paul's progressivism?

How do your relationships and their structures support you in following the path of Jesus? What freedom in your life choices are you needing to embrace today?

I Corinthians 7:40

In my opinion, one is happier if one remains single, and I think I have the Spirit of God in this matter.

We don’t typically think of Paul as a progressive, but stick with me for a moment.

In the Roman and Jewish worlds of the first century, women were expected to marry and bear children. But here we have Paul encouraging all single people to remain single! What an expansion of choice for women! 

Now, for him, this was rooted in his belief that Jesus was coming back real soon, so folks didn’t need to worry about procreating or setting down roots. Rather, they needed to focus their time on serving the church and fulfilling the Gospel mission. 

But for me, I hear a loosening of the rules and roles of gender and society.

I hear freedom.

Freedom to choose the life that’s best for you. Freedom to make decisions about relationships and having children and building families. Freedom to be single or be partnered or get married. The important thing is where’s the Spirit coming alive.

How do your relationships and their structures support you in following the path of Jesus? What freedom in your life choices are you needing to embrace today? 

—Candace Woods