1 Corinthians 7:1-40

Strange Marriage Questions

This is an unusual chapter to say the least. We must bear several things in mind as we read this chapter. The first thing is that Paul is not answering our questions. He is answering the questions of the church at Corinth. We don’t necessarily know what those questions were but based on Paul’s “answers” we can surmise. Some of the question I am going to suggest might seem strange but after almost thirty years in full time ministry I can assure you that nothing is truly strange. Remember, these are the same people he had to instruct to not be involved in sexual immorality. Where you find extremism you usually find extremes in all directions.

The main question Paul seems to be addressing here (and its corollaries) is simply: Is it sinful to be married? If we are already married should we stop having sex? Should we divorce? The questions may sound a little bizarre but if you read the chapter with these in mind it is pretty clear that this is what Paul is addressing. Some were perhaps asking such questions out of a sincere, if misguided, zeal for the Lord. Others were possibly looking for a legit way out of a marriage they no longer desired to be joined in. (People would do that? Uh, yes.)

The answers are pretty straight forward. It’s not a sin to be married. If you are married you should continue to be intimate except for specific limited periods to which both husband and wife mutually agree. No, don’t get divorced so you can “serve the Lord” better. If you are married to an unbeliever who isn’t willing to stay with you then let them go; otherwise, if even an unbelieving spouse is wiling to stay together then stay together. 

He even takes it a step further. If you are engaged and want to get married then by all means do so. You are sinning. And even another step; if your spouse dies you are free to marry again. 

As I said, these may sound like some pretty bizarre questions, but they are no less bizarre than some of the places people from centuries later have taken Paul’s answers. There is good advice here, but this isn’t Moses coming down from Sinai with the ten commandments. There are some portions that are a little cryptic, but we don’t have to understand everything. This is the best rule: hold to what we understand and don’t build dogmatic doctrines on what we don’t understand.