“Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband.” – 1 Corinthians 7:2
In the second half of 1 Cor. 6, the Apostle Paul teaches us a theology of the body. Scripture teaches us that God has given our bodies great, high value and a grand purpose as our bodies are for the Lord, and explicitly NOT for sexual immorality. Paul taught us that we belong to Christ and are members of Him. We aren’t our own. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. God has divine ownership over us. We are to use them in service to Him and for His glory. Therefore, we must be on guard, prepared, and ready to flee when immoral temptations and opportunities come to our hearts, or before our faces! An important question is- Are you willing and ready to run from the temptation? Are you willing and ready to take the way of escape God provides you every time and flee to Jesus? (1 Cor. 10:13)
As Paul begins to respond to the Corinthians’ questions about marriage in 1 Cor. 7, we find continuity in Paul’s instruction of the theology of the body and how God’s gift of marriage is a great protection and remedy against fornication and sexual immorality. Though it’s true God gives clear instruction to all men and women (young and old, single or married) regarding the preservation of purity, it’s helpful to see the great protection and remedy that the gift of marriage is.
As God commands a man to have his own wife and a woman to have her own husband, positively, He sets the bounds and makeup of covenant marriage. In doing so, He also makes a clear statement against sexually deviant relationships, against polygamy, homosexual, and transgender relationships. See that in Paul’s words in verse 7 above, both “man” and “wife”, “woman” and “husband” are singular here. God doesn’t say “let each man have his own wives…”. Neither does He speak of “husband and husband”, “wife and wife”, or permit someone of one gender “identifying” as the other gender to engage in a “husband and wife” relationship.
How radical this remains today, doesn’t it? The ordinary biblical, Christian life is more and more a radical and offensive life. As we engage in biblical marriage, raise Christian families, as we obey Christ, go to church, center our week around the Lord’s Day, even seeing the gift of sex as reserved for a husband and his wife, and teach others to do the same, we encourage and strengthen many, and offend many others. We’re viewed as fools and worse by them. We’re ridiculed and persecuted by them. Sadly, this is true even by some within the broader church. Yet, we continue to stand in and with Christ and His truth!
As Paul commanded wives in Ephesus to submit to their own husbands as to the Lord (Eph. 5), husbands and wives must know and understand that they are covenant bound to carry out their marital duties to their own spouse only and not to any other. For the preservation and protection of the purity in the marriage, husbands and wives must do this so in order to deflect the darts, prevent the wedges, and resist the lures Satan will try to bring against them. This is especially true if they consent to abstain from sex for a time of prayer and fasting, since Satan desires to tempt because of their lack of self control. (1 Cor. 7:5)
Westminster Larger Catechism138 summarizes these duties well:
Q. 138. What are the duties required in the seventh commandment?
A. The duties required in the seventh commandment are, chastity in body, mind, affections, words, and behavior; and the preservation of it in ourselves and others; watchfulness over the eyes and all the senses; temperance, keeping of chaste company, modesty in apparel; marriage by those that have not the gift of continency, conjugal love, and cohabitation; diligent labor in our callings; shunning all occasions of uncleanness, and resisting temptations thereunto.
So, Beloved, be faithful to preserve and protect biblical purity in your own minds and bodies. For those of you who are married, do so in your marriages at all costs. See marriage as the divine ordinance, gift, and witness that it is and be daily committed to protect and not damage its bonds from within. Don’t let your mind wander or your body walk in uncleanness. Further, daily set your guard in such a way that any from the outside can’t damage those sacred bonds, though they try. (Mark 10:9)
