Paul's Advice for Married Couples!

Concerning Married Life

7 Now for the matters you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” 2 But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband. 3 The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. 5 Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 I say this as a concession, not as a command. 7 I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.

Because sexual immorality was such an issue in the Corinthian culture the believers had several questions for Paul for different situations.  Paul answers their questions one by one.  It is important to remember this so one doesn't take anything Paul is teaching out of context.  For instance the Corinthians might have asked him, "If sexual immorality is such a problem should be all be celibate? Does it mean sex is bad and we should abstain from it in our marriages?" So Paul tries to answer their questions in a consistent manner which each question they pose.  

You can see Paul is not against sex.  Though he has chosen to be celibate, he does not expect everyone to be celibate like him.  He realizes celibacy is a gift that some have and some don't.  He encourages married couples to engage in regular sexual intimacy with each other and not deprive each other except for mutual consent.  

Another issue was if someone became a believer but was married to an unbeliever what should they do?  Should they get divorced?  Paul says that if the "unbeliever" is willing to live with the "believer" they should stay together.  And then he says something very interesting.  He says, "the unbelieving spouse is sanctified by the believing spouse."  

We know from the rest of the bible that someone is saved only by coming to faith in Jesus Christ.  So we cannot conclude that if any unbeliever is married to a believer that the unbeliever is saved by being married to that person.  

Remember the word "sanctified" means set apart, or made holy.  One commentator says this, "Sanctified, in this context, does not mean that the unbelieving spouse is saved just by being married to a Christian. It simply means that they are set apart for a special working in their lives by the Holy Spirit, by virtue of being so close to someone who is a Christian."

I think this is a good enough explanation but I don't think we should make more of it than this.  With obscure texts like this we have to be careful to force what it means.  The other possiblity might have to do with the children who are born in this kind of marriage.  Paul says they are born as holy, or set apart for God.  

In the end though I think the clearest point Paul makes is when he says, "How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?"

The bottom line is that Paul is against an unnecessary separation and leaves it up to God what will happen to the unbelieving spouse.  Paul is incredibly practical in this chapter in response to a touchy subject back then and today as well.