1 Corinthians 7
7
Marriage and its ideal
1Yes, my brethren, it is a good thing for both man and woman to be above all sexual intercourse. You wrote and asked me if that were good, and I answer yes. 2-3But marriage exists to prevent fornication. It is a step towards chastity. The ideal is to rise above all physical union of the sexes. Perfect chastity is a higher condition than the married state, and the intercourse of married persons, of husband and wife, is condoned and allowed, not commanded. I would that all men had reached the condition with regard to these questions that the spirit has conferred as a gift on me; but, as it is, we must have marriage, and those that are married must follow its rules. 4Husbands and wives, you are not masters of your own bodies. Each must do as the other has a right to demand in this important matter, 5-7and if by mutual consent you abstain from it altogether for a time, giving yourselves more thoroughly to prayer, and guarding against the entry of the spirit of evil through the avenue of indulgence, that is the best rule to observe.
Constancy in the truth
8-9Now whether married or unmarried, my advice is — remain as you were when God first called you into the truth. 10-13If married, do not seek separation. Husband and wife may not both be in the faith, nevertheless if the one to whom the truth has not yet come is agreeable to remain with the other, there should be no thought of separation. 14Both will be sanctified by the presence of the truth in the household, and likewise the children also, and who knows? probably the one that has faith will save the other. 15-16But if you were unmarried or widowed when the truth first came to you, then my advice is — do not change your state. Be as I am — and live a life of total abstinence from the claims of the body in this direction. But if this is beyond you, then marry; marriage is far better than unsuccessful efforts at this form of self-mastery. Now all this is only an expression of my own opinion, but the following is a commandment to all married persons. Let neither husband nor wife seek separation; or if they must be separated, let neither marry again whilst the other lives, but let them rather, if possible, be once more reconciled. That is the Lord’s expressed command and no matter of opinion.
In other matters also
17Further, in other matters besides marriage, I enjoin the same rule as that which I have just explained. 18After the truth has come to you, make no outward change in your manner of life, that is to say, in such matters as the circumcision or uncircumcision. 19-20Let it not make the slightest difference what you were before you received the truth, for in the truth these differences are seen to be nothing, so remain as you always were in this matter. For the keeping of God’s commandments is all that matters. 21Similarly, if you were a slave when called, do not seek to obtain manumission, but even prefer to continue in the old calling. 22-23You know now that you are Christ’s freedman and bought out of slavery at a heavy price. That freedom is everything, for those that were of free birth when called are now the slaves of Christ. Let then neither bond nor free be in spirit the slaves of men; that is all the faith demands; 24in outward respects remain as you were.
Chastity a noble thing
25Some are married when called into the faith; some have had wives, but have put them away; some are unmarried, and have never been married and have on no occasion indulged the sexual impulse, but are virgins. 26To all these I repeat the same advice. Stay as you are, as you were before God called you; 27-28and this even applies to the last class, those who have never known sexual intercourse. To these I would give no definite command, and yet even here, I will give my opinion, and I will give it with the consciousness that in this matter I have been faithful myself, or rather that God in His infinite mercy has taken pity on the weakness of my flesh, and made me by His own power firm and trustworthy in the matter. Well, my opinion is that perfect chastity, abstention from marriage and all sexual intercourse is a noble thing in a man, 29-31and the reason of that is that the world is changing, the end of the old order is near, and the doom of the physical approaches. We are called to attend to something higher than marriage and its cares. The whole outward form and manner of the universe is changing and passing away. Marriages, feastings, funerals, business and worldly matters may continue, but the time is short. Rise above them, and be as if they were not, even though you take part in them. 32I would have you without such cares; 33and you know that a married man thinks of his wife 34and cares about his business and the world for her sake, whilst the unmarried man or woman who lives a virgin life is free to dedicate that life to the Lord. 35But of course, if such an one, who has never touched a woman, elect to marry, he does so with good conscience, sinning not; only such persons, whether male or female, will find that their physical appetite puts obstacles and trials in their way, the details of which I spare you. 36Of course, if a man is not certain in his own mind, if he has lingering regrets that he has never used this important function of mortal man, let him marry by all means, he does no wrong thereby. 37But if he is certain, if he has clearly determined that to live and die a virgin is for him the best course of all, then let him keep his resolution, and he will do well by it. 38It will be the best and greatest course of all, though he who marries may rightly be congratulated on so doing. 39Lastly, a wife of course is bound to her husband for his life-time only — if he dies, she is free to marry again, but let her second choice not be one of the heathen, but one who belongs to the faith. 40But, as I said before, I believe it to be better that she marry not again, but remain a widow, and in so saying I believe that my sense in this matter is governed by the Spirit of God.
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Translated in 1916, published in 1937.
1 Corinthians 7
7
Principles for Marriage
1Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: #ver. 8, 26“It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” 2But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. 3#Ex. 21:10The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5#[Ex. 19:15; 1 Sam. 21:4; Eccles. 3:5; Zech. 12:12-14] Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, #1 Thess. 3:5so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
6Now as a concession, #ver. 12, 25; 2 Cor. 8:8; [ver. 10, 40]not a command, I say this.#7:6 Or I say this: 7#[Acts 26:29] I wish that all were #ver. 8; [ch. 9:5] as I myself am. But #ch. 12:4, 11; 1 Pet. 4:10; [Rom. 12:6] each has his own gift from God, #Matt. 19:11, 12one of one kind and one of another.
8To the unmarried and the widows I say that #ver. 1, 26 it is good for them to remain single, #ver. 7as I am. 9But if they cannot exercise self-control, #[1 Tim. 5:14]they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
10To the married #See ver. 6 I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): #Mal. 2:16; See Matt. 5:32the wife should not separate from her husband 11(but if she does, #Mark 10:12 she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and #[See ver. 10 above]the husband should not divorce his wife.
12To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. 13If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. 14For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. #Ezra 9:2; Mal. 2:15Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. 15But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you#7:15 Some manuscripts us #Col. 3:15; See Rom. 14:19to peace. 16For how do you know, wife, #1 Pet. 3:1; See Rom. 11:14whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?
Live as You Are Called
17Only let each person lead the life#7:17 Or each person walk in the way #See Rom. 12:3 that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. #ch. 4:17 This is my rule in #2 Cor. 8:18; 11:28all the churches. 18Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? #Acts 15:1, 5, 19, 24, 28; Gal. 5:2Let him not seek circumcision. 19#Gal. 3:28; 5:6; 6:15; Col. 3:11 For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but #See 1 John 2:3keeping the commandments of God. 20#ver. 24Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. 21Were you a bondservant#7:21 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface; also verses 22 (twice), 23 when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) 22For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is #[Col. 3:24; Philem. 16]; See John 8:36 a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is #[ch. 9:21; 1 Pet. 2:16]a bondservant of Christ. 23#See ch. 6:20 You were bought with a price; #Lev. 25:42, 55do not become bondservants of men. 24So, brothers,#7:24 Or brothers and sisters; also verse 29 #ver. 20in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.
The Unmarried and the Widowed
25Now concerning#7:25 The expression Now concerning introduces a reply to a question in the Corinthians’ letter; see 7:1 the betrothed,#7:25 Greek virgins #See ver. 6 I have no command from the Lord, but I give my judgment as #2 Cor. 4:1; 1 Tim. 1:13, 16 one who by the Lord’s mercy is #ch. 4:2trustworthy. 26I think that in view of the present#7:26 Or impending distress #ver. 1, 8it is good for a person to remain as he is. 27Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife. 28But if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if a betrothed woman#7:28 Greek virgin; also verse 34 marries, she has not sinned. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that. 29This is what I mean, brothers: #See Rom. 13:11the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, 30and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy #2 Cor. 6:10as though they had no goods, 31and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For #Ps. 39:6; James 1:10; 1 Pet. 1:24; 4:7; 1 John 2:17the present form of this world is passing away.
32I want you to be #See Matt. 6:25; Luke 10:41 free from anxieties. #[1 Tim. 5:5]The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. 33But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, 34and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. 35I say this for your own benefit, #[Prov. 22:25]not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.
36If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed,#7:36 Greek virgin; also verses 37, 38 if his#7:36 Or her passions are strong, and it has to be, let him do as he wishes: let them marry—it is no sin. 37But whoever is firmly established in his heart, being under no necessity but having his desire under control, and has determined this in his heart, to keep her as his betrothed, he will do well. 38So then he who marries his betrothed #Heb. 13:4does well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better.
39 #
Rom. 7:2 A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only #[2 Cor. 6:14]in the Lord. 40Yet #See ver. 6 in my judgment she is happier if she remains as she is. And I think #[Acts 15:28]that I too have the Spirit of God.
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