1 Corinthians 7

1. Now about the questions you asked in your letter. Yes, it is good to abstain from immoral relations.

Corinth was filled with prostitutes. They came out from the temples every night and this was said to be some kind of worship of the gods. The Corinthians had lived with this all their lives and Paul is warning them about these things.

2. But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband.

Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” Genesis 2:18

3 – 4

The husband should fulfill his wife’s sexual needs, and the wife should fulfill her husband’s needs. The wife gives authority over her body to her husband, and the husband gives authority over his body to his wife.

One is not complete without the other.

5. Do not deprive each other of sexual relations, unless you both agree to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time so you can give yourselves more completely to prayer. After this, you should come together again so that Satan will not be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

Do not use the marriage bed as a weapon. Staying away from each other too long can lead to temptations.

6 – 8

I say this by permission, not as a command. I wish everyone were single, just as I am. Yet each person has a special gift from God, of one kind or another. I say to those who are not married and to widows it is beautiful to stay unmarried, just as I am.

This is Paul's opinion. He is encouraging those who are not married so that they will know there is nothing wrong with them. Jesus said that certain people have been given this gift and Isaiah said that they will have spiritual children.

There are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb; and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men; and there are also eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to accept this, let him accept it. Matthew 19:12

“Sing, O childless woman, you who have never given birth! Break into loud and joyful song, O Jerusalem, you who have never been in labor. For the desolate woman now has more children than the woman who lives with her husband.” says the LORD. Isaiah 54:1

9. But if they cannot control themselves, they should go ahead and marry. it is better to marry than to burn with lust.

There are some people who will not listen. They cannot control themselves and are trapped in immorality. With much prayer and surrender to the Lord, such people would do better to be married and to rebuild their relationship with the Lord.

10 – 11

But for those who are married, I have a command that comes not from me, but from the Lord. A wife must not leave her husband. But if she does leave him, let her remain single or else be restored to him. And the husband must not leave his wife.

There are times for marriage partners to be separated. An example would be when one is hurting the other one and they need to protect themselves or the children. Another example would be a short separation to give each other some time to stop arguing and ask a spiritual father for help.

After we take back the territory which we have given to Satan, God can rebuild our lives from any evil thing. Some counselors teach that the Bible says that you cannot be remarried after a divorce. They try to use Deuteronomy chapter 24, but this passage is only talking about a case where the divorce was the husband's idea. Deuteronomy 24:1–4

Jesus replied, “Moses allowed divorce only because of your hard hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended. Matthew 19:8

And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery. Not all men can accept this statement, but only those to whom it has been given. Matthew 19:9–11

A man who has been immoral with a woman before marriage can never divorce her because he has humbled her. Even though we are not saved by the Old Testament law it can guide us in these situations. Deuteronomy 22:19

12. Now, I will speak to the rest of you, though I do not have a direct command from the Lord. If a Christian man has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to continue living with him, he must not leave her.

God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16). Remember that John the Baptist gave his life because he spoke against adultery.

13 – 14

And if a Christian woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to continue living with her, she must not leave him. For the Christian wife brings holiness to her marriage, and the Christian husband brings holiness to his marriage. Otherwise, your children would not be holy, but now they are holy.

Many young women say, "I know he is not a Christian but he will change for me." They are asking for a hard life, but God can help them overcome this if they walk closely in the Word and in prayer. Do not be yoked with those who are unbelievers. 2 Corinthians 6:14

15 – 16

(But if the husband or wife who is not a believer wants to leave, let them go. In such cases the Christian husband or wife is no longer bound to the other, for God has called you to live in peace.) Do you wives not know that your husbands might be saved because of you? And Do you husbands not know that your wives might be saved because of you?

This verse is used to prove that any kind of divorce is good. The balance of this Scripture is that God has called us to peace, which means we should try to rebuild the marriage and pray that the other partner gives their life to Christ.

In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands. Then, even if some refuse to obey the Gospel, your godly lives will speak to them without any words. They will be won over. 1 Peter 3:1

17. Each of you should continue to live in whatever situation the Lord has placed you, and remain as you were when God first called you. This is my rule for all the churches.

If you are single, leave this situation up to God and work to train spiritual children. If you are married asked the Lord to fill you with Scripture and show you how to live with this person.

18 – 19

For instance, a man who was circumcised before he became a believer should not try to reverse it. And the man who was uncircumcised when he became a believer should not be circumcised now. It makes no difference whether or not a man has been circumcised. The important thing is to keep God’s commandments.

When God saved you, were you uncircumcised? Then do not get circumcised.

20 – 27

Yes, each of you should remain as you were when God called you. Are you a slave? Do not let that worry you, but if you get a chance to be free, take it. Remember, if you were a slave when the Lord called you, you are now free in the Lord. And if you were free when the Lord called you, you are now a slave of Christ.

God paid a high price for you, so do not be enslaved by the world. Each of you, dear brothers and sisters, should remain as you were when God first called you.

Now regarding your question about the young women who are not yet married. I do not have a command from the Lord for them. But the Lord in His mercy has given me wisdom that can be trusted, and I will share it with you. Because of the present crisis, I think it is best to remain as you are.

If you have a wife, do not seek to end the marriage. If you do not have a wife, do not seek to get married.

As with everything else, our life is in God's hands. We ask Him to give us two or three witnesses before we make any decision. He will choose the right partner for us if that is what He has planned. It does not matter what happens, "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord!" Joshua 24:15

28 – 32

But if you do get married, it is not a sin. And if a young woman gets married, it is not a sin. However, those who get married at this time will have troubles, and I am trying to spare you those problems.

But let me say this, dear brothers and sisters: The time that remains is very short. So from now on, those with wives should not focus only on their marriage.

Those who weep or who rejoice or who buy things should not be thinking only of their weeping or their joy or their possessions.

Those who use the things of the world should not become attached to them. For this world as we know it will soon pass away.

I want you to be free from the concerns of this life. An unmarried man can spend his time doing the Lord’s work and thinking how to please Him.

Life is short and only what is done for Christ will last. It is very easy to spend our time thinking about how can we get the things we need. Jesus said that if we would put God's things. first, He will give us everything we need. Luke 6:33

After we make the decision that we were put on this earth to do a certain job for the Lord that no one else can do, we will be free from the worries of this world.

33 – 34

But a married man has to think about his earthly responsibilities and how to please his wife. His interests are divided. In the same way, a woman who is no longer married or has never been married can be devoted to the Lord and holy in body and in spirit. But a married woman has to think about her earthly responsibilities and how to please her husband.

A true husband puts his wife first, before anything that he wants to do. He shows the world a picture of how Jesus gave up everything for the one He loved.

For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up His life for her. Ephesians5:25

36. I am saying this for your benefit, not to place restrictions on you. I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few distractions as possible.

If God has shown you that you are called to the ministry then you need to ask Him to show you if getting married will make the ministry stronger or if you are being sent to a place that will be hard on a marriage.

36. But if a man thinks that he’s treating his fiancée improperly and will inevitably give in to his passion, let him marry her as he wishes. It is not a sin.

In the Jewish culture, when a couple were promised to each other, they were thought of as already married. To break off the engagement was seen as the same as divorce.

Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. Matthew 1:19

37 – 38

But if he has decided not to marry, and there is no hurry, and he can control his passion, he does well not to marry. So the person who marries his fiancé does well, and the person who does not marry does even better.

If a young man, who is engaged, sees that he is not ready for marriage, it is best for him to wait.

39 – 40

A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. If her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but only if he loves the Lord. But in my opinion it would be better for her to stay single, and I think I am giving you counsel from God’s Spirit when I say this.

After someone is married they will always have the one–flesh tie with the one they married. Matthew 19:6