1 Corinthians 7:10–15

Context

In 1 Corinthians 7, the apostle Paul responds to questions about marriage that the Corinthian church had raised in a letter (1 Corinthians 7:1). Verses 10–11 are addressed to married couples in which both spouses are believers. Paul states that this charge comes "not I, but the Lord," which is generally taken as a reference to Jesus' teaching forbidding divorce. "The rest" in verses 12–15 refers to couples in which only one spouse is a believer. Because Jesus did not directly address this situation, Paul marks the distinction by saying "not the Lord" and then gives his own guidance.

Interpretation

• Marriage to an unbelieving spouse: There is broad agreement that the believer should not initiate separation if the unbelieving spouse is willing to remain in the marriage.
• "Holy" in verse 14: The verse is not understood to mean that the unbelieving spouse is thereby saved. The common interpretation is that, because of the relationship with the believer, the marriage and the household are recognized as legitimate before God.
• "Not under bondage" in verse 15: Interpreters largely agree that if the unbelieving spouse departs, the believer is no longer bound by an obligation to maintain the marriage. They differ on whether this also permits remarriage. Those who permit remarriage take the Greek sense of "to be enslaved, to be bound" to mean release from the marriage bond itself. Those who restrict remarriage read this verse in light of "let her remain unmarried" in verse 11.

Debates and Issues

• Divorce and remarriage: The canon law of the Catholic Church includes the "Pauline privilege," which is based on this passage. Under this provision, if two unbaptized persons marry and one of them later receives baptism, the baptized party may enter a new marriage should the other spouse depart. Among Protestants, the Westminster Confession of Faith recognizes as grounds for divorce, in addition to adultery, willful desertion that can in no way be remedied by the church or the civil magistrate. Some churches and pastors, however, restrict remarriage more strictly. For details, see Divorce and Remarriage.
• Infant baptism: The Reformed tradition, including Calvin, has taken "else were your children unclean; but now are they holy" as evidence that the children of believers belong to the covenant community and has cited it as one of the passages supporting infant baptism. Baptists and others who hold to baptism following a profession of faith object. Since the same verse says that the unbelieving spouse is also "sanctified," they argue, this holiness cannot be regarded as a qualification for baptism. For details, see Infant Baptism Controversy.
• "Not the Lord": Some read this expression as indicating that Paul's words carry lesser authority. Most commentaries, however, regard it simply as a distinction between matters on which Jesus gave direct teaching and those on which he did not, and hold that Paul's instruction carries the same authority as apostolic teaching.
• "God hath called us to peace": Some commentators read this as meaning that the believer should let the departing spouse go and so preserve peace, while others take it to mean that the believer should seek to preserve the marriage and so pursue peace.

In the Korean Church

Because many households have only one spouse attending church, this passage is frequently cited in sermons and counseling on how to relate to an unbelieving spouse.

Related Passages

• Mark 10:2–12
• Matthew 19:3–9
• Matthew 5:31–32
• Malachi 2:14–16