Consider Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 7:29-31:
"This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away."
Here, Paul is expanding on his earlier point about singleness, and developing what he meant by the pressure of worldly trouble and distress. What he focuses in on in the new worldview of a transformed life, the newfound perspective that not only changes the thinking of a Christian but literally changes how he or she lives. To be honest, at first glance these few verses seem either out of place or seem confusing by an interesting rhetorical structure. The basic form of Paul's thought here is, "be this or do that, but do it as though you were not that." But upon reflection and digging into these verses, we see the radical new way that a believer approaches not only marriage and singleness, but all of life.
First, we must understand verses 29 and 31 as two ends of the same point. He begins by saying the appointed time has grown short. The time of this world is fixed, meaning that there is an end, and that end is known by God and is continually growing closer and closer. This is why God describes life as a vapor (James 4:14) and like grass that grows and then withers away (1 Peter 1:24; Isa 40:6-8). Paul then concludes this section saying that the present form of this world is passing away. This world as it is, this manner of life, this mode of existence is destined to pass away, ushering in something new, different, and permanent. These bookend ideas form a new way of viewing life - not as ultimate, but as momentary - and sets out to define the way we live within it. It's interesting to note that those who do not know Christ in the world understand this same sense of life. World philosophies have tried to harness this ideal with the phrase Carpe Diem (or in a less-sophisticated way, "YOLO," or "life is short, play hard"), to seize the day and make the most of it. However, what these mantras really communicate is the need to suck up the marrow of life in a personal way, to live life to the fullest, and usually to satisfy SELF, get or experience as much as one can in this life. The categorical difference for a Christian is, we understand the brevity of life, but we understand that life is not about us. Life is about the glory of God, making much of Him and enjoying Him. It's what we were created for, and God redeems us and renews the possibility to be satisfied in our real purpose, and the ways that will look for each of us, practically, in our everyday.
The above is excerpted and adapted from a sermon by Pastor Jordan entitled "Redeeming Singleness from Misplaced Realities, Part 2." You can read or listen to the whole message here
