1 Coríntios 7

BLIVRE · Chapter 7/16

1E sobre as coisas que me escrevestes, bom é para o homem não tocar mulher.

2Mas por causa dos pecados sexuais, tenha cada um sua própria mulher, e cada uma tenha seu próprio marido.

3Que o marido satisfaça sua mulher como devido, e semelhantemente a mulher ao marido.

4A mulher não tem poder sobre seu próprio corpo, mas sim o marido; e também da mesma maneira o marido não tem poder sobre seu próprio corpo, mas sim a mulher.

5Não vos priveis um ao outro, a não ser por consentimento [de ambos] por algum tempo, para que vos ocupeis com jejum, e para a oração; e voltai-vos outra vez a se juntarem, para que Satanás não vos tente, por causa de vossa falta de domínio próprio.

6Mas isto vos digo como permissão, não como mandamento.

7Porque eu queria que todos fossem como eu mesmo; mas cada um tem seu próprio dom de Deus, um de um jeito assim, e outro de um jeito diferente.

8Mas digo aos solteiros, e às viúvas que lhes é bom se permanecessem como eu estou.

9Mas se não podem se conter, casem-se; porque é melhor se casar do que se inflamar.

10Porém aos casados eu mando, não eu, mas o Senhor, que a mulher não se separe do marido.

11E se se separar, fique sem casar, ou se reconcilie com o marido; e que o marido não deixe a mulher.

12Mas aos outros digo eu, não o Senhor: se algum irmão tem mulher descrente, e ela consente em habitar com ele, não a deixe.

13E se alguma mulher tem marido descrente, e ele consente em habitar com ela, não o deixe.

14Porque o marido descrente é santificado pela mulher; e a mulher descrente é santificada pelo marido. Pois de outra maneira vossos filhos seriam impuros; porém agora são santos.

15Mas se o descrente se separar, separe-se [também] . Em tal [situação] o irmão ou a irmã não estão sujeitos à servidão; mas Deus nos chamou para a paz.

16Porque o que tu sabes, mulher, se salvarás ao marido? Ou o que tu sabes, marido, se salvarás a mulher?

17Porém cada um ande assim como Deus lhe repartiu, cada um como o Senhor o chamou; e assim ordeno em todas as igrejas.

18É alguém chamado, estando já circunciso? Não desfaça a circuncisão. É alguém chamado estando ainda incircunciso? Não se circuncide.

19A circuncisão nada vale, e a incircuncisão nada vale; mas [o que vale] é a obediência aos mandamentos de Deus.

20Cada um fique no propósito em que foi chamado.

21Foste tu chamado sendo escravo? Não te preocupes com [isto] ; mas se tu podes te tornares livre, aproveita.

22Porque o que foi chamado no Senhor enquanto era escravo, para o Senhor é livre; da mesma maneira também, o que foi chamado, sendo livre, se torna escravo de Cristo.

23Vós fostes comprados por alto preço; [portanto] não vos façais escravos dos seres humanos.

24Irmãos, cada um continue com Deus [no estado] em que foi chamado.

25E quanto às virgens, não tenho mandamento do Senhor; porém eu dou [minha] opinião, dado que tenho recebido misericórdia do Senhor para que eu seja confiável.

26Considero pois isto como bom, por causa da necessidade atual, que é bom à pessoa continuar assim como está.

27Estás ligado à mulher, não busques se separar. Estás livre de mulher, não busques mulher.

28Mas se também te casares, não pecas; e se a virgem se casar, não peca. Porém os tais terão aflições na carne, que eu [gostaria] de livrá-los.

29Porém digo isto, irmãos, porque o tempo que resta é breve; para que também os que tem mulheres, sejam como se não as tivessem;

30E os que choram, como se não chorassem; e os que se alegram, como se não se alegrassem; e os que compram, como se não possuíssem.

31E os que usam [das coisas] deste mundo, como se [delas] não abusassem; porque a aparência deste mundo é passageira.

32E eu queria que estivésseis sem preocupações. O solteiro se preocupa com as coisas do Senhor, como irá agradar ao Senhor;

33Porém o que é casado se preocupa com as coisas do mundo, como irá agradar à mulher.

34A mulher casada e a virgem são diferentes: a que está para casar tem preocupação com as coisas do Senhor, para ser santa, tanto de corpo como de Espírito; mas a casada tem preocupação com as coisas do mundo, como irá agradar ao marido.

35Porém digo isto para vosso próprio proveito; não para vos enlaçar, mas para [vos guiar] ao que é decente, e servirem ao Senhor sem distração.

36Mas se alguém lhe parece que indecentemente trata com sua virgem, se ela passar da idade da juventude, e assim convier se fazer, que tal faça o que quiser, não peca, casem-se.

37Porém o que está firme em [seu] coração, não tendo necessidade, mas tem poder sobre sua própria vontade, e isto decidiu em seu próprio coração, de guardar sua virgem, faz bem.

38Portanto, o que [a dá] em casamento, faz bem; mas o que não a dá em casamento, faz melhor.

39A mulher casada está ligada pela Lei todo o tempo em que seu marido vive; mas se seu marido morrer, fica livre para se casar com quem quiser, contanto [que seja] no Senhor.

40Porém mais bem-aventurada é, se assim continuar, segundo minha opinião. E também eu penso, que tenho o Espírito de Deus.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Answering specific questions from the church, Paul offers counsel on marriage, celibacy, divorce, and remaining in the state in which each person was called by God. He values both marriage and celibacy as different gifts.

Explanation

This chapter responds to a letter the Corinthians themselves had sent to Paul, likely influenced by currents that either rejected marriage as something inferior or treated it with license. Paul presents a balanced view: marriage is good and involves mutual duties of care, but celibacy dedicated to God's service is also a valid gift, especially given the hardships of that time. He repeats the principle that each person should remain, whenever possible, in the state in which they were called, without anxiously seeking to change their social or marital condition. Today's practical lesson is that both marriage and single life can be full paths of service to God, with neither superior to the other.

Fun facts

  • The mention of 'the present distress' (v.26) likely refers to a concrete crisis Corinth was facing at the time — possibly famine or persecution — which made marriage more costly at that particular moment.
  • This is one of the most cited texts in Christian debates about marriage and celibacy throughout history, including a direct influence on the tradition of priestly celibacy in some churches.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. 1 Coríntios 7:1Paul is answering a letter the Corinthians had sent him — “now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me” — which is why this chapter deals only with their specific questions. The phrase “it is good for a man not to touch a woman” may even be a quotation from their letter, reflecting a current in the church that considered marriage inferior to single life.
  2. 1 Coríntios 7:2Answering the idea that “it is good not to touch a woman” (v. 1), Paul gives practical advice for most people: because of the risk of sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband — marriage is the answer.
  3. 1 Coríntios 7:3Within marriage, Paul calls for sexual reciprocity: husband and wife owe each other the same consideration, without either side imposing abstinence on the other on their own.
  4. 1 Coríntios 7:4An unusual idea for the time: within marriage, neither the husband nor the wife has exclusive power over his or her own body — each one “belongs” also to the spouse, balancing the authority on both sides.
  5. 1 Coríntios 7:5Paul treats the body within marriage as something belonging equally to both spouses. He allows agreed-upon pauses for prayer, but warns they should not be long, so as not to open the door to temptation.
  6. 1 Coríntios 7:6Paul makes clear that permitting agreed-upon pauses for prayer (v. 5) is his suggestion, not a binding command — the first sign in the letter that he distinguishes his personal advice from a commandment of the Lord.
  7. 1 Coríntios 7:7Paul wishes everyone could live single as he does, but he recognizes that this is a specific gift from God, not something to impose on everyone — each person receives a different calling.
  8. 1 Coríntios 7:8To the unmarried and widows, Paul gives his personal opinion: it would be good to remain unmarried, as he does — but this is advice, not a fixed rule for everyone.
  9. 1 Coríntios 7:9If a person cannot manage sexual self-control well, Paul recommends marriage, because it is better to marry than to be consumed by repressed desire.
  10. 1 Coríntios 7:10Here Paul marks the distinction that guides the whole chapter: on not separating from one’s spouse, he cites a direct command from Jesus Himself, not his own opinion.
  11. 1 Coríntios 7:11The Lord’s command continues: if separation has already happened, the person should remain unmarried or be reconciled — divorce followed by remarriage is not the solution recommended here.
  12. 1 Coríntios 7:12Paul now switches to speaking “I, not the Lord” — a case Jesus did not address directly: a mixed marriage with an unbelieving spouse. If the unbeliever is willing to keep living with the believer, the believer should not separate.
  13. 1 Coríntios 7:13He repeats the same instruction for the reverse case, of a believing woman married to an unbelieving husband who is willing to continue the marriage.
  14. 1 Coríntios 7:14“Sanctified” here does not mean “saved,” but something like “set apart,” within the protection of the Christian family. Paul reassures those married to an unbelieving spouse: the union and the children are not made “unclean” because of it.
  15. 1 Coríntios 7:15But if it is the unbelieving spouse who wants to separate, the believer is set free — God called the church to live in peace, not bound to a marriage the other party no longer wants to keep.
  16. 1 Coríntios 7:16He explains why he does not insist on staying in a marriage the unbeliever wants to end: there is no guarantee that staying will lead the spouse to conversion, so that is no reason to hold anyone against their will.
  17. 1 Coríntios 7:17A general rule closing this section: each person should live according to the situation in which God called them, without trying to force sudden changes. Paul says he teaches this in every church.
  18. 1 Coríntios 7:18The first example of this rule: circumcision. Whoever was called by Christ already circumcised need not try to “undo” it; whoever was uncircumcised need not be circumcised now.
  19. 1 Coríntios 7:19“Circumcision” was the ritual cutting that marked a man as a Jew under the covenant with Abraham. Paul says that for a Christian, that has stopped being what matters — what counts is keeping the commandments of God, whether the person is circumcised or not.
  20. 1 Coríntios 7:20He sums up the principle: let each one remain in the condition, in the calling, they were in when God reached them — there is no need to change social or religious status to be truly Christian.
  21. 1 Coríntios 7:21Paul is writing in a society where slavery was common and legal. He does not order anyone here to free their slaves, but he tells the Christian slave himself not to be troubled by his condition, though he should take advantage of freedom if it becomes available.
  22. 1 Coríntios 7:22A second example: slavery, common in Roman society. A slave called by Christ is spiritually free before the Lord; a free man called by Christ spiritually becomes Christ’s servant.
  23. 1 Coríntios 7:23He reinforces the point: believers “are bought with a price” (the death of Christ), so they should not become slaves to human standards of status or to other people’s opinions.
  24. 1 Coríntios 7:24He repeats the chapter’s refrain: each one should remain before God in the condition in which they were called, without being troubled trying to change social category in order to be more spiritual.
  25. 1 Coríntios 7:25On “virgins” (unmarried young women, or engaged couples not yet married), Paul admits he has no commandment from the Lord — he gives only his personal judgment, as someone the Lord has made trustworthy.
  26. 1 Coríntios 7:26His opinion, considering the “present distress” (a likely coming crisis or persecution), is that staying as one is, without marrying, is good for that specific time.
  27. 1 Coríntios 7:27He advises case by case: whoever is already married should not seek to be released; whoever is free of marriage should not seek a wife — each situation left as it is for now.
  28. 1 Coríntios 7:28But he makes clear that marrying is not a sin — whoever marries has done nothing wrong; they will only face the practical troubles of married life, which Paul wants to spare them.
  29. 1 Coríntios 7:29He explains the urgency of the advice: the time is short (given the expectation of persecution or Christ’s return), so even married people should live without clinging too tightly to this world’s priorities.
  30. 1 Coríntios 7:30He continues the list of “as though not”: living through life’s emotions and possessions — sorrow, joy, property — without letting them take over, because none of it is permanent.
  31. 1 Coríntios 7:31He closes the reasoning: use the things of this world without clinging to them, because the present form of this world is passing away — this is no time to hold on to structures that will not last.
  32. 1 Coríntios 7:32Paul wants to spare the Corinthians excessive worry: the unmarried person can focus all their attention on pleasing the Lord, without the divided concerns marriage naturally brings.
  33. 1 Coríntios 7:33The married person, on the other hand, must also care about the things of this world, especially pleasing their spouse — this is not a flaw, it is the practical reality of marriage.
  34. 1 Coríntios 7:34The same logic applies to women: the unmarried woman can devote body and mind entirely to being holy for the Lord, while the married woman divides her attention with caring to please her husband.
  35. 1 Coríntios 7:35Paul clarifies his intent: he is not trying to trap anyone under a rule, only pointing to the more practical path for living with less distraction and more devotion to the Lord.
  36. 1 Coríntios 7:36The Greek text here is ambiguous, which is why this passage generates debate: it may speak of a father deciding whether to give his virgin daughter in marriage, or of a man deciding whether to marry his fiancée. Translators choose different interpretations, but the central idea is the same — it is no sin either to marry or to remain single.
  37. 1 Coríntios 7:37It speaks of the case of someone who decides, with their own conviction and without outside pressure, to remain single (keeping “his virgin”) — a good decision, made in freedom and with a clear purpose.
  38. 1 Coríntios 7:38He sums up the chapter’s dilemma in one line: marrying is not wrong, it is good; but not marrying, under the circumstances Paul described, is even better for those who can live that way.
  39. 1 Coríntios 7:39He shifts the subject to widowhood: a married woman is bound by the marriage law as long as her husband lives; once he dies, she is free to marry again, as long as it is to another believer (“in the Lord”).
  40. 1 Coríntios 7:40He closes the chapter repeating his personal opinion: she would be happier remaining a widow without remarrying — but Paul makes clear this is his own judgment, even though he trusts the Spirit of God guides him.

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