17 Too Spiritual for Sex? Paul's Advice To Married Couples (1 Corinthians 7:1-6)

What did Paul really mean when he wrote, “It is good for a man not to touch a woman”? In this episode on 1 Corinthians 7:1–7, Krisan Marotta looks at the first of the Corinthians’ written questions to Paul and argues that he is responding not to people desperate to marry, but to believers flirting with an extreme, “super-spiritual” celibacy—even within marriage. Paul’s answer offers a balanced, positive vision of both singleness and marriage, and a richer understanding of sexuality as part of the promises spouses make to one another. In this week’s episode, we explore:How the phrase “now concerning” signals a shift to Paul answering specific questions from the Corinthians, and why that matters for reading chapter 7The likely background of the slogan, “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman,” in a Greek culture that viewed the body as inferior to the spiritWhy Krisan understands 1 Corinthians 7:2–4 as addressing married couples tempted to abstain from sex altogether in the name of holiness, not singles deciding whether to marryThe significance of the phrase “have his own wife / have her own husband” as a common way of referring to sexual relations, and how that shapes our reading of the passagePaul’s emphasis on mutual obligation in marriage: each spouse giving themselves to the other, rather than claiming the right to demand what they want, when they want itA careful look at “the wife does not have authority over her own body… and likewise the husband,” and how these verses have been misunderstood and misused as weapons rather than calls to self-giving loveWhy Paul allows for temporary abstinence “by agreement for a time” for prayer, while insisting it be mutual, limited, and not treated as inherently more spiritualHow the realities of Corinthian culture—temple prostitution, low expectations of marital fidelity, and sexual temptation—help explain Paul’s concern about deprivation in marriage leading to greater immoralityThe contrast between asceticism (seeing all physical pleasure as suspect) and Paul’s positive view of marriage and sexuality as good gifts from God within a covenant commitmentAfter listening, you’ll come away with a more nuanced understanding of 1 Corinthians 7:1–7 and a clearer sense of how Paul holds together the goodness of celibacy and the goodness of marriage. You’ll be encouraged to see marital sexuality not as a bargaining chip or a spiritual liability, but as one way spouses live out the promises they have made—to share their lives, their bodies, and their futures with one another in a spirit of mutual honor, love, and faithfulness before God.Series: 1 Corinthians: Pride & Prejudice in the Church