View Refuted

Both Challies’ and Clark’s articles make two primary errors, which lead them to erroneous conclusions. The first is the lack of substantiation for their claims from the original languages, which lead them to diverge from the expertise of current scholarship. With regard to Challies, it does not follow that something that is a “gift” of God’s grace must be a state in life, especially when Paul does not use “gift” in such a manner anywhere else in the New Testament. With regard to Clark, there is similar lack of argumentation for the claim that “gift” in 1 Corinthians 7 is an objective gift, while in chapter 12, it is a spiritual gift. Although Challies and Clark may certainly be correct in their analysis, they do not attempt to prove their claims nor do they cite people with the expertise to comment on it; they merely presume the truth of them.

The second, and more serious error, is the complete lack of interaction with the immediate context of the passage. Challies only quotes verses 6-7 and makes passing reference to verses 25-40 that amounts to less than a sentence. Clark only cites verse 7. Reading this verse on its own does not provide us with enough information on which interpretation of this passage is correct. We must examine the immediate context to answer this question. Both authors fail to do this and make claims about “the gift of singleness” based on a single verse, which is an extremely dangerous way to read Scripture.

Although not an error per se, it is important to note that the wide view does not appear to be widely held by biblical commentators. Not all were cited here, but seven different commentaries were examined in preparation for this article. Not one commentator, ancient or modern, took the view that Challies and Clark have taken. Going against the majority view does not necessarily mean that one’s view is incorrect, but it does mean that the onus is on minority-view advocates to demonstrate the truth of their claims, something that both authors have failed to do.

  1. Archibald Robertson, The First Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians, International Critical Commentary (Accordance Bible Software, 1911), Paragraph 20,466.
  2. John Calvin, Commentaries on the Epistles of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians, ed. John Pringle (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 1.232.
  3. Robertson, Paragraph 20,486.
  4. Calvin, 1.222.
  5. Ibid., 1.234.
  6. Walter Bauer, Frederick W. Danker, William Arndt, and F. Wilbur Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd edition (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 1,081.
  7. Moisés Silva, ed., New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2014), 4.660.
  8. This word is used in Rom. 1:15, 5:15, 16, 6:23, 11:29, 12:6; 1 Cor. 1:7, 7:7, 12:4, 9, 28, 30, 31; 2 Cor. 1:11; 1 Tim. 4:14; 2 Tim. 1:6; and 1 Pet. 4:10
  9. Robertson, Paragraph 20,559.
  10. Calvin, 1.254.
  11. Calvin, 1.258-259
  12. Hans Conzelmann, 1 Corinthians: A Commentary on the First Epistle to the Corinthians, trans. James W. Leitch, ed. George W. MacRae, S.J. Hermeneia New Testament Commentary (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1975), 134.