1 Corinthians / Question
Paul says husband and wife should give each other conjugal rights and that each has authority over the other’s body (1 Corinthians 7:3–4). He says they should not deprive one another except by agreement for a limited time, then come together again (1 Corinthians 7:5).
In 1 Corinthians 7:1–7 Paul begins answering a letter the Corinthians sent him about sex and marriage. He first repeats a slogan-like statement that it is “good” not to have sexual contact, but he immediately qualifies it: marriage provides a proper setting for sexual relations, helping prevent sexual immorality. This section opens a new part of the letter where Paul responds to topics the Corinthians raised in writing (“now concerning…”), moving from earlier problems he addressed on his own initiative (like tolerating sexual wrongdoing) to their questions.
Paul shifts to answering questions the Corinthians had written to him about (verse 1). He acknowledges an ideal-sounding statement about avoiding sexual contact, but immediately speaks to real risks in Corinth and in human weakness (verses 1–2, 5). In this passage, marriage is treated as the proper setting for sexual relations (verse 2).
A careful answer keeps the immediate passage, the book's argument, and the whole-Bible storyline together, so the question is answered in context instead of as a detached idea.
Start with 1 Corinthians 7:3-4, then read the surrounding section so the answer stays connected to the passage's flow.
3Let the husband render to the wife her due, and likewise also the wife to the husband.
4The wife doesn`t have authority over her own body, but the husband. Likewise also the husband doesn`t have power over his own body, but the wife.