Newlife

1 Corinthians Chapter 7

In 1 Corinthians chapter 7, Paul deals with the subjects of sex, marriage, divorce and singleness.  Paul’s instructions reveal his egalitarian views.[1]

Here are some of his statements:

Each man should have his own wife.
Each woman should have her own husband. (v2)

The husband should fulfill his [marital] duty to his wife.
Likewise the wife to her husband. (v3)

The wife’s body does not belong to her alone, but also to her husband.
The husband’s body does not belong to him alone, but also to his wife. (v4)[2]

Neither should deprive the other except by mutual consent and for a time. . . (v5)

The wife must not separate from her husband, but if she does, she should remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband.
The husband must not divorce his wife. (v10-11)

If a brother has an unbelieving wife and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her
If a woman has an unbelieving  husband and he is willing to live with her, she must not send him away. (v12-13)

The unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife
and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband . . . (v14)

If the unbeliever leaves, let him do so.  A believing man or woman is not bound[3] in such circumstances.  (v15)

How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband?
How do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife? (v16)

An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs…
An unmarried woman is concerned about the Lord’s affairs… (32-34)

A married man is concerned about the things of the world: how he may please his wife
A married woman is concerned about the things of the world; how she may please her husband (v33)

Philip B. Payne writes:

The strikingly egalitarian understanding of the dynamics of marital relations expressed in Paul’s symmetry throughout this passage is without parallel in the literature of the ancient world. It is all the more impressive because it is focused on the marriage relationship, a relationship that traditionalists regard as intrinsically hierarchical based on the “created order.” Against a cultural backdrop where men were viewed as possessing their wives, Paul states in 7:2, “let each woman have her own husband.” Against a cultural backdrop where women were viewed as owing sexual duty to their husbands, Paul states in 7:3, “Let the husband fulfill his marital duty to his wife.” It is hard to imagine how revolutionary it was for Paul to write in 7:4, “the husband does not have authority over his own body, but his wife does.”  Philip B. Payne, Man and Woman, One in Christ: An Exegetical and Theological Study of Paul’s Letters, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009, p106-107.

Some food for thought here!

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Endnotes

[1] In 1 Corinthians 7 there is no hint of the male-only authority and leadership that many Christians assume is part of God’s design in marriage.

[2] The NASB translates this verse as: The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 1 Corinthians 7:4

[3] Not being “bound” means, in effect, that the believer is free and released from his or her wedding vows. (cf 1 Cor 7:39)

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Related Articles

Leading Together in the Home
Submission
A Suitable Helper
The Complementarian Concept of “The Created Order”
Advice to Newlyweds
Power Struggles in Christian Marriage
Towards Biblical Equality – My Story

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Tags: 1 Cor 7, 1 Corinthians 7, Biblical equality, Christian marriage, divorce, gender roles, mutual submission, Paul and Women

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 26th, 2010 at 1:32 pm and is filed under Equality and Gender Issues, Equality in Marriage. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.