1 Corinthians 6:12–7:9

Glorifying God in Body and Spirit

12 “Everything is permissible t for me,” u but not everything is helpful. “Everything is permissible for me,” but I will not be brought under the control of anything. 13 “Food v for the stomach and the stomach for food,” but God will do away with both of them. w The body is not for sexual immorality x but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 God raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power. y 15 Don’t you know that your bodies are a part of Christ’s body? z So should I take a part of Christ’s body and make it part of a prostitute? Absolutely not! 16 Don’t you know that anyone joined to a prostitute is one body with her? For Scripture says, The two will become one flesh. a b 17 But anyone joined c to the Lord is one spirit d with Him.

18 Run e from sexual immorality! “Every sin a person can commit is outside the body.” f On the contrary, the person who is sexually immoral g sins against his own body. 19 Don’t you know that your body is a sanctuary h of the Holy Spirit i who is in you, j whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought k at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body. l

Principles of Marriage

7 Now in response to the matters you wrote m about: “It is good for a man not to have relations with n a woman.” o 2 But because sexual immorality is so common, p q each man should have his own wife, r and each woman should have her own husband. 3 A husband should fulfill his marital responsibility s to his wife, and likewise a wife to her husband. 4 A wife does not have the right over her own body, but her husband does. In the same way, a husband does not have the right over his own body, but his wife does. 5 Do not deprive t one another sexually—except when you agree for a time, to devote yourselves to u prayer. Then come together again; otherwise, Satan may tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 I say the following v as a concession, not as a command. 7 I wish that all people were just like me. But each has his own gift w from God, one person in this way and another in that way.

A Word to the Unmarried

8 I say to the unmarried and to widows: x It is good for them if they remain as I am. 9 But if they do not have self-control, y they should marry, for it is better to marry z than to burn with desire.