1 Corinthians 6:12–7:16

Glorify God in Body and Spirit

12 hAll things are lawful for me, but all things are not 5helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of 6any. 13 iFoods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for jsexual immorality but kfor the Lord, land the Lord for the body. 14 And mGod both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up nby His power.

15 Do you not know that oyour bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For p“the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.” 17 qBut he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

18 rFlee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins sagainst his own body. 19 Or tdo you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, uand you are not your own? 20 For vyou were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body 7and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Principles of Marriage

7 Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me:

aIt is good for a man not to touch a woman. 2 Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. 3 bLet the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5 cDo not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that dSatan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 But I say this as a concession, enot as a commandment. 7 For fI wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that.

8 But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: gIt is good for them if they remain even as I am; 9 but hif they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

Keep Your Marriage Vows

10 Now to the married I command, yet not I but the iLord: jA wife is not to depart from her husband. 11 But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife.

12 But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. 13 And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise kyour children would be unclean, but now they are holy. 15 But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us lto peace. 16 For how do you know, O wife, whether you will msave your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?