6:16 one flesh. Paul supports his point in the previous verse by appealing to the truth of Gen. 2:24 that defines the sexual union between a man and a woman as “one flesh.” When a person is joined to a harlot, it is a one flesh experience; therefore Christ spiritually is joined to that harlot.
6:17 one spirit with Him. Further strengthening the point, Paul affirms that all sex outside of marriage is sin; but illicit relationships by believers are especially reprehensible because they profane Jesus Christ with whom believers are one (John 14:18–23; 15:4, 7; 17:20–23; Rom. 12:5). This argument should make such sin unthinkable.
6:18 Every sin…is outside. There is a sense in which sexual sin destroys a person like no other, because it is so intimate and entangling, corrupting on the deepest human level. But Paul is probably alluding to venereal disease, prevalent and devastating in his day and today. No sin has greater potential to destroy the body, something a believer should avoid because of the reality given in vv. 19, 20.
6:19 not your own. A Christian’s body belongs to the Lord (v. 13), is a member of Christ (v. 15), and is the Holy Spirit’s temple. See notes on Rom. 12:1, 2. Every act of fornication, adultery, or any other sin is committed by the believer in the sanctuary, the Holy of Holies, where God dwells. In the OT, the High-Priest only went in there once a year, and only after extensive cleansing, lest he be killed (Lev. 16).
6:20 a price. The precious blood of Christ (see notes on 1 Pet. 1:18). glorify God. The Christian’s supreme purpose (10:31).
1 Corinthians 7
7:1—11:34 This section comprises Paul’s answers to practical questions about which the Corinthians had written him (7:1) in a letter probably delivered by Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus (16:17). The first of those questions had to do with marriage, an area of trouble due to the moral corruption of the culture which tolerated fornication, adultery, homosexuality, polygamy, and concubinage.
7:1–7 Some had the notion that because of all the sexual sin and marital confusion, it would be better to be single, even more spiritual to be celibate. This could lead some falsely pious people to advocate divorce in order to be single. These verses elevate singleness, as long as it is celibate, but they in no way teach that marriage is either wrong or inferior.
7:1 touch a woman. This is a Jewish euphemism for sexual intercourse (see, e.g., Gen. 20:6; Ruth 2:9; Prov. 6:29). Paul is saying that it is good not to have sex, that is, to be single and celibate. It is not, however, the only good or even better than marriage (cf. Gen. 1:28; 2:18).
7:2 sexual immorality. There is a great danger of sexual sin when single (cf. Matt. 19:12). Marriage is God’s only provision for sexual fulfillment. Marriage should not be reduced simply to that, however. Paul has a much higher view and articulates it in Eph. 5:22, 23. He is, here, stressing the issue of sexual sin for people who are single.
7:3 render…affection due. Married believers are not to sexually deprive their spouses. While celibacy is right for the single, it is wrong for the married. The practice of deprivation may have been most common when a believer had an unsaved spouse (for more on unsaved spouses, see notes on vv. 10–17).
7:4 authority. By the marriage covenant, each partner is given the right over the spouse’s body for the satisfaction of the other.
7:5 deprive. Lit. “stop depriving each other!” This command may indicate that this kind of deprivation was going on among believers, perhaps reacting to the gross sexual sins of their past and wanting to leave all that behind. Husbands and wives may abstain temporarily from sexual activity, but only when they mutually agree to do so for intercession, as a part of their fasting. come together again. Sexual intercourse is to be soon renewed after the spiritual interruption. so that Satan does not tempt. Cf. 1 Thess. 3:5. After the agreed-upon “time” of abstinence, sexual desires intensify and a spouse becomes more vulnerable to sinful desire. See notes on Matt. 4:1–11; 2 Cor. 2:11.
7:6 concession. A better translation of the Gr. would be “awareness” or “to have a mutual opinion.” Paul was very aware of the God-ordained advantages of both singleness and marriage, and was not commanding marriage because of the temptation of singleness. Spirituality is not connected at all to marital status, though marriage is God’s good gift (see 1 Pet. 3:7, “the grace of life”).
7:7 as I myself. As a single person, Paul recognized the special freedom and independence he had to serve Christ (see notes on vv. 32–34). But he did not expect all believers to be single, nor all who were single to stay that way, nor all who were married to act celibate as if they were single. gift from God. Both singleness and marriage are God’s gracious gifts.
7:8 unmarried…widows. “Unmarried” is a term used 4 times in the NT, and only in 1 Corinthians (cf. vv. 11, 32, 34). This verse makes it clear that the unmarried and widows are distinct. Verse 11 identifies the divorced as the “unmarried” to be distinguished from “widows” (vv. 39, 40; single by death) and virgins (vv. 25, 28; never married). Each use of “unmarried,” then, refers to those formerly married, presently single, but not widowed. They are the divorced. It is likely these people who were formerly married wanted to know if they, as Christians, could or should remarry. as I am. Paul was possibly a widower, and could here affirm his former marriage by identifying with the unmarried and widows. His first suggestion is that they stay single because of its freedoms in serving the Lord (vv. 25–27, 32–34). See notes on Anna in Luke 2:36, 37.
7:9 let them marry. The Gr. tense indicates a command, since a person can’t live a happy life and serve the Lord effectively if dominated by unfulfilled sexual passion—especially in that Corinthian society.
7:10 not I but the Lord. What Paul writes to these believers was already made clear by Jesus during His earthly ministry (Matt. 5:31, 32; 19:5–8; cf. Gen. 2:24; Mal. 2:16). depart. This word is used as a synonym for divorce, as indicated by the parallel use of the word “divorce,” in v. 11.
7:11 remain unmarried. If a Christian divorces another Christian except for adultery (see notes on Matt. 5:31, 32; 19:8, 9), neither partner is free to marry another person. They should reconcile, or at least remain unmarried.
7:12 to the rest. Those not covered by the instruction of vv. 10, 11. I…say. Not a denial of inspiration or an indication that Paul is giving human opinion, but simply a way of saying that Jesus had not spoken on this and God had not previously given revelation on the matter, as Paul was then writing. Apparently, some Christians felt they should divorce their unsaved spouses, to live celibately or marry a believer.
7:12, 13 Some believers must have felt that being married to an unbeliever was somehow defiling. However, just the opposite is true (v. 14).
7:14 sanctified. This does not refer to salvation; otherwise the spouse would not be spoken of as unbelieving. The sanctification is matrimonial and familial, not personal or spiritual, and means that the unsaved partner is set apart for temporal blessing because the other belongs to God. One Christian in a marriage brings grace that spills over on the spouse—even possibly leading them to salvation. children…are holy. The Christian need not separate from an unbeliever because of fear that the unbelieving spouse may defile the children. God promises the opposite. They would be unclean if both parents were unsaved, but the presence of one believing parent exposes the children to blessing and brings them protection. The presence of even one Christian parent will protect children from undue spiritual harm and they will receive many blessings, and often that includes salvation.
7:15 let him depart. A term referring to divorce (cf. vv. 10, 11). When an unbelieving spouse cannot tolerate the partner’s faith and wants a divorce, it is best to let that happen in order to preserve peace in the family (cf. Rom. 12:18). The bond of marriage is broken only by death (Rom. 7:2), adultery (Matt. 19:9), or an unbeliever’s leaving. not under bondage. When the bond is broken in any of those ways, a Christian is free to marry another believer. Throughout Scripture, whenever legitimate divorce occurs, remarriage is assumed. When divorce is permitted, so
is remarriage. By implication, the permission for a widow to remarry (vv. 39, 40; Rom. 7:3) because the “bond” is broken, extends to this case where there is no more “bondage.”
7:16 Some may have been reluctant to let go of their unsaved spouse, who wanted out and was creating discord in the home—thinking they could evangelize the spouse by hanging on for the purpose of seeing that one converted. Paul says there are no such assurances and it is better to divorce and be at peace (v. 15), if the unsaved partner wants to end the marriage that way.
7:17–24 Discontent was prevalent among these new believers in the Corinthian church. As noted up to this point (vv. 1–16), some wanted to change their marital status, some were slaves who wanted to be free, and some used their freedom in Christ to rationalize sinning. In a general response to that, this passage plainly repeats the basic principle that Christians should willingly accept the marital condition and social situations into which God has placed them and be content to serve Him there until He leads them elsewhere.
7:17 For the first of 3 times (vv. 20, 24), Paul states the principle of contentment which is required of all Christians.
7:18 called. As always in the epistles, this term refers to God’s effectual call that saves (see note on Rom. 8:30). circumcised…uncircumcised. With Judaizers demanding all Gentile believers in Christ to be circumcised (Gal. 5:1–6), and with some Christian Jews wanting to disassociate with Judaism and thus having a surgery to become uncircumcised (as addressed in rabbinic literature), Paul needed to clarify the issue by saying that neither was necessary. Figuratively, the idea is that when a Jew became a Christian, he was not to give up his racial and cultural identity in order to appear like a Gentile. Likewise, a Gentile was not to become culturally like a Jew (v. 19). Culture, social order, and external ceremony have no bearing on spiritual life. What matters is faith and obedience.
7:21 while a slave. Paul was not approving all slavery, but is teaching that a person who is a slave is still able to obey and honor Christ (Eph. 6:5–8; Col. 3:23; 1 Tim. 6:1, 2). Do not be concerned about. In modern society, this seems an insensitive command to those who wrongly assume that freedom is some God-given right, rather than a preferable option.
7:22 the Lord’s freedman. In the ways that truly count, no man is freer than a Christian. No bondage is as terrible as that of sin, from which Christ frees the believer. Christ’s slave. Those who are not slaves, but free in the social sense, are in the spiritual sense made slaves of Christ in salvation (Rom. 6:22).
7:23 price. The blood of Christ (6:20; 1 Pet. 1:19). slaves of men. This refers to sinful slavery, i.e., becoming slaves to the ways of men, the ways of the world, and of the flesh. This is the slavery about which to be concerned.
7:25–40 Having already established that both marriage and singleness are good and right before the Lord (vv. 1–9), and for the person who has the gift of singleness (v. 7), that state has many practical advantages, Paul continued to answer the questions about which the Corinthians had written him (see note on v. 1). Paul gives 6 reasons for never marrying, in relationship to the downside of marriage, but remaining single (virgins): 1) pressure from the system (vv. 25–27); 2) problems of the flesh (v. 28); 3) passing of the world (vv. 29–31); 4) preoccupations of marriage (vv. 32–35); 5) promises from fathers (vv. 36–38); and 6) permanency of marriage (vv. 39, 40).
7:25 I have no commandment. See note on v. 12. The conviction given here is not a command, but is thoroughly dependable and sound advice to remain a virgin, which is counsel included by the inspiration of the Spirit from a trustworthy man.
7:26 present distress. An unspecified, current calamity. Perhaps Paul anticipated the imminent Roman persecutions which began within 10 years after this epistle was written. remain as he is. Persecution is difficult enough for a single person to endure, but problems and pain are multiplied for those who are married, especially if they have children.
7:27 The benefits of singleness notwithstanding, married people must remain married. loosed. Divorce is in view.
7:28 marry, you have not sinned. Marriage is a fully legitimate and godly option for both the divorced (on biblical grounds; see note on v. 15) and virgins. trouble in the flesh. “Trouble” means lit. “pressed together, or under pressure.” Marriage can involve conflicts, demands, difficulties, and adjustments that singleness does not, because it presses two fallen people into intimate life that leads to inevitable “trouble.” The troubles of singleness may be exceeded by the conflicts of marriage.
7:29 time is short. Human life is brief (cf. James 4:14; 1 Pet. 1:24). as though they had none. This does not teach that marriage is no longer binding or treated with seriousness (cf. Eph. 5:22–33; Col. 3:18, 19), nor should there be any physical deprivation (vv. 3–5); but Paul is teaching that marriage should not at all reduce one’s devotion to the Lord and service to Him (cf. Col. 3:2). He means to keep the eternal priority (see v. 31).
7:30 The mature Christian does not get so swept up in the emotion of this life, so as to lose motivation, hope, and purpose.
7:31 use…not misusing. This refers to the normal commercial materialism and pleasures that govern in the world. Believers are not to be swept up in earthly enterprises so that heavenly matters become secondary. form. This refers to a manner of life, a fashion, or way of doing things.
7:32, 33 be without care. A single person is free from concern about the earthly needs of a spouse and therefore potentially better able to set himself apart exclusively for the Lord’s work.
7:33 things of the world. These are earthly matters connected to the passing system (v. 31).
7:33, 34 how he may please his wife…husband. Here is a basic and expected principle for a good marriage—each seeking to please the other.
7:34 The first part of this verse is preferably rendered in some manuscripts, “and his interests are divided. And the woman who is unmarried and the virgin….” This is important because it distinguishes clearly between the “unmarried” and “virgins,” who, therefore, can’t be the same. “Virgins” are single people never married, while “unmarried” must be single by divorce. Widows is the term for those made single by death (see note on v. 8).
7:35 Marriage does not prevent great devotion to the Lord, but it brings more potential matters to interfere with it. Singleness has fewer hindrances, though not guaranteed greater spiritual virtue. distraction. See notes on vv. 26, 29, 33.
7:36 his virgin. That is, a man’s daughter. Apparently in Corinth some of the fathers intending devotion to the Lord, had dedicated their young daughters to the Lord as permanent virgins. past the flower of youth. Fully matured as a woman capable of child-bearing. it must be. When daughters became of marriageable age and insisted on being married, their fathers were free to break the vow and let them marry.
7:37 no necessity. This means the father who has kept his daughter a virgin and is not under constraint by the daughter to change his mind, does well to fulfill his desire for her to be singularly devoted to the Lord (v. 34). As with those who remain single (v. 28), the choice was not between right and wrong.
7:39 bound by law. God’s law designed marriage for life (cf. Gen 2:24; Mal. 2:16; Rom. 7:1–3). It is so permanent that the disciples thought it may be better not to marry (see note on Matt. 19:10). only in the Lord. That is, free to marry a believer only. This is true for all believers who marry or remarry (see 2 Cor. 6:14–16).
7:40 I also have the Spirit. Perhaps with a touch of sarcasm, Paul affirmed that this sound advice was given by the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 8
8:1—11:1 Paul addresses liberty in the church (see notes on Rom. 14).
8:1 things offered to idols. The Greeks and Romans were polytheistic (worshiping many gods) and polydemonistic (believing in many evil spirits). They believed that evil spirits would try to invade human beings by attaching themselves to food before it was eaten, and that the spirits could be removed only by the food’s being sacrificed to a god. The sacrifice was meant not o
nly to gain favor with the god, but also to cleanse the meat from demonic contamination. Such decontaminated meat was offered to the gods as a sacrifice. That which was not burned on the altar was served at wicked pagan feasts. What was left was sold in the market. After conversion, believers resented eating such food bought out of idol markets, because it reminded sensitive Gentile believers of their previous pagan lives and the demonic worship. we all have knowledge. Paul and mature believers knew better than to be bothered by such food offered once to idols and then sold in the marketplace. They knew the deities did not exist and that evil spirits did not contaminate the food. See note on 1 Tim. 4:3. love edifies. Knowledge mingled with love prevents a believer from exercising freedoms that offend weaker believers and, rather, builds the others up in truth and wisdom (cf. 13:1–4).
8:2, 3 Love is the proof of knowing God. Cf. 1 John 4:19—5:1.
8:4 Paul states his agreement with the well taught believers who knew idols were nothing, so food offered to idols was not defiled.
8:5 so-called gods. Some were outright fakes and some were manifestations of demons, but none were truly gods (Ps. 115:4–7; Acts 19:26).
8:6 one God, the Father…one Lord Jesus Christ. A powerful and clear affirmation of the essential equality of God the Father and God the Son (cf. Eph. 4:4–6).
8:7 conscience…is defiled. The consciences of some newer converts were still accusing them strongly with regard to allowing them to eat idol food without feeling spiritually corrupted and guilty. They still imagined that idols were real and evil. A defiled conscience is one that has been violated, bringing fear, shame, and guilt. See notes on Rom. 14:20–23.
8:8 commend us to God. The idea is of bringing us nearer to God or making us approved by Him. Food is spiritually neutral.
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