Verses 1-9: Sexual Holiness, Marriage, and the Gift of Singleness

¹ Now concerning the things about which you wrote to me: it is good for a man not to touch a woman. ² But, because of sexual immoralities, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. ³ Let the husband give his wife the affection owed her, and likewise also the wife her husband. ⁴ The wife doesn’t have authority over her own body, but the husband. Likewise also the husband doesn’t have authority over his own body, but the wife. ⁵ Don’t deprive one another, unless it is by consent for a season, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer, and may be together again, that Satan doesn’t tempt you because of your lack of self-control. ⁶ But this I say by way of concession, not of commandment. ⁷ Yet I wish that all men were like me. However each man has his own gift from God, one of this kind, and another of that kind. ⁸ But I say to the unmarried and to widows, it is good for them if they remain even as I am. ⁹ But if they don’t have self-control, let them marry. For it’s better to marry than to burn.

• Celibacy can be good, but holiness is the goal:

  Paul can affirm that it “is good for a man not to touch a woman,” yet he immediately addresses the real pressures of fallen desire and temptation. The theological point is not that intimacy is impure, but that the believer’s life must be ordered toward holiness, with different callings serving that end.

• Marriage is a holy provision against sexual immorality:

  Because “sexual immoralities” are a present danger, Paul commends the covenantal stability of each having “his own wife” and “her own husband.” This presents marriage as a morally weighty, ordered context for sexual life, guarding believers from sin and honoring God’s design for fidelity.

• Marital intimacy is mutual duty, not unilateral privilege:

  The command for each spouse to give “the affection owed” teaches that marriage entails mutual responsibility. Intimacy is framed as something owed in love, implying self-giving service rather than self-centered demand, and calling spouses to treat one another with honoring care.

• Marriage involves mutual authority and embodied self-giving:

  By stating that each spouse does not have authority over their own body in isolation, Paul presents marriage as a covenant where each belongs to the other. This protects against exploitation by making the obligation reciprocal, and it sanctifies embodied life as part of faithful discipleship.

• Temporary abstinence is permissible only by agreement and for spiritual purpose:

  Paul allows abstinence only “by consent for a season” for “fasting and prayer,” and insists on reunion so that “Satan doesn’t tempt you because of your lack of self-control.” Theologically, this recognizes both the goodness of spiritual disciplines and the reality of spiritual warfare, while treating human weakness with pastoral seriousness.

• Not every good practice is a universal command:

  “By way of concession, not of commandment” distinguishes between binding moral instruction and wise pastoral permission. This teaches that the church must discern what Scripture commands for all and what it permits as prudence, without turning counsel into law.

• God gives differing gifts for differing callings:

  Paul’s desire that others were like him is tempered by: “each man has his own gift from God.” Singleness and marriage are both presented as divine gifts, implying that Christian obedience is not one-size-fits-all, and that God equips believers differently for faithful living.

• Marriage is a righteous path when self-control is lacking:

  “If they don’t have self-control, let them marry” teaches that marriage is not second-rate spirituality; it can be the wise and holy course. Paul’s “better to marry than to burn” acknowledges that embodied desires are real and must be addressed through God-honoring means rather than denied until they erupt into sin.

Verses 10-16: Marriage Permanence, Separation, and Peace in Mixed Homes

¹⁰ But to the married I command—not I, but the Lord—that the wife not leave her husband ¹¹ (but if she departs, let her remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband not leave his wife. ¹² But to the rest I—not the Lord—say, if any brother has an unbelieving wife, and she is content to live with him, let him not leave her. ¹³ The woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he is content to live with her, let her not leave her husband. ¹⁴ For the unbelieving husband is sanctified in the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified in the husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy. ¹⁵ Yet if the unbeliever departs, let there be separation. The brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us in peace. ¹⁶ For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

• Marriage is to be guarded by the Lord’s command:

  Paul speaks with special weight when he says “not I, but the Lord,” and the command is clear: spouses are not to leave one another. The theological point is the seriousness of the marital bond and the church’s obligation to treat covenant faithfulness as moral obedience, not merely personal preference.

• When separation happens, reconciliation is held out as the aim:

  If a wife departs, Paul gives two options: “remain unmarried, or else be reconciled.” This instruction aims to preserve the integrity of marriage and orient the believer toward peace-making and restoration rather than quick replacement, while still addressing painful realities.

• Believers are not to initiate divorce over a spouse’s unbelief:

  In mixed-belief marriages, the repeated instruction is “let him not leave her” and “let her not leave her husband” if the unbelieving spouse is willing to remain. This teaches that faithfulness to Christ can be lived out within difficult domestic circumstances and that love can persevere without compromising belief.

• God’s holiness can mark a household through the believing spouse:

  The language of being “sanctified” and children being “holy” indicates that God treats the family unit as set apart in a real sense when a believer is present. This does not flatten the distinction between belief and unbelief, but it does affirm that God’s covenantal kindness can extend benefits and a consecrated standing to the household.

• Peace is a divine calling, and abandonment changes obligations:

  If the unbeliever departs, “let there be separation,” and the believer “is not under bondage in such cases.” This upholds peace as God’s calling, refusing to force perpetual conflict, while also recognizing that a believer cannot control another person’s decision.

• Hope for a spouse’s salvation is real but not presumed:

  “How do you know… whether you will save your husband… your wife?” holds together evangelistic hope and humble realism. God may use faithful witness within marriage, yet outcomes are not guaranteed by human effort; believers are called to steadfast love without claiming mastery over another’s heart.

Verses 17-24: Faithfulness in One’s Calling and Freedom Bought by Christ

¹⁷ Only, as the Lord has distributed to each man, as God has called each, so let him walk. So I command in all the assemblies. ¹⁸ Was anyone called having been circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Has anyone been called in uncircumcision? Let him not be circumcised. ¹⁹ Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God. ²⁰ Let each man stay in that calling in which he was called. ²¹ Were you called being a bondservant? Don’t let that bother you, but if you get an opportunity to become free, use it. ²² For he who was called in the Lord being a bondservant is the Lord’s free man. Likewise he who was called being free is Christ’s bondservant. ²³ You were bought with a price. Don’t become bondservants of men. ²⁴ Brothers, let each man, in whatever condition he was called, stay in that condition with God.

• God’s call meets us where we are and orders how we walk:

  Paul grounds ethical stability in divine initiative: “as God has called each, so let him walk.” This teaches that the Christian life is lived responsively—God’s call establishes identity and direction, and believers are summoned to faithful walking rather than restless self-reinvention.

• External marks do not define spiritual standing before God:

  Circumcision and uncircumcision are treated as “nothing” in themselves. The theological point is that outward identifiers, whether religious or cultural, do not constitute the heart of belonging to God; what matters is living obedience to God’s commands.

• Obedience is central: “the keeping of the commandments of God”:

  Paul does not replace ritual with lawlessness; he replaces confidence in external status with a life that actually keeps God’s commandments. This affirms that grace does not eliminate moral seriousness; it produces a life oriented toward God’s will.

• Earthly status is relativized by union with the Lord:

  Bondservant and free are both reinterpreted: the bondservant is “the Lord’s free man,” and the free person is “Christ’s bondservant.” Theologically, this teaches that the deepest freedom and service are defined by relationship to Christ, not by societal rank.

• Redemption sets a new ownership: “bought with a price”:

  The statement that believers were “bought with a price” grounds Christian identity in Christ’s costly saving work and leads to a command: “Don’t become bondservants of men.” The church is reminded that allegiance is ultimately to Christ, and that human authorities cannot claim absolute ownership over conscience and calling.

• Faithfulness can be pursued without denying wise change:

  Paul can say “stay in that calling” while also urging the enslaved person: “if you get an opportunity to become free, use it.” This balances contentment and prudence—trusting God in present circumstances while receiving lawful opportunities for relief and greater service.

Verses 25-35: Wise Counsel in Distress and Undivided Devotion

²⁵ Now concerning virgins, I have no commandment from the Lord, but I give my judgment as one who has obtained mercy from the Lord to be trustworthy. ²⁶ Therefore I think that because of the distress that is on us, that it’s good for a man to remain as he is. ²⁷ Are you bound to a wife? Don’t seek to be freed. Are you free from a wife? Don’t seek a wife. ²⁸ But if you marry, you have not sinned. If a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Yet such will have oppression in the flesh, and I want to spare you. ²⁹ But I say this, brothers: the time is short, that from now on, both those who have wives may be as though they had none; ³⁰ and those who weep, as though they didn’t weep; and those who rejoice, as though they didn’t rejoice; and those who buy, as though they didn’t possess; ³¹ and those who use the world, as not using it to the fullest. For the mode of this world passes away. ³² But I desire to have you to be free from cares. He who is unmarried is concerned for the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord; ³³ but he who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife. ³⁴ There is also a difference between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But she who is married cares about the things of the world—how she may please her husband. ³⁵ This I say for your own profit; not that I may ensnare you, but for that which is appropriate, and that you may attend to the Lord without distraction.

• There is a place for trustworthy judgment where no direct command is given:

  Paul distinguishes between “no commandment from the Lord” and his “judgment” as one made trustworthy by mercy. This shows how the church can receive apostolic wisdom as genuinely spiritual guidance without confusing every pastoral counsel with a direct dominical command.

• Circumstances matter in discipleship decisions:

  Because of “the distress that is on us,” Paul recommends remaining as one is. Theologically, this acknowledges that obedience is lived in real history; prudence may counsel stability during hardship, not because marriage is wrong, but because suffering can intensify responsibilities.

• Marriage is not sin, yet it brings real worldly pressures:

  Paul explicitly protects marriage from stigma: “if you marry, you have not sinned.” At the same time, he warns of “oppression in the flesh” and expresses pastoral desire to spare believers. This holds together the goodness of marriage and the sober recognition that it multiplies temporal concerns.

• Eschatological urgency relativizes all earthly conditions:

  “The time is short” and “the mode of this world passes away” call believers to live with a loose grip on earthly states—marriage, grief, joy, possessions, and worldly use. The theological point is not neglect of duties, but a reordered priority: devotion to the Lord outranks all transient arrangements.

• Singleness can uniquely support undistracted service to the Lord:

  Paul’s contrast of concerns highlights a real difference in available attention: the unmarried can be “concerned for the things of the Lord,” while the married must also attend to pleasing a spouse. This dignifies celibate singleness as a vocation that can facilitate focused worship and ministry.

• Holiness includes body and spirit, shaped by one’s state:

  The unmarried woman’s aim “that she may be holy both in body and in spirit” underscores integrated sanctification. The point is not that marriage prevents holiness, but that life circumstances shape the kinds of cares one must faithfully manage while pursuing holiness.

• Apostolic counsel aims at profit, not control:

  “Not that I may ensnare you” clarifies Paul’s pastoral heart: he is not trapping consciences but guiding them toward what is “appropriate” so they may “attend to the Lord without distraction.” This models how spiritual authority should serve freedom for devotion, not manipulation.

Verses 36-40: Marriage Decisions, “Better” Counsel, and “Only in the Lord”

³⁶ But if any man thinks that he is behaving inappropriately toward his virgin, if she is past the flower of her age, and if need so requires, let him do what he desires. He doesn’t sin. Let them marry. ³⁷ But he who stands steadfast in his heart, having no urgency, but has power over his own will, and has determined in his own heart to keep his own virgin, does well. ³⁸ So then both he who gives his own virgin in marriage does well, and he who doesn’t give her in marriage does better. ³⁹ A wife is bound by law for as long as her husband lives; but if the husband is dead, she is free to be married to whomever she desires, only in the Lord. ⁴⁰ But she is happier if she stays as she is, in my judgment, and I think that I also have God’s Spirit.

• Marriage can be chosen without guilt when circumstances require it:

  Paul provides moral clarity: if “need so requires,” “let him do what he desires. He doesn’t sin. Let them marry.” This teaches that Christian ethics includes legitimate freedom: not every serious life decision has a single mandated path, and pastoral guidance should relieve unnecessary shame.

• Self-governance and steadfastness can support a good choice to remain unmarried:

  Where there is “no urgency” and one “has power over his own will,” remaining unmarried “does well.” The theological point is that disciplined desire, guided by conscience and wisdom, can enable a stable, God-honoring path that is neither forced nor impulsive.

• Both marriage and celibate singleness can be good, with differing advantages:

  Paul says both options “do well,” yet also says one “does better,” in context of devotion and distress. This recognizes differing callings and spiritual advantages without condemning either state—affirming the goodness of marriage while commending undistracted availability for the Lord.

• Marriage is binding for life; widowhood brings real freedom within a holy boundary:

  “A wife is bound by law for as long as her husband lives” upholds lifelong covenant permanence. Yet death changes the covenantal bond: she “is free to be married to whomever she desires,” with the crucial restriction “only in the Lord,” teaching that Christian marriage choices are to be made within faithful allegiance to Christ.

• Apostolic judgment is offered with humility and dependence on the Spirit:

  Paul’s “in my judgment” and “I think that I also have God’s Spirit” shows both confidence and humility. Theologically, it encourages the church to honor Spirit-shaped pastoral wisdom while recognizing the difference between absolute command and situational counsel.

Conclusion: 1 Corinthians 7 presents marriage and singleness as genuine gifts from God, calls spouses to mutual fidelity and care, urges believers to pursue peace and holiness within complex household realities, and teaches contentment in God’s calling while honoring wise opportunities for change. Throughout, the chapter binds consciences where the Lord’s command is clear, offers Spirit-shaped counsel where prudence is needed, and orients all of life—married or unmarried—toward obedience, sanctification, and undistracted devotion because “the mode of this world passes away.”