I Corinthians
Chapter 7 Vs. 1-17
Vs.1 The people in the church at Corinth had written to Paul about marriage.
Paul says that he is now going to answer that question.
Paul said It is good “not to touch a woman” King James Version meaning It is good not to be married (not to be sexual intimate with a woman).
Vs. 2 Yet so that you are not tempted to sexual sin then every man should have his own wife and every woman should have her own husband.
Vs.3 The husband should give the wife sexual intimacy and the wife should give the husband sexual intimacy.
Vs.4 When a couple is married, the husband has a right to receive sexual intimacy from the wife and the wife has a right to receive sexual intimacy from the husband.
Married couples should not hold themselves back from each other. They should not be dishonest with each other.
They should only hold themselves from the other only for special times of fasting and prayer or for special times agreed upon by both the husband and wife.
Then they should come together again so that Satan will not tempt them to satisfy sexual desire with someone else because the husband/wife will not be intimate with their mate.
Vs. 6 Paul says I do not have a commandment from God about this. Paul says he is saying these things from what he feels in his spirit that is right before God.
Vs. 7. Paul says that he thinks it would be good for all men to be unmarried as he is, but he understands that not all men can live alone without a wife.
Vs. 8-9 Paul says to those who are not married and to widows that it is better to marry and have sexual intimacy than to not marry and be sexually frustrated and tempted to sin.
Vs. 10 Paul says For those who are married they should stay together.
This is not just Paul’s idea this comes from the Lord. The wife should not leave her husband. If she leaves she should not marry again. Or she could go back to her husband. Also, the same for the husband.
Vs. 12 Paul says what he is going to say now is not from the Lord but his own thoughts—–if a man has a wife and the wife is not a believer, but she is happy to live with him, let her stay. The same if a wife has a husband who does not believe but is happy to stay with her let him stay.
Vs. 14 Because the person who does not believe is blessed because of living in a household with the believing person. And their children have the benefit and blessing of having a believing parent.
Vs. 15 But if the unbelieving partner does not want to stay with the believer, then let the unbelieving one leave. They are not under “bondage” to stay. God calls us to peace.
Vs. 16 Paul says But if you stay together, how do you know but maybe the believing person will influence the unbelieving person and they will begin to believe.
So maybe you should give it a chance.
These verses are advice given to those who are already married and then one of the partners becomes a believer. This could cause arguments and fighting in the home between the two parents because one person who is now a believer becomes a different person from the one they were when they married.
So Paul gives the advice that he does.
However, for those who have not yet married Paul gives the advice in II Corinthians 6:14.
Paul tells the believers that they should not marry a person who does not believe.
Two can not walk together in marriage and life and raising children if they do not agree on such an important thing as God’s word and God’s control in their life.
Vs. 17 Every person must decide for himself about if he should marry or not. Or if the unbelieving person should stay or not. God makes every person different. Each person needs to pray and ask God to lead them. Each person must walk as God shows him.
Paul says that this is the advice he gives in all the churches where he preaches.