Corinthians 7, part 2

In 1 Corinthians 7 verses 2 and 9 Paul states, “ But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. … But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.” If we do not take into account the context of the passage, Paul's other letters, or the whole of scripture, then we can easily come up with a plethora of contradicting interpretations. Since I've already dealt with the more popular misinterpretations, I now hope to provide a more consistent and accurate interpretation. I recommend reading 1 Corinthians 7 in its entirety before hand and following along as you read this.

We love to make things neat and tidy, so we look for clear-cut directions. However, God's sovereignty does not always need to be reduced to specific, clear-cut instructions (also known as legalism). Ultimately, all God asks of us is to love and serve Him completely and He will take care of the rest. (Hebrews 13:21) In 1Cor 7, Paul was not giving Christians a command about which lifestyle God wants them to pursue. Instead he is assuring them that since God has it all under control they have the freedom to serve Him regardless of their present situation. He repeats this idea three times in chapter 7 (verses 17, 20, 24)

1 Corinthians 7 is far more simple than most people make it out to be. Paul does not say that everyone should get married, nor does he say that everyone should be single. Instead, he celebrates both life situations by addressing their advantages and disadvantages. The main point of chapter 7 is that Christians are to serve God in whatever life situation they are in, whether they be married, single, engaged, in slavery, or married to a non-christian. Slaves may gain their freedom or they may not (21-23). A spouse may become a Christian or they may leave (10-16). A person may get married or not(2-9 & 25-40). The purpose of the text is not to say that one lifestyle is good and the other is bad. The point is that God is big enough to use us no matter what our situation is. Our main priority in life should not be to change our situation. Instead we should focus on how we are to glorify God in our current situation even if we are also seeking to change it.

Paul starts off the chapter by addressing a legalistic view that was influencing the church. Apparently, some of the Corinthians were teaching that ALL sex should be avoided. So Paul responds by clarifying that married couples should have sex and that if the single people want to have sex then they should get married too. He further dismantles their legalistic mindset by refusing to condemn or require any specific life situation.

When the sanctity of sex is attacked, Paul responds by clarifying that sex is not inherently bad. In fact, having sex is a good part of a proper marriage. Therefore, if you want to have sex, then get married. If not, that's great too. You can be content with your situation and still work to change it. So if you want to have sex, honor God with your singleness and then pursue marriage rather than focusing on your lust. Pastor Mark Driscol expressed this sentiment to a male in today's culture when he said, “You need to stop watching porno … A naked lady is good to look at, so get a job, get a wife, ask her to get naked, and look at her instead.”

Some are offended that sex is condoned as a proper reason for marriage. This is probably because they assume it is the sole reason rather than merely a reason. Since the topic was sex, Paul mentioned sex as a motivation for marriage. Sex was never condoned as a sole reason for marriage, it was merely the topic at hand. Scripture is filled with other reasons for marriage that are far more important than sex. (Eph 5: 22-33) So, sex is A reason for marriage, but it certainly is not THE reason. Now, just so we are clear.

Should marriage help us avoid sexual immorality by providing a God ordained outlet for our natural desires? - YES!

Should marriage be expected to fix and fulfill all of our sexual and emotional issues? - NO!

We need to avoid our tendency to go from one extreme to another. Marriage is not the fix-all of sexual temptation. But it should help. Only God can make us holy and no person should ever be expected to fufill God's role in our life. They will fail every time. No guy should expect that his issues with porn will just go away once he is married. No girl should expect that her issues of self worth and insecurity will be solved by her husband. Instead, they need to look to God as their savior and each other as their helpers in pursuing holiness. That is the way God designed it.