For modern readers, Paul’s comments on marriage and divorce seem outdated. After responded to several related issues reported by the household of Chole, Paul moves on to questions from the Corinthians sent to Paul in a letter. Some of these questions relate to the reported problems. Paul begins with questions about marriage since the church asked about the topic, but Paul’s answer addresses the specific situation in the Corinthian church in chapters 5-6, sexual ethics. Notice the final words of 1 Corinthians 6, “honor God with your body.” How does the Christian honor God with their body? Flee sexual immorality (6:18) and pursue healthy sexual relations within marriage (7:1-7).
The context for Paul’s comments on marriage and divorce is “this present crisis” (1 Cor 7:26). If this refers to persecution, then marriage would be less important since there is a real possibility of death. But the “crisis” might be frequent famines plaguing Corinth in the first century. If this is the case, even sex within a marriage may very well result in a child, “another mouth to feed” (Ciampa and Rosner, 1 Corinthians, 270). It is possible this explains why married couples refrained from sex while the men still visited the prostitutes (6:12-17).
Paul’s marital status is another factor which may have affected the situation. In 1 Corinthians 7:6 Paul says he remains unmarried to devote himself fully to his ministry. If 1 Corinthians 7:6 does in fact imply Paul is unmarried, then perhaps at least some in the Corinthian church took his status as a model to imitate and were taking voluntary vows of celibacy even if they were already married. There are three marital statuses addressed in this chapter: Married to a believer, married to an unbeliever, and unmarried. An unmarried person might be a widow or a “not yet married person” (a virgin in verse 25).
One last point before looking at the details of the chapter. Paul is not writing a comprehensive “theology of marriage and divorce” in this chapter. Contemporary Christianity has defined marriage in far more detail than Paul does here, and most people have far more questions about what sorts of conditions might lead to divorce. We want to define infidelity more precisely or consider spousal abuse (whether physical or emotional). Paul never addressed the question, “Should I divorce my husband if he abuses the children?” Should I divorce my husband if he is a raging alcoholic or mentally unstable?” “Can I divorce my husband if he comes out of the closet and announces he is gay?” “Can I divorce my husband if he decides he is trans and begins to transition to a woman?” Can 1 Corinthians 7 even be used to answer such questions?
Many contemporary Christians readers approach this passage with the question, “under what circumstances is divorce permissible today.” (Or better, is there any way I can get out of this rotten marriage and not go to hell?) Others are be shocked at Paul’s patriarchal attitudes toward women in the passage, but Ben Witherington suggests most women in the Greco-Roman church of Corinth “surely would have welcomed Paul’s attempts to reform the patriarchal approach to marriage and singleness” (1-2 Corinthians, 177).
Paul’s point when he wrote the original letter was not to encourage divorce. Rather than “when can I get a divorce,” Paul offers a series of encouragements to the Corinthians to stay married. Paul’s thoughts on marriage are directed at the Corinthian situation, not ours. “Paul is not answering questions but questioning answers” (Garland, 1 Corinthians 252). Nevertheless, we can draw some principles about marriage and divorce from this passage and the rest of Scripture which the Holy Spirit may use to guide our thinking about contemporary questions about marriage and divorce
What is Paul’s main concern in 1 Corinthians 7? How does he challenge views of marriage and divorce in the Greco-Roman world?
It seems that Paul’s main motive for 1 Corinthians chapter 7 is that Paul wants people in the church to remain married. The culture of the people of Corinth seems to be one that looks poorly on marriage and wants to divorce. As the writer of the blog said, “Rather than “when can I get a divorce,” Paul offers a series of encouragement to the Corinthians to stay married”. The people of the church were looking for reasons to be able to divorce, but Paul did not give them a way out; he instead told them that they should remain how they are. The biggest thing that Paul challenged the cultures view of marriage and divorce was that he actually told the people of Corinth to love their spouses. The people of Corinth did not get married for love, but rather to have children or convenience. Paul wanted spouses in the church to love each other and not to just live together. Paul also wanted the church members to only have sexual relations with their spouses and not with other people. Men and women could sleep with anyone who they wanted to as long as that person was not married. So, Paul telling them that they were to only have sexual relations with their spouse would have been super counter cultural to those people.
Paul’s main concern in 1 Corinthians 7 is that the Corinthian church develops a healthy spiritual lifestyle of living in “undivided devotion to the Lord” (1 Cor 7:35 ESV) in their present marital relationships and make no change to themselves, from when they were first called by God into faith in Christ (1 Cor 7:17). Some in the Corinthian church may have though that since Paul appears to be single, celibacy is the best way to live honoring Christ (long). Paul’s opens chapter 7 addressing the question of “it is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman” (1 Cor 7:1 ESV). Paul continues to say that due to Corinthian churches own “lack of self-control”(1 Cor 7:5 ESV). It is better for the Corinthians who are married to have sexual relations often, only with their spouse that they are married to. Paul challenges the Greco roman culture by looking at marriage from the viewpoint of Judaism. that marriage and sexual intercourse is to be between one husband and one wife (Gen 2:23-24, Exodus 20:14). That sex in the context of a marriage relationship between a husband and wife is a gift from God and is to be enjoyed (Proverbs 5:15-20). This concept would be foreign to most non-Jews especially that both men and women are to freely give themselves over to meeting each other’s needs in a sexual relationship (1 Cor 7:4-5).
Paul also addresses people in various relationship statuses such as unmarried and widows. Paul suggests it would be best for them to practice self -control as He does, but if they cannot, they should marry (1 Cor 7:8-9). Pual also addresses divorce. In Paul’s time Roman law allowed people to divorce for any reason” (P. Long, Bible 410 class notes, September 29, 2022). Paul holds to traditional Jewish law that only for unfaithfulness of being in a relationship with another could one be divorced. In the early Christian church, one might also divorce their spouse if they have not become a Christian. Paul refutes this saying if the one who is a Christians chooses to stay with their spouse, they might bring them to be saved (1 Cor 7:12-16).
In conclusion Paul is looking after the church’s best interests saying in 1 Corinthians 7:32 “I want you to be free from anxieties” (ESV). That, if possible, the church ought to practice self-control at every stage of life they are in. Whether that means being single, betrothed, married, or widowed. If they are unable to control their desires, then it is in their best interests to marry then have lust be carried in within them (1 Cor 7: 9). Towards the end of chapter 7 Paul says how “it is no sin” for one to marry. But if one has self-control in being betrothed that is good, one who has self-control in marriage is better and self-control as to remain single is even better. So, Paul’s main purpose to the Corinthians in this passage is not to have the church only remain single but for them to demonstrate self-control.
In 1st Corinthians 7, we see that the Corinth Church had sexual immorality and needed Paul’s help. Paul puts it plainly, women should only have a sexual relationship with their husbands, and husbands should only have sexual relations with their wives, no exception. Additionally, Paul tells the people that the wife’s body is not her own and neither is the husband’s body his own, so if one person wants to have sexual relations, the other shouldn’t say no because they shouldn’t deprive of a sexual relationship. Unless they are being unfaithful with each other, and in that case, they should pray about it and hold off on having sexual relations with their wife or husband until the temptation of cheating stops and they can gain self-control.
However, Paul also talked to two other groups of people: the Widowed and the Single. He brags to them about his ability to stay single. He continued to tell them they should remain single and widowed so they don’t have the temptation to prostitute themselves.
Then, things go sideways: Paul tells the people that a woman can leave her husband but can never marry someone else and if she thinks he is cheating on her, but the husband can’t divorce his wife. This statement makes it sound like the husband is above his wife even though his “body” belongs to his wife, not himself.
Marriage. A top 5 hot topic in today’s society and based on what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians, that hasn’t changed much since then. As someone who is engaged, trying to plan a wedding, and trying to imagine what marriage is like, this chapter hits home. This chapter can be a challenging one to read sometimes. Personally, as much as I would like to say that my relationship with my fiancé has been free of sexual temptation, it’s not. At times we get it right and other times we fall short. This chapter has been a challenging one to read as we figure out what it really means to step into marriage. Not only that, but also what it means to be Christians and be married. Paul’s insight into this has challenged us to look at what is means for us to be glorifying God in our relationship.
Another part of this chapter, is Paul addressing divorce and what to do. However, he does not give a very comprehensive answer for our context. The world has evolved since then so there’s some gray area on how to handle certain situations such as physical or sexual abuse, so Paul can’t answer those questions. However, he does have a point he makes. “Paul’s point when he wrote the original letter was not to encourage divorce. Rather than “when can I get a divorce,”” (Paul, Marriage and Divorce – 1 Corinthians 7, Readingacts.com). Paul also offers a series of encouragements to Christians to remain married.
I found it interesting to see a more in depth understanding of what marriage and divorce meant in Paul’s time. He talks to the corinthians who are unmarried, married or a believer and unbeliever. And for Corinth, they seemed to be very quick to jump to the “worst” solution according to Paul. He was very much “stay in marriage, and work things out,” instead of “divorce them if your spouse gave you a weird look.” I think that was Paul’s main concern. He also stresses how divorce should never be an option if the person is an unbeliever. And the reason being said in verse 14 is that the believer makes the unbeliever holy.
We live in a society where divorce is okay, and with that- we often ask if divorce is a good solution if the relationship is beyond repair, it’s broken and shattered. I think while marriage is sacred, I think it is also good to care about the mental and physical health of the person. A first solution should always be marriage counseling, but if that doesn’t work and things continue to get worse, I think you’ll be okay if divorce was the final decision. I am also one to believe that if the divorce occurs, then it probably wasn’t real, true love. I think Paul does a good job of showing that divorce is not always the first option, and if the marriage is fixable, that should be the first step for healing (1 Corinthians 7:10).
Paul writes on marriage and divorce, which is a fascinating issue because he encourages married people to stick together, work out their differences, and be tolerant of one another. In 1 Corinthians 7:8–9, the Bible states: “To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single, as I am. But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion”. In order to demonstrate their love for one another, respect one another’s viewpoints, accept one another for who they are, and refrain from criticizing and seeking out flaws in the other, a woman must be faithful to her husband and a man to his wife. To ensure that their marriage succeeds as God intends, they must come to an agreement over money matters, household tasks, working outside the home and contributing to the education of their children, whether they wish to have children, etc. God created marriage; He opposes divorce and believes that if a couple commits adultery or has disagreements, they should reconcile and forgive one another. Ideally, each partner will reach a mutual understanding, and the one who violated the agreement must be given time to recover and regain the ability to trust. It might take some time for the relationship to start feeling renewed; occasionally, it’s advised that they take time apart to fast and pray (1 Corinthians 7:5). A marriage that is being abused emotionally, physically, or both needs to end right away since no one should have to live that way. With the intention of preventing the wives from getting pregnant and raising to have a kid that would require a lot of resources and being with a family that didn’t desire to have a child. The reasons for this could include past childhood traumas, alcoholism, drug abuse, angry issues, low self-esteem from childhood, or other factors. If they are unable to continue as married couples, they should seek professional Christian counseling or other forms of therapy. If they are unable to do so, they should file for divorce, but not get married until after adultery or one of them passes away. They could then get married again (Matthew 5:32). Our bodies are the Holy Spirit’s temples; we must take care of them, as stated in 1 Corinthians 6:19–20.
Marriage is something that most people look forward to in their lives, especially from a Christian mindset where it is spoken upon a lot in the Bible. “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him’ (Genesis 2:18).” God created the man to simply be with someone else, that being the women to love and spend the rest of your life with. Unfortunately divorce is no secret in the world, in America divorce rates have been rising every single year. “In 2022, a total of 673,989 divorces and annulments occurred across the 45 U.S. states that report this statistic. During that same year, 2,065,905 marriages occurred, making the U.S. marriage rate 6.2 per 1,000 people (Bieber, 2024).” The statistics speak for themselves and as Christians, we cannot hide the fact that divorce is a real thing that happens to people. If we read and follow our Bibles, stay true to our partner, there should never be any worry about divorce. Most divorces are because of a few things such as money problems, cheating, and work. As Christians, we can prevent divorce by reading our Bibles daily and also praying daily. Also spending enough time with your partner is important, work can sometimes get in the way of marriages and can cause conflict in a relationship. The Christian film “Fireproof” is about a couple that comes to the Lord after struggling with their marriage because of work. The two struggle with love and end up committing sin, but towards the end they come to the Lord and restore their marriage by reading the Bible and learning what true love is.
Marriage is truly an important topic amongst christians. Within christians we see more than just simply a husband and wife title we see it as a promise, as two coming together before God and submitting themselves as one. With this you are commited and in a promise that under God you are one and will remain faithful and serve each other and each other only. As christians it is important to remember what it is that one got married, was it because it was simply just time to? was it to not “go to hell” for falling into sexual tempation or was it because both man and female were commited and came into a mutal agreement that havin God in the center of the relationships to be turned into a married to be able to serve the Lord together with the family. WIthout understanding why it is one is married and not being fully commited under God, that is where the complications start to happen. The reason I say this is becasue of the saying of “if it is from God, it won’t fail” Every marriage and relationship comes with struggles and mistakes and overall it can be a little bit rocky, but submitting your marriage under God will allow a marriage to prosper and get through all of those problems and rocky times.