‘Now concerning virgins I have no command of the Lord, but I give an opinion as one who by the mercy of the Lord is trustworthy. I think then that this is good in view of the present distress, that it is good for a man to remain as he is.”

Paul continues with another issue the Corinthians raised for him to address. This passage from here to the end of the chapter has been problematic to scholars and average Christians alike. Such things as the nature of Paul’s “opinion” (vs. 25, 40), who the “virgins” are (throughout this passage), and parental authority over unmarried children (vs. 36-38). Some even go so far as to claim Paul’s chauvinistic patriarchy taints this letter.

As we have noted previously, Paul is not diminishing the authority of his teaching here, but simply indicating he had no specifically worded teaching from the Lord on the issues addressed here. While the gospel accounts had probably not been written at this point in time, there were widely circulated “teachings of Jesus.” Paul had also spent considerable time with the original apostles (see Gal. 1-2), but they had not passed on to him any such teaching. Nor can we find any teachings in the four gospel accounts when they eventually were written down.

But what do we make of Paul referring to his teaching on this subject with such phrases as “an opinion,” “I think,” and “this is good”? It is good to note that the ESV, NIV, and NKJV all render the underlying Greek word for “opinion” as “judgment.” This is not a casual, personal preference without much forethought; Paul put careful thought into it. But should we take it as a second tier or lesser level of teaching than a “thus saith the Lord” or direct command?

First, Paul himself says what he has to say is “trustworthy” and comes by way of “the mercy of the Lord.” In other words, his teachings line up with what is known about God’s mercy. It is an application of broader principles of Scripture; we could even say it is wisdom that follows from the clear commands of Scripture. Thus, the NLT renders his comment “the Lord in His mercy has given me wisdom that can be trusted.” So, his teaching here is like the teaching of the book of Proverbs, which is conveyed not as itemized commands but as wisdom for life. We choose to go against such wisdom at our own peril, despite protestations that these things are not direct commands.

Rather than endlessly debate the relative levels of obligations to the various forms of biblical teaching, we do well to follow God’s will in however He presents it to us in Scripture. And this passage (vss. 25–40) is God’s wisdom for our benefit.

Lord, thank You for Your revealed wisdom through the writings of Your apostle.