1 Corinthians 7:40 Commentary and Bible Study

She is happier if she remains in the single state. That is his judgment and what he has said several times in the chapter. She will be happier because she can devote herself to the Lord’s service, undistracted by the duties of marriage. Paul speaks by inspiration, but he also speaks from his own experience. He had considered these things very carefully himself. He had known the great joys of serving the Lord, and devoting himself to the advance of the kingdom of heaven. This he knew was the most profitable way that anyone could spend their life. This was not just his private opinion, but was what the Spirit of God had taught him, and he spoke by inspiration as an apostle. Calvin believes he speaks with irony when he says, ‘I think’, as if the false apostles who claimed authority for themselves had any case to make. Paul stresses these things because he knows that it will not be easy to persuade some that the single state should be adopted, but for some it will be God’s will and a blessing to them.