1 Corinthians 7:28
“But if you marry, you have not sinned. If a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Yet such will have oppression in the flesh, and I want to spare you.”
What does 1 Corinthians 7:28 mean?
Paul is reassuring people worried that marriage itself is somehow spiritually wrong, which some in Corinth apparently believed. He's clear: getting married is not a sin, whether you're single or previously married. But he adds an honest note: married life brings real hardships and responsibilities that unmarried people can avoid. He's not saying marriage is bad, just that it comes with genuine struggles, and he wants to give people permission to stay single if that helps them focus on faith without distraction. Paul is being realistic about what marriage requires, while leaving the choice entirely up to each person's own conscience and calling.