Talk
Caroline Litchfield
1) In what ways does our culture view singleness both positively and negatively? How does your church family view singleness?
Read 1 Corinthians 7:1-9, 25-40.
2. What does Paul say in this passage about marriage and singleness? Although he shows how they are two good options, which one does he say is better and why?
Jesus affirmed the Old Testament command to honour your parents, for example, in his conversation with the rich young ruler (Mark 10:17-19).
However, his teaching about family emphasised something further.
Read Mark 3:20-21, 31-35; and Luke 14:25-27.
3) How does Jesus understand the concept of family?
In the Old Testament, marriage was fundamental to building God’s people, through the birth of physical offspring. But the New Testament reveals a new facet to our understanding of singleness, as part of the way God grows his kingdom now.
Read Matthew 28:19-20 and John 3:3-8,14-18.
4) This side of the cross, how does a person become one of God’s people? How does his kingdom grow?
5) How does this shape the way we understand singleness?
6) How can we encourage and help the women around us who are single—whatever their age or reason for singleness—to continue growing in godliness?
7) How can we encourage our children, the children we influence and the young single women around us, to have a biblical view of singleness?