"I say to the unmarried and to widows: It is good for them if they remain as I am. But if they do not have self-control, they should marry, since it is better to marry than to burn with desire." 1 Corinthians 7:8,9 (CSB).

The Scriptures give man free choice regarding the decision to marry. The Apostle Paul, who was unmarried, encouraged Christians to consider celibacy. "I wish that all people were as I am," 1 Corinthians 7:7. He reasoned that an unmarried person is able to devote his time and opportunities one hundred percent to serving the Lord. (See 1 Corinthians 7:32-35.)

On the other hand, if someone were to suffer from loneliness and sexual desire, Paul advises that person to marry. "But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband," 1 Corinthians 7:2 (ESV).

It is not easy to live your life alone. When problems arise, it's a blessing to have the help and the emotional support of a spouse. However, if someone feels strong enough and has good Christian friends as a support group, then he may choose to remain single. (Unless a person vows to God that he will live in an unmarried state, that single person may change his mind and subsequently decide to marry.)

"Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up.A cord of three strands (God and the married couple) is not quickly torn apart," Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NASB).

A Christian's faithfulness is based on his heart and actions, not whether he is single or has a spouse. "Give me your heart, my son, and let your eyes delight in my ways." Proverbs 23:26

Anyone who teaches that God requires his most devout followers to remain celibate is teaching a doctrine of demons. 1 Timothy 4:1-3 (ESV), "Now the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons…They forbid marriage.

Remember: Marriage was established and blessed by God in the Garden of Eden. As Paul wrote, "If you do get married, you have not sinned," 1 Corinthians 7:28.