Commentary - 1 Corinthians 7:1-7

Bird's-eye view

In this passage, the Apostle Paul begins to answer a series of specific questions the Corinthian church had posed to him in a letter. We are, in effect, listening to one side of a phone call. This is crucial for a right interpretation. Paul is not laying down abstract, timeless principles that fell out of the sky; he is providing pastoral counsel to a specific church wrestling with specific problems in a specific cultural context rife with sexual confusion. The chapter addresses marriage, singleness, divorce, and related matters, and the foundational principle is that our marital status, whatever it is, is the arena for our faithful service to God. The overarching theme is that while celibacy can be a strategic good for the sake of the kingdom, especially in a time of "present distress," marriage is the normative, God-ordained context for sexual relations and the primary remedy against the ever-present temptation to sexual sin. Paul's counsel is intensely practical, aimed at promoting holiness, order, and peace within the church.

He begins by addressing a slogan that was likely popular among some of the Corinthians, perhaps those with an over-spiritualized, gnostic bent: "It is good for a man not to touch a woman." Paul appears to quote their letter and then immediately qualifies their ascetic sentiment with a dose of realism. He grounds his instructions not in a dualistic rejection of the body, but in a robustly Christian understanding of creation, the fall, and redemption. He affirms the goodness of marriage as the proper context for sexual intimacy and establishes the principle of mutual conjugal rights and responsibilities, rooting it all in the need for self-control and the reality of satanic temptation. This is not a chapter that denigrates marriage in favor of a "higher" spiritual state, but rather one that regulates it according to God's created design for our good and His glory.

Outline

Context In 1 Corinthians

First Corinthians is a letter of pastoral correction. Paul is writing to a church that is gifted but chaotic, brilliant but carnal. They were plagued by divisions, intellectual arrogance, moral laxity, and a misunderstanding of Christian liberty. Having addressed the issues of factionalism (Ch. 1-4), gross sexual immorality (Ch. 5), and lawsuits among believers (Ch. 6), Paul now turns, in chapter 7, to a series of questions the church had written to him about. The phrase "Now concerning the things about which you wrote" signals a new section. The context of rampant sexual immorality in the pagan city of Corinth, and the corresponding over-reaction of asceticism within the church, is the immediate backdrop. Paul must navigate between the libertinism that says "all things are lawful" and the false piety that despises God's good gift of marriage. This chapter, therefore, provides the foundational biblical theology of marriage and singleness, setting the stage for later discussions on food offered to idols, worship, spiritual gifts, and the resurrection.

Key Issues

God's Provision in a Fallen World

We live in a world that is simultaneously sex-saturated and sex-starved. The world outside the church has made an idol of sex, and as with all idolatry, the idol has turned on its worshippers, leaving them empty, broken, and confused. The church, reacting to this, can sometimes fall into the opposite error, treating sex as something dirty, dangerous, or at best, a necessary evil for the sake of procreation. Paul will have none of it. He presents marriage, including its sexual component, as a divine provision. It is God's good gift, designed before the fall, and now in our fallen state, it serves as a crucial defensive structure against the chaos of disordered desires. God is not a cosmic killjoy; He is a loving Father who provides for the needs of His children. Marriage is one of those gracious provisions. It is the God-designed riverbed for the powerful force of sexual desire. Outside that riverbed, the desire becomes a destructive flood. Inside it, it is a life-giving stream.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1 Now concerning the things about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman.

Paul begins by quoting from their letter. We know this because the phrase "Now concerning" is his way of moving to the next item on their list of questions. The statement "it is good for a man not to touch a woman" was likely a slogan of a hyper-spiritual faction in Corinth. They were ascetics, probably influenced by Greek philosophy that saw the body as a prison for the soul. To "touch a woman" is a euphemism for sexual relations. Paul takes their slogan and appears to agree with it, but only in a highly qualified sense, which the rest of the chapter will make plain. Yes, in certain circumstances, particularly in a time of "present distress" (v. 26), celibacy can be "good" because it allows for undistracted devotion to the Lord. But Paul is not affirming this as a universal principle or a higher form of spirituality. He is baiting the hook before he yanks the line. He grants their premise in order to correct their conclusion.

2 But because of sexual immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband.

Here comes the yank on the line. Paul immediately pivots from their ascetic slogan to the gritty reality of a fallen world. The word is but. Whatever strategic good there might be in singleness, it is overwhelmed for most people by the pervasive reality of porneia, sexual immorality. The word is plural, referring to all manner of sexual sin which was rampant in Corinth and is rampant in our own day. Because this temptation is so powerful and pervasive, Paul lays down the general rule: marriage. "Let each man have his own wife, and each woman her own husband." This is not a reluctant concession; it is a divine provision. God created marriage as the proper context for sexual relations. It is the primary way He has provided for us to deal with sexual desire honorably. Notice the reciprocity: the command applies equally to men and to women. This is God's design for human flourishing and social order.

3 The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband.

Within this provision of marriage, there are obligations. The sexual relationship is described here as a "duty" or, as some translations have it, what is "due." It is a debt that is owed. This is a far cry from the modern world's view of sex as a recreational activity or a tool of self-fulfillment. In the Christian marriage, sex is an act of mutual service and covenantal faithfulness. The husband has a responsibility to meet his wife's sexual needs, and the wife has the same responsibility toward her husband. This is a radical concept that cuts against both the selfish hedonism of the world and the frigid asceticism that was creeping into the Corinthian church. It is a duty, but it is a delightful duty, a joyful obligation.

4 The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.

Paul now explains the basis for this mutual duty. In the covenant of marriage, you surrender the rights to your own body and grant them to your spouse. This is a stunning picture of the "one flesh" union. The wife's body belongs to her husband, and the husband's body belongs to his wife. This is a mutual submission, a mutual ownership. This completely demolishes any notion of using sex as a bargaining chip or a weapon in marital disputes. You cannot withhold what is not yours to withhold. This authority is not a license for abuse, but a call to loving stewardship. The husband is to steward the authority he has over his wife's body for her good, and she is to do the same for him. It is a beautiful exchange of authority, grounded in love and covenant commitment.

5 Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

The default position is that a married couple should not be depriving one another sexually. The command is in the present tense, "Stop depriving," which suggests this was already a problem in Corinth. Paul gives only one legitimate reason for temporary abstinence: mutual agreement for a limited time for the purpose of focused prayer. And even this has strict conditions. It must be by agreement, not a unilateral decision. It must be for a time, not indefinitely. And it has a specific spiritual purpose. After this time, they are to "come together again." Why? Because a sexless marriage creates a spiritual vacuum that the devil is more than happy to fill. Satan tempts us in the area of our weaknesses, and for most people, "lack of self-control" in this area is a significant vulnerability. A healthy sexual relationship in marriage is a powerful line of defense against temptation.

6 But this I say as a concession, not as a command.

What is "this" that Paul says by way of concession? He is referring back to the allowance for temporary abstinence for prayer in verse 5. He is saying that this temporary abstinence is a concession, an allowance, not a divine command that all zealous Christians must follow. He is not commanding couples to take prayer vacations from the marriage bed. He is simply permitting it under strict guidelines. This reinforces the main point: the norm is regular sexual intimacy, and any departure from that norm is the exception that needs justification, not the other way around.

7 Yet I wish that all men were even as I myself am. However, each man has his own gift from God, one this way, and another that.

Paul expresses a personal wish, not a command. He wishes everyone had his particular gift of celibacy, which enabled him to serve the Lord with a singular focus. But he immediately acknowledges that this is not the reality. God distributes His gifts sovereignly. Paul had the gift of celibacy. Peter, on the other hand, was married (1 Cor 9:5). One is not spiritually superior to the other. Each person has his own charisma, his own grace-gift from God. For some, that gift is celibacy. For most others, that gift is marriage. The key is to recognize what gift God has given you and to live faithfully within that calling. Singleness is not a gift for everyone who is single. For many, it is an affliction. The gift is the specific, Spirit-endowed ability to remain celibate joyfully and without being constantly undone by temptation. If you don't have that gift, then marriage is God's gracious provision for you.

Application

This passage has direct and pointed application for us today. First, we must reject both the world's idolatry of sex and the church's sometimes fearful suspicion of it. Marriage is God's good institution, and the marriage bed is honorable. For married couples, this passage is a clear command to be faithful in fulfilling your conjugal duties. This is not a secondary issue; it is central to a healthy marriage and a powerful defense against satanic attack. Selfishness in the marriage bed is a sin. Withholding sex as a tool of manipulation or punishment is a sin. You do not have the authority to do so. Your body belongs to your spouse, and you are called to lovingly serve them with it.

Second, for those who are single, this passage forces an honest evaluation. Do you have the Pauline gift of celibacy? That is, are you able to serve God joyfully and contentedly in your singleness, free from the constant distraction of sexual temptation? If so, praise God for that gift and use your freedom for the kingdom. But if you, like most people, burn with passion and struggle with temptation, then you should not pretend you have a gift you do not. In that case, you should pursue marriage as God's good and gracious provision. Our culture promotes a prolonged adolescence that delays marriage for trivial reasons. The Bible's counsel is far more realistic and wise. Because of sexual immoralities, let every man have his own wife, and every woman her own husband. This is not a life sentence; it is a lifeline.