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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1 Corinthians 7: GWC
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Translated in 1916, published in 1937.
First Letter from Small Man to the Sacred Family in Village of Pleasure 7
7
GUIDANCE FOR MARRIAGE AND SEXUAL RELATIONS
1Now I will give an answer to the things you wrote to me about the sacred gift of marriage and sexual relations. I think it would be a good thing not to marry or have sexual relations. 2But because of the strong temptation to misuse these desires, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. 3Both husband and wife should honor each other in marriage and fulfill each other’s sexual needs. 4In this matter neither wife nor husband have the right over their own bodies. Their bodies belong to each other.
5So do not deny each other unless you both agree for spiritual reasons such as prayer. Only deny yourselves for an agreed-upon time, then renew your relations with each other. In this way, if you lack self-control, then Accuser (Satan) cannot tempt you.
6I am not telling you what you must do. I am only guiding you by what I have learned as a weak human being. 7I wish that everyone could be unmarried just as I am, but the Great Spirit has gifted each of us in different ways.
8Now I will counsel those who are not married or widowed: Follow in my footsteps and remain as you are. 9But if any of you lack self-control, you should get married, for that is better than letting your desires burn like a wildfire.
GUIDANCE FOR MARRIAGE IN THE SACRED FAMILY
10To those who are married I give this instruction, not from me but from our Honored Chief: A wife should not leave her husband, 11but if she does, she is to remain as one who is unmarried, or go back and work things out with her husband. And in the same manner, a husband should not leave or send away his wife.
12I know nothing more about this from our Honored Chief, but here is my counsel to all the others: If a sacred family member has a wife who does not trust in our spiritual ways, but she is willing to live with him, he should not send her away. 13It is the same for a wife who has a husband who does not believe. 14For both husband and wife, even if they do not believe, are made holy by being joined in marriage. If this were not so, your children would be ceremonially impure, but now they are holy.
15But if the one who does not believe wants to end the marriage, let it be so. In a situation like this a sacred family member is not bound, for the Great Spirit has called us to live in harmony with each other. 16So I give this counsel to both wives and husbands who find themselves in this situation: How can you be sure that you will guide your marriage partners away from their broken ways to be set free and made whole?
17In every situation you find yourself, walk in a manner pleasing to the Great Spirit. This is the guidance I give to all the sacred families Creator has called me to serve.
WISE COUNSEL FOR NEW FOLLOWERS
18Any man who has participated in the cutting of the flesh ceremony before he was called should not remove the marks of that ceremony. In the same way, any who have not participated in the ceremony have no further need to participate. 19Whether or not you participated in that ceremony no longer means anything. What has meaning is walking the road in the ways of the Great Spirit.#7:19 Galatians 5:6
20All should walk in a good way in whatever condition they were in when called to follow Creator Sets Free (Jesus).
21Were you a slave when you answered the call? Think nothing of it. But if you are able to gain your freedom, do so. 22Remember, the one who was a slave when called by our Honored Chief is his freedman. In the same way, the one who was free when he was called is now a slave of the Chosen One. 23A great price was paid to set you free, so do not become slaves to human beings.
24My sacred family members, all should walk in a good way in whatever condition they were in when they were called to follow Creator Sets Free (Jesus).
COUNSEL FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT MARRIED
25Now about those who have not yet married. I have no instructions from our Honored Chief in this matter, but I will give you my counsel as one whom our Honored Chief in his kindness has proven to be worthy of trust. 26In the light of the troubled times we face, it would be a good thing for a man who is not married to remain so. 27So then, if you have a wife, do not look for a way out of marriage. Have you been freed from a wife? Then do not look for another. 28But if you do marry, you have not done wrong. If a young maiden marries, she has done nothing wrong. But those who marry will find it hard to face troubled times in this world, and I want to keep you from those things.#7:28 Matthew 24:19
29Here is what I am saying to you who are members of the sacred family: There is not much time left before these troubled times come. So those who are married should now prepare themselves to live as if they were not. 30It is not the time to wallow in tears and self-pity, or for glad hearts and festivals, and it is not the time to gather many possessions. 31Those who depend on the world as it is must be ready to let go of it, for the world as we know it will soon pass away.
32I want you to walk free from worry about these things. A man who is not married can give all his time to please our Honored Chief. 33-34But a man who is married will have to give more of his time to the things of this world in order to please his wife. It is the same for a woman who is not married, or for a young maiden. They are able to give all their time to our Honored Chief, to keep their body and spirit holy and pleasing to him. But a married woman will have to give more of her time to the things of this world in order to please her husband.
35I am saying these things for your own good, not to put a rope around your necks, but so that you will be able to keep both eyes on our Honored Chief as you walk his good road.
COUNSEL FOR NEW MARRIAGES
36Now in the case of a man who has been promised in marriage to a young maiden, and his desire for her is becoming strong: if he wants to marry her and is no longer able to wait, and she is of age, then it is not wrong for them to marry.#7:36 1 Corinthians 7:9
37On the other hand, if a man has a strong heart, if he is able to bridle his desires, and has decided for himself not to marry the promised young maiden, then for him it is the right thing to do.
38So the one who marries has done a good thing, and the one who does not marry is doing even better.
39A wife is bound by the law of marriage to her husband as long as he lives.#7:39 Romans 7:2 If her husband dies, she is then free to marry whomever she desires, but only to one who belongs to our Honored Chief. 40I think she would be much happier to remain unmarried. That is how I see it, and I think Creator’s Spirit also agrees with me.
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