1 Corinthians 7:1-7
Mutual Faithfulness
1Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good to abstain from sexual relations.
2But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband.
3The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband.
4The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife.
5Do not deprive each other, except by mutual consent and for a time, so you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again, so that Satan will not tempt you through your lack of self-control.
6I say this as a concession, not as a command.
7I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.
Berean Standard Bible
Paul responds to matters the Corinthians wrote about. Because sexual immorality is common in their setting, he says each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. Marriage is presented as one faithful answer to sexual temptation, not as a cure for every relational problem or a command that every person must marry.
Paul gives husband and wife mutual authority over one another's bodies. That sentence would have challenged a culture in which a wife's body could be treated as her husband's possession. Paul refuses one-sided entitlement. Marriage involves reciprocal belonging and responsibility, not a license for one spouse to demand access.
Paul permits temporary abstinence by mutual agreement for a devoted time of prayer, then says the couple should come together again so that temptation does not exploit their lack of self-control. The conditions matter: agreement, a limited time, and a return to shared life. Spiritual devotion must not become a unilateral withdrawal used to punish or control a spouse.
Paul presents this as a concession, not a command. He wishes everyone could live as he does, but he recognizes that people have different gifts from God. Singleness and marriage are both honorable callings; neither status gives a person greater spiritual worth.
The passage is about mutual faithfulness, not marital pressure. A healthy marriage includes freely given consent, truthful communication, patience, and safety. No verse here turns coercion into a Christian duty.
Questions
1 What solution does Paul give for sexual temptation?
AnswerHe presents faithful marriage as one answer, while recognizing that not every believer is called to marry.
2 What authority do husband and wife each have?
AnswerHusband and wife have mutual authority over one another's bodies, which rules out one-sided entitlement.
3 When may a married couple abstain from sexual relations?
AnswerThey may abstain for a limited time by mutual agreement for prayer, then should return to shared marital life.
4 How does Paul view marriage and singleness?
AnswerHe views both as gifts from God, with different people receiving different gifts and neither state creating greater worth.
What This Means for Us
Let mutuality govern marriage. Discuss intimacy with honesty and consent, and reject any use of Scripture that turns a spouse's body into something the other spouse may seize.
Honor different callings. Married people need not pity the single, and single people need not treat marriage as a spiritual promotion.
Prayer
God of faithfulness, make marriages mutual, patient, and safe. Give single and married people equal dignity, and teach us to receive our calling as a gift rather than a measure of worth. Amen.