Sermon Tone Analysis

*1 Corinthians 7:1-3…* Now concerning the things about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman. 2 But because of immoralities, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband.

3 Let the husband fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband.

*Commentary*

            The Apostle Paul has been lecturing the Corinthian Christians in the previous six chapters concerning their immature and immoral behavior.

Now he turns his attention to some specific questions they had sent to him in a letter that is now lost.

Their questions can be surmised by the answers Paul gives them in chapters 7-11.

Chapter 7 deals with singleness, sex, and marriage.

The first question appears to have dealt with the issue of singleness and sex within marriage.

The Jews valued marriage greatly, for most of them married.

Many pagan belief systems, however, did not condone sex and believed in total abstinence as evidenced by the slogan “it is good for a man not to touch a woman” in v. 1 (“touch” being a euphemism for sex).

Paul answers this in two ways.

First, he believed this to be true IF one was single – a noble calling from God.

But second, Paul clearly taught that for those who were married this was false.

Verse 2 explains verse 1.

Although singleness is a noble way of life, it is a life of celibacy.

But because man’s sexual desires can go out of control and give birth to “immoralities,” each man is to “have his own wife; each woman her own husband” (an idiom that doesn’t command marriage but means to “have sexually”), and sex must not be withheld from either.

(A quick observation here of this passage proves that marriage is for TWO people!).

Those who cannot control their sexual urges must not pursue a life of celibacy but should get married.

The Corinthian culture brought many sexual temptations, and both celibates and married folks who were being deprived of sexual relations by the spouse were going to prostitutes.

As a remedy and a rule of thumb, Paul advised them to get married.

In verse 3 the “duty” to be fulfilled by the husband~/wife is the sexual obligation both have to the other.

The “immoralities” verse 2 speaks of reflects the fact that temptations were everywhere then as they are today.

When husbands and wives regularly withhold sexual relations with their partners they put their marriage in danger because sex may be sought elsewhere.

Since the human sex-drive is so strong, this brings about marital problems when one deprives the other.

Marriage partners of both sexes must not take this advice lightly in view of “immoralities.”

*Food for Thought*

            Marriage problems are common to all marriages, and sexual problems are almost always at the forefront.

The immoralities that exist today in our society are not much different than that which existed in the 1st century New Testament.

The society around us is decadent, and it breeds temptation – sexual temptations.

One cannot open the newspaper without finding an underwear ad that can, in and of itself, arouse sexual temptations (and I’ve never quite understood why underwear needs to be modeled!).

To make matters worse, when one marriage partner deprives the other it breeds resentment and anger.

It all too often leads to adultery – a sin condemned throughout the whole of scripture.

Another issue this text addresses is singleness.

Churches today love to publish pictures of giddy little American families that are supposed to represent them and show how happy their church is.

But not only is this false advertisement, it can also alienate those whom God has gifted with celibacy.

They are far too often left out of the otherwise “family” atmosphere and treated as a class of people all their own.

This ought not be.

Celibacy should never be scorned, for it must not go unnoticed that Paul himself encouraged it (v.

1).

*1 Corinthians 7:4-7…* The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.

5 Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again lest Satan tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

6 But this I say by way of concession, not of command.

7 Yet I wish that all men were even as I myself am.

However, each man has his own gift from God, one in this manner, and another in that.

*Commentary*

            Verse 4 is a commentary on verse 3 where Paul taught that the husband and wife are supposed to fulfill their duty (sexual duty) to each other.

Now in v. 4 he explains why.

Though husbands and wives are to love and take care of their own physical bodies (cf.

Ephesians 5:29), their bodies are not their own.

Ultimately they belong to God, for they are the temple of the Holy Spirit (cf.

6:19-20), but the authority of one’s body belongs to their spouse if they are married.

So, where sex is concerned, since the husband belongs to the wife, and vice-versa, neither one can withhold sexual relations from the other.

Authority over the husband’s body belongs to the wife, and authority over the wife’s body belongs to the husband.

They are one flesh through sexual union, and verse 5 gives a specific command to stop depriving one another of a continual sexual union together.

Apparently some in the Corinthian church – possibly saved from a life of promiscuous sex – were withholding sex from their spouses because it reminded them of their past life prior to coming to faith in Christ.

Paul corrects that false attitude with his command.

Verse 5 does offer an exception to sexual deprivation.

In the case where both partners agree to devote themselves to prayer and fasting for a time over an issue that requires their undivided attention, they are to remain celibate for time.

But this instance must be agreed upon by both.

When God told Moses He was coming down from the mountain to manifest Himself before all of Israel in Exodus 19:9-15, He told the people to consecrate themselves by washing their garments and abstaining from sexual relations.

So, there will be times when Christian marriage partners must devote themselves to prayer, but they must also come back together sexually “lest Satan tempt you because of your lack of self-control.”

Notice that it is Satan who does the tempting when sexual relations are tense between married couples, and the longer they withhold it from one another the more likely they are to be taken away by Satan into temptation.

Verse 6, in saying, “I say this by way of concession, not of command,” the “this” refers to the decision between both partners to devote themselves to prayer for a time without sexual intercourse (from verse 5).

Paul is not commanding such but gives this advice when~/if both partners do decide to deprive one another for a time while seeking the Lord.

And verse 7 sums up Paul’s whole attitude toward marriage.

He actually desires that anyone unmarried would remain that way, but he realizes that celibacy is a gift and not everyone has that gift.

*Food for Thought*

            Husbands, don’t ever sexually deprive your wife.

Wives, don’t ever turn aside your husband’s advances for intimacy.

This is biblical instruction.

Your bodies belong to one another, not yourselves, and because of this you don’t have authority over it.

Your responsibility with your body is to take care of it because it is the temple of the Holy Spirit.

And the authority over your body rests in your spouse’s hands.

The clear reason why husbands and wives should not deprive one another sexually is because Satan is on the prowl, and he seizes our weak wills and tempts us to sin against our bodies – the temple of God.

Apply these truths if you’re married.

*1 Corinthians 7:8-9…* But I say to the unmarried and to widows that it is good for them if they remain even as I. 9 But if they do not have self-control, let them marry; for it is better to marry than to burn.

*Commentary*

            Verses 8-9 probably answer a question along the lines of “Should those who were married and divorced before becoming Christians remarry?” Paul addresses two categories of people in this passage: unmarried and widows.

He also addresses a third category in 7:25, namely, virgins.

“Virgins” represent those who have never been married (and who are sexually pure), “widows” represent those who were once married but were released from the marriage due to the death of their spouse, and the “unmarried” likely represents those who were once married but who are now divorced.

Verses 10-11 are helpful for interpreting who the “unmarried” are: “the wife should not leave [divorce] her husband (but if she does let her remain unmarried).”

Thus, the term “unmarried” signifies those who were once married but now aren’t and are distinguishable from “widows.”

Basically, Paul seems to be speaking to a group of people who were married and divorced prior to conversion to Christ.

There were no doubt others who had come to know Christ while their marriage partners did not.

These folks were wondering if they could then divorce their unbelieving spouses and marry another – one who was a Christian.

Verse 8 is Paul’s answer to such questions.

He says that it is “good” for widows and divorcees to remain “even as I.” In saying “even as I” Paul may very well be affirming the fact that he too was once married.

He lumps himself in with these two groups as opposed to virgins.

Furthermore, from what is known about Paul as a devout Jewish Pharisee it is likely that he at one time served on the Jewish Supreme Court (Sanhedrin), and it appears that membership on the Sanhedrin required one to be married.

Romans 16:13 might also be an allusion to his mother-in-law, and it all adds up to a speculative argument for Paul’s once having been married.

As such he is able to give the advice to those formerly married that it is “good” for them to remain single.

Verse 9 is a clear teaching that sex is a powerful entity, and those given to it should marry.

If one can remain single they should.

However, if the burning desire for sex (“do not have self-control) gets the best of them, then they should seek to be married.

The clear teaching here is that it is better to be married than to attempt a life of being single and “to burn” – a phrase that literally means “to be inflamed with strong passion” – obviously referring to sexual passion.

*Food for Thought*

Two thoughts.

First, those who have decided to marry often have engagements that can last for years.

This ought not be because far too often it breeds burning passions that go haywire causing the well-meaning couple to venture way too far sexually.

Since sex is for marriage and since sexual desire is powerful beyond most human’s ability to withstand, engagements should be much shorter for those who choose to be married.

Man’s libido often overpowers his~/her good intentions, and this is why the Bible encourages marriage for those who burn with passion.