Is marriage God’s will for everyone?

Matthew 19:10-12Jesus’ disciples then said to him, “If this is the case, it is better not to marry!” “Not everyone can accept this statement,” Jesus said. “Only those whom God helps. Some are born as eunuchs, some have been made eunuchs by others, and some choose not to marry for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.”

1 Corinthians 7:1-2, 7-9Now regarding the questions you asked in your letter. Yes, it is good to abstain from sexual relations. But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband. . . . But I wish everyone were single, just as I am. Yet each person has a special gift from God, of one kind or another. So I say to those who aren’t married and to widows—it’s better to stay unmarried, just as I am. But if they can’t control themselves, they should go ahead and marry. It’s better to marry than to burn with lust.

God created marriage and called it good (read Genesis 2:18-25). Marriage is also the means by which God intended children to be born and raised. But the Bible also makes clear that marriage is not for everyone. Sometimes, because of certain cultural, personal, or spiritual reasons, a life of celibacy is a better choice.

1 Corinthians 7:32-38I want you to be free from the concerns of this life. An unmarried man can spend his time doing the Lord’s work and thinking how to please him. But a married man has to think about his earthly responsibilities and how to please his wife. His interests are divided. In the same way, a woman who is no longer married or has never been married can be devoted to the Lord and holy in body and in spirit. But a married woman has to think about her earthly responsibilities and how to please her husband. I am saying this for your benefit, not to place restrictions on you. I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few distractions as possible. But if a man thinks that he’s treating his fiancée improperly and will inevitably give in to his passion, let him marry her as he wishes. It is not a sin. But if he has decided firmly not to marry and there is no urgency and he can control his passion, he does well not to marry. So the person who marries his fiancée does well, and the person who doesn’t marry does even better.

One advantage of being unmarried is that it allows for a more focused life. A married person must balance personal desires with the desires of his or her spouse. An unmarried person only needs to care about what God desires. This allows the unmarried person to spend great effort and take great risks to follow God wherever he leads. Paul, who was not married, believed this was a better, more satisfying life than marriage, though he understood that not everyone is called to celibacy.