1 Corinthians 7

Paul addresses specific questions from the Corinthian church regarding marriage, celibacy, divorce, and social status, emphasizing that each person should live faithfully within their God-ordained circumstances given the 'present distress.'

• Paul corrects a false asceticism by affirming the necessity of marriage to prevent sexual immorality (vv 1-9).
• He provides apostolic instruction on divorce, emphasizing the preservation of marriage even with an unbelieving spouse (vv 10-16).
• He establishes the principle that Christians should remain in their existing social and marital status, as these are ordained by God (vv 17-24).
• He advises that, due to the 'present distress,' singleness may be more practical for devotion to the Lord, though marriage is not sinful (vv 25-40).

• The distinction between 'not I, but the Lord' (v 10) versus 'I, not the Lord' (v 12)
• The concept of 'present distress' (v 26)
• The 'one-flesh' authority over the body (v 4)
• The sanctification of children (v 14)

This chapter provides the foundational biblical principles for Christian marriage and singleness, establishing that the Gospel transforms both states into a vocation for the Lord, while providing strict guidelines for divorce and social standing.

Christians should embrace their current state—whether married or unmarried—as a divine calling, serving the Lord with undistracted devotion while upholding the sanctity of the marriage covenant.

The chapter flows from a specific response to the Corinthians regarding marriage and asceticism to general principles of 'calling,' concluding with advice for virgins and widows in light of the end times.

• The unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband (v 14).

• Let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband (v 2).
• Defraud ye not one the other (v 5).
• Let not the wife depart from her husband (v 10).
• Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called (v 20).
• Be not ye the servants of men (v 23).

• Satan tempt you for your incontinency (v 5).
• Such shall have trouble in the flesh (v 28).

• Corinth was characterized by high levels of sexual immorality; the church faced pressure from an ascetic movement suggesting celibacy was a mark of superior holiness.
• Roman law allowed for easy divorce; Paul’s commands provided a counter-cultural constraint on these practices.

• The term 'present distress' (v 26) likely refers to a period of localized crisis or persecution facing the church at that time.

• Paul is responding to a letter from the Corinthians ('concerning the things whereof ye wrote,' v 1).

• Paul relies on Genesis 2:24 for the foundation of the marriage union; he builds upon the teaching of Jesus regarding divorce found in the Gospels (e.g., Mark 10).
• Matthew Henry observes that marriage is a divine institution and a life-long engagement; he notes that divorce was common among both Jews and Gentiles on slight pretexts, which Paul strictly limits.

• Genesis 2:24 ('one flesh') is the implicit foundation for the 'power over his own body' language in v 4.

• gynḗ [G1135]: 'woman/wife'—context indicates whether it refers to the female gender or specifically the marital partner.
• háptomai [G680]: 'touch'—a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
• exousiázō [G1850]: 'power/control'—referring to the authority spouses hold over one another's bodies in the marriage union.
• scholázō [G4980]: 'devote yourselves'—literally 'be at leisure' or 'vacant' for a purpose, implying intentional, undistracted focus on prayer.

• Paul explicitly differentiates between his own inspired counsel ('I, not the Lord') and the direct words of Jesus ('not I, but the Lord'), demonstrating high respect for the oral or written traditions of Jesus' earthly ministry.

• The identity of the 'virgin' in vv 36-38 is debated: some scholars believe it refers to a daughter under a father's guardianship, while others suggest it refers to an engaged couple.
• The 'exception clause' in v 15 regarding the 'unbelieving departing' is a subject of historic debate. Some positions (often Arminian/moderate) see this as a permission for remarriage ('not under bondage'), while others (often traditional Reformed/strictly legalist) argue it only permits the legal separation of the marriage contract without the right to remarry.