Commentary - 1 Corinthians 7:39-40

Bird's-eye view

In these closing two verses of his extended discussion on marriage, Paul provides a clear and foundational principle regarding the permanence of the marriage covenant, along with a concluding piece of apostolic counsel for widows. The chapter has dealt with a number of complex pastoral situations in the Corinthian church, and here Paul returns to the bedrock. The marriage bond is for life, dissolved only by death. Upon the death of her husband, a widow is genuinely free to remarry. However, this freedom is not absolute license; it is a freedom that must be exercised within the lordship of Christ. Her choice of a new husband is conditioned by the foundational reality of her faith. Paul then concludes with his personal judgment, his apostolic opinion, that a widow would be happier to remain single. He undergirds this counsel with a mild but firm reminder of his own authority, noting that he too possesses the Spirit of God. This is not to place his opinion on a lower tier than Scripture, but rather to apply scriptural principles with apostolic wisdom to a situation not covered by a direct command from the earthly ministry of Jesus.

The passage, therefore, serves as a vital bookend. It affirms the lifelong nature of the marriage covenant, a theme central to a biblical worldview. It defines the boundaries of Christian liberty in the crucial matter of remarriage, establishing the non-negotiable requirement of marrying another believer. And it provides pastoral wisdom that elevates the potential blessedness of undistracted service to God, while grounding that wisdom in the authority of the Holy Spirit speaking through his chosen apostle. It is both a rule and a recommendation, a law and a piece of loving advice.

Outline

Context In 1 Corinthians

Chapter 7 is a pastoral deep-dive into questions the Corinthians had about marriage, singleness, divorce, and related matters. Paul has been navigating a series of specific scenarios: married couples, mixed marriages between believers and unbelievers, the unmarried, and virgins. He has consistently balanced the goodness of marriage as a creation ordinance with the practical advantages of singleness for gospel ministry "in view of the present distress" (1 Cor 7:26). These final two verses serve as a summary conclusion to the entire discussion. Having addressed various complexities, Paul circles back to a foundational principle that undergirds everything he has said: the nature of the marriage bond itself. It is lifelong. This statement about the widow's situation is not an afterthought but the anchor point. It clarifies the one and only circumstance, apart from the exceptions he has already addressed concerning unbelieving deserters, in which remarriage is unquestionably legitimate. His final comment about his own judgment and possession of the Spirit is a capstone on the authority with which he has addressed all these varied and difficult questions throughout the chapter.

Key Issues

The Law and the Lord

It is essential that we see how Paul concludes this masterful chapter. He does not end with a flourish of theological abstraction, but with concrete, on-the-ground instruction. He gives a hard-and-fast rule, and then he gives some Spirit-filled advice. The rule is this: marriage is a covenant that is sealed until death. This is not Paul's invention; it is the echo of our Lord's teaching, which itself was an echo of the creation ordinance. The covenant is binding. But death, the great disruptor of all earthly covenants, severs this bond. This creates a new reality for the surviving spouse, a reality of freedom.

But Christian freedom is never untethered. It is not the right to do whatever you want, but the liberty to do what you ought. And what a Christian widow ought to do, if she chooses to remarry, is exercise that freedom within the boundaries of her ultimate allegiance. She is "in the Lord," and so her decisions, especially a decision as weighty as marriage, must also be "in the Lord." This is the beautiful paradox of the Christian life: the law of God does not crush our liberty, but rather defines the playground in which our liberty can be most joyfully expressed. To marry "in the Lord" is not a restriction on freedom, but the very definition of it.

Verse by Verse Commentary

39 A wife is bound as long as her husband lives; but if her husband has fallen asleep, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.

Paul begins with the fundamental, creational principle of marriage. A wife is bound. The word for "bound" here is a strong one, speaking of a legal and covenantal obligation. Marriage is not a contract based on feelings or mutual convenience; it is a bond, a yoke, a one-flesh union that God Himself has established. This binding is not for a season, or until the kids are grown, or until you find someone better. It is for life: as long as her husband lives. This is the standard. This is the design.

But then comes the great exception, the one thing that severs this earthly bond. But if her husband has fallen asleep. This is the lovely and gentle Christian euphemism for death. For the believer, death is not a terrifying end but a peaceful sleep, from which we will be awakened by Christ on the last day. When death intervenes, the covenant is fulfilled and its earthly obligations are concluded. The result is freedom. She is free to be married to whom she wishes. The apostle affirms her liberty. She is not under any compulsion to remain single. She is not "more holy" if she does. She is at liberty to seek the companionship, help, and comfort of a new marriage. She can marry whomever she chooses, with one crucial, all-encompassing condition.

Only in the Lord. This is the guardrail on her freedom. This phrase means, quite simply, that she must marry a Christian. Her new husband must also be "in the Lord." To be "in the Lord" is to be a part of the new creation, to be united to Christ by faith. A believer is not free to enter into a one-flesh covenantal union with an unbeliever. To do so is to yoke a citizen of the kingdom of light with a citizen of the kingdom of darkness. It is to attempt to harmonize Christ and Belial. This is not a mere suggestion for a happier marriage; it is a matter of fundamental allegiance to King Jesus. Her identity is in Christ, and therefore the man who would become one flesh with her must share that same identity.

40 But in my opinion she is happier if she remains as she is. And I think that I also have the Spirit of God.

Having laid down the law, Paul now offers his apostolic counsel. But in my opinion she is happier if she remains as she is. The word for "happier" here is makariōtera, which can also be translated as "more blessed." Paul is not making a simple psychological observation about emotional states. He is making a judgment about her spiritual well-being and her effectiveness for the kingdom. Consistent with what he has argued throughout the chapter, he sees a profound blessedness in the widow's potential for undistracted devotion to the Lord (cf. 1 Cor 7:32-35). Without the responsibilities of a new marriage, she is free to give herself entirely to prayer and service. This is not a command. It is not a universal rule. For a woman who does not have the gift of celibacy, remaining single could be a source of great trial and temptation. But for the one who can receive it, Paul says, there is a greater blessedness to be found.

He concludes with a statement of understated apostolic authority. And I think that I also have the Spirit of God. This is not Paul expressing uncertainty, as though he were saying, "Well, I'm pretty sure I'm inspired." This is a classic piece of Pauline irony. He is saying, "After all the instruction I have given, and in case any of you are tempted to dismiss this as merely my personal preference, let me remind you from where my judgments come." He is distinguishing his counsel here from a direct command he received from Jesus' earthly ministry (like the one in verse 10), but he is not placing it on a lower level of authority. He is an apostle of Jesus Christ, and the Spirit of God guides him in applying the truth of God to the people of God. This is inspired, authoritative, apostolic counsel. It is God's wisdom for the church, delivered through His chosen vessel.

Application

This passage provides three points of direct application for the church today. First, we must recover a high view of the marriage covenant. Our culture treats marriage as a temporary arrangement for personal fulfillment. The Bible says it is a lifelong bond, a covenant made before God. The vows "till death do us part" are not a hopeful aspiration; they are the boundary lines of the covenant. We must teach this, preach this, and model this in our churches. The strength of our families, our church, and our society depends on it.

Second, for those who are single and considering marriage, particularly widows and widowers, the command to marry "only in the Lord" is not optional. It is a fundamental requirement of Christian discipleship. To knowingly pursue marriage with an unbeliever is an act of disobedience. It is to place personal desire above the clear command of Christ. Church leaders must be gentle but firm in this teaching, and young people must have it impressed upon them long before they are in a compromising romantic situation. The health of our future Christian homes is at stake.

Finally, we must make room for the blessedness of singleness. Paul is not down on marriage, but he is high on undistracted service to the Lord. Our churches can often make an idol of the nuclear family, treating singleness as a problem to be solved rather than a potential calling to be embraced. For those whom God has gifted with celibacy, their singleness is not an affliction but a strategic deployment for the kingdom. We should honor them, support them, and integrate them fully into the life of the church, recognizing that their freedom from domestic cares can be a great gift to the entire body of Christ. Whether married or single, our ultimate aim is the same: to live our lives wholly and joyfully "in the Lord."