December 31, 2023
1 Corinthians 7:1-7
“Sanctified Sex”
Service Overview: The relational and sexual situation in Corinth was such that Paul offers guidance to help bring things back into some alignment. And in doing so, Paul reveals some insights on one of the awesome gifts that come with being married; great and sanctified… sex.
Memory Verse for the Week:
“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable,” 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4 (NIV)
Background Insights:
- With the beginning of chapter 7, Paul makes a major structural transition in the letter, as he turns to address issues that have been raised explicitly by the Corinthians in a letter to him: “Now concerning the matters about which you wrote …” (v. 1a). Presumably, their letter was delivered to Paul in Ephesus by three representatives of the church: Stephanus, Fortunatus, and Achaicus (16:8, 17). Some of the content of the Corinthians’ letter may be inferred from Paul’s responses. (Richard B. Hays, First Corinthians, 110)
- Christians in Corinth were surrounded by sexual temptation. The city had a reputation even among pagans for sexual immorality and religious prostitution. To this sexually saturated society, Paul was delivering these instructions on sex and marriage. (Grant R. Osborne, 1 & 2 Corinthians, 89)
- Some believers were teaching total sexual abstinence within marriage because of a mistaken notion that sexual relations were sinful; some were proposing separating from or divorcing spouses in order to stay pure. (Grant R. Osborne, 1 & 2 Corinthians, 89)
- God created marriage in the garden of Eden when he joined Adam and Eve together (Gen 2). Prior to the fall (Gen 3) this first couple lived in perfect union and harmony. However, with sin’s entrance, things changed for the worse. Ever since, we all have been living on the other side of Eden. And ever since, there has been conflict and confusion in marriage. (Daniel L. Akin, Exalting Jesus in 1 Corinthians, 137)
- Apparently one of the questions the church asked was, “Is celibacy [remaining unmarried] more spiritual than marriage?” Paul replied that it is good for a man or a woman to have the gift of celibacy, but the celibate state is not better than marriage, nor is it the best state for everybody. (Warren Wiersbe, Be Wise, 86)
- Verse 7 offers the first hint of what verse 8 will make explicit: Paul is currently single, and he likes it that way. He wishes all could share his enjoyment of singleness but realizes that only some have that gift, while others are gifted for marriage. (Craig L. Blomberg, 1 Corinthians, 177)
- Paul’s admonition for people to remain as they are isn’t a blanket statement that all single Christians must remain single indefinitely. Paul was answering a specific question in light of specific, distressing circumstances unique to the church in Corinth. (Charles R. Swindoll, Insights on 1 & 2 Corinthians, 108)
4 Things God’s Word reveals about sex here…
- God’s design for it; to unite husband and wife.
(v. 2 | Gen. 2:24; Ex. 20:14; Proverbs 18:22; Mark 10:6-9; Ephesians 5:31; Hebrews 13:4)
The sexual act causes a mystical and intimate union such that the wife’s body no longer belongs just to her but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband’s body no longer belongs to him alone but also to his wife. The unity given to the married couple through their sexual relationship makes them no longer independent beings; they have become “one flesh.” So Paul said to these married believers that sex is not immoral because God created it; therefore, they should not deprive their spouse. (Osborne, 92)
- The “duty” attached to it; one to be mutually fulfilled.
(v. 3 | Mark 10:45; Galatians 5:13; Ephesians 5:25-33)
Verses 3–5 prove crucial in understanding the role of sex in marriage. It is something each partner “owes” to the other. So it should never be used as a bribe or reward for good behavior or as something to be withheld as a threat or punishment. Husband and wife alike must be sensitive to the emotional and physical states of each other and not insist on sex on demand. But neither should one partner consistently try to get out of satisfying his or her spouse’s conjugal needs. (Craig L. Blomberg, 1 Corinthians, 182)
Sexual expression within a marriage is not … a necessary evil in which spiritual Christians engage only to procreate children. It is far more than a physical act. God created it to be the expression an experience of love on the deepest human level and to be a beautiful and powerful bond between husband and wife. (John MacArthur, 1 Corinthians, 157)
- The goal of it; to serve and satisfy the spouse.
(v. 4 | Proverbs 5:18-19; Song of Solomon 4:16; Acts 20:35; 1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
My mate’s body is God’s gift to me, and my body is God’s gift to my mate. Such gifts should be honored and treated with love, care, and respect. They are also to be enjoyed! (Daniel L. Akin, Exalting Jesus in 1 Corinthians, 139)
In the same way that God created marriage, he also created sex with which the human race could procreate as well as find great enjoyment. (Osborne, 91)
- How often to have it; enough to keep temptation at bay.
(v. 5 | Ex. 20:14; Prov. 6:32; Matt. 5:28; Rom. 13:13-14; Eph. 5:3; Col. 3:5; 1 Thes. 4:3-5)
Marriage provides God’s way to satisfy natural sexual desires and to strengthen the partners against temptation. Married couples have the responsibility to care for each other; therefore, husbands and wives should not deprive each other but should fulfill each other’s needs and desires. (Osborne, 91)
Conclusion… How does this text help frame a counter-cultural view of sex?
A. By reminding us that the best sex happens when done according to design.
(Gen. 2:24; Ex. 20:14; Deuteronomy 24:5; Proverbs 18:22; Ephesians 5:33; Hebrews 13:4)
It was God Himself who united a man and a woman in marriage (Gen. 2:22). Marriage, therefore, is a divine institution, not a human one (Matt. 19:6). Consequently, God, not man, has the right to define the terms of the institution. (Jay Adams, One Flesh, Tabletalk, June 2005, p. 13)
B. By redeeming it from being the selfish pursuit it’s become.
(Rom. 13:13-14; 1 Cor. 13:4-7; Ephesians 5:25-33; 2 Timothy 2:22; 3:2-4; 1 Peter 2:11)
According to the Bible, the marriage act is more than a physical act. It is an act of sharing. It is an act of communion. It is an act of total self-giving wherein the husband gives himself completely to the wife, and the wife gives herself to the husband in such a way that the two actually become one flesh. (Wayne Mack, Strengthening Your Marriage, 120)
Sex may be enjoyed, but only according to the Biblical principle that “it is more blessed to give than to receive.” Indeed, the most enjoyable aspect of sexual intercourse is not the personal release experience in one’s own orgasm but rather in the pleasure of satisfying one’s marriage partner. … Sexual relations involve giving one’s self freely and fully in love to the other in order to fulfill the other’s need. (Jay Adams, Christian Living in the Home, 50)
The joy that springs from pleasing our husband or wife is one reason sex was never designed to be a solo pursuit. Biblical sex, with its joyful service and the matchless intimacy born from it, is a glorious expression of what we are intended to be – male and female, created in God’s image to enjoy intimacy of relationship in its deepest possible expression. (Dave Harvey, When Sinners say, “I Do,” 160)
C. By making healthy physical intimacy a priority in the marriage.
(Philippians 2:3-4)
Jesus’ teaching in general [implies] that happy and fulfilling sexual relations in marriage depend on each partner aiming to give satisfaction to the other. If it is the joy of each to make the other happy, a hundred problems will be solved before they happen. (John Piper, This Momentary Marriage, 134)
Gospel Connection…
In light of the gospel, God seeks to redeem our sexuality in ways that reflect what true love is: selfless.
It is as if the only pleasure and intimacy in this life that comes close to anticipating the pleasure and intimacy of the church and her Lord being perfectly united on the last day is the sexual union of a good marriage. (D.A. Carson, Love in the Hard Places, 191)
Spiritual Challenge Questions…
Reflect on these questions in your time with the Lord this week, or discuss with a Christian family member or Life Group.
- What are some reasons God designed sex to take place in marriage?
- Have you given much thought to the fact that God designed sex to be a pleasing experience? What might that tell you about God?
- Compare and contrast a biblical view of sex with that of the culture around us. What differences are there? Why is God’s way the best way?
- How has your view of sex changed in the course of your life? What unhealthy perspectives have you had to shed?
Quotes to note…
I don’t believe it is wise or truthful to the power of the gospel to identify oneself by the sins of one’s past or the temptations of one’s present but rather to only be defined by the Christ who’s overcome both for those He calls His own. All men and women, including myself, that are well acquainted with sexual temptation are ultimately not what our temptation says of us. We are what Christ had done for us; therefore, our ultimate identity is very simple: We are Christians. (Jackie Hill Perry, Gay Girl Good God, 148)
Satan cannot create anything new, cannot create anything at all. He must steal what God has created. Thus he twists love and God’s wonderful gift of sex into lust and sadism and myriad perversions. He disfigures the heart’s deep desire to worship God and persuades us to bow before lesser gods of lust or money or power. (Catherine Marshall, Something More, 129)
Paul’s reference to the wife’s right to have her sexual needs fulfilled along with the man’s was revolutionary in this culture of male domination. Paul stressed equality of men and women in their rights as marriage partners to give and receive from each other. (Grant R. Osborne, Life Application Bible Commentary: 1 & 2 Corinthians, 91)
The world and the culture say sex is the highest human experience; they say human worth, experience, and fulfillment are all centered on each individual’s unrestrained discovery of, and participation in, their sexuality. Therefore, they lament, “That God of the Christians! He gave them a sex drive and then told them not to use it. If church people would just talk to us, we could really help them. We understand sex. We’ve got it all figured out, and everyone is thrilled!” I find it extremely interesting that sexual satisfaction surveys reveal that married Christian couples report the highest level of sexual satisfaction of any group. What conclusion should we come to? Perhaps God’s gift of sex, exercised within His boundaries, results in His greatest blessing. (Jim Anderson, Unmasked: Exposing the Cultural Sexual Assault, 96)
A man’s physical hunger does not prove that man will get any bread; he may die of starvation on a raft in the Atlantic. But surely a man’s hunger does prove that he comes of a race which repairs its body by eating and inhabits a world where eatable substances exist. In the same way, though I do not believe (I wish I did) that my desire for Paradise proves that I shall enjoy it, I think it a pretty good indication that such a thing exists and that some men will. A man may love a woman and not win her; but it would be very odd if the phenomenon called “falling in love” occurred in a sexless world. (C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory, 9)
Husbands and wives frequently complain that they are having trouble with sex, but the trouble usually is not with sex. Counselors do not find many difficulties that have to do with sex alone. The real difficulties in bed at night come from the fact that all kinds of problems have been carried into bed from the day, problems that should have been settled before going to bed. (Jay Adams, Christian Living in the Home, 36)
