[B-Greek] 1 Cor. 7:1,2

Harold R. Holmyard III hholmyard at ont.com
Fri Oct 29 15:23:37 EDT 2004


Dear Mitch,

>  > HH: I think verse 1 speaks in abstract terms: It is
>>  a good thing if a
>>  man does not touch a woman (have sexual relations
>>  with  woman).
>
>Then this would require it to be addressing a marriage
>relationship, right? (For surely it IS a good thing if
>a married man touches his wife.)

HH: Paul is speaking in the abstract, perhaps 
contemplating a man who was not yet married. It 
is a good thing for such a man not to have sexual 
relations with a woman. That is, one does not 
lose anything, necessarily, if he never touches a 
woman. Paul takes up this subject again in verses 
7-9, where he suggests that such contentment in 
singleness may involve a gift of God:

1Cor. 7:7 I wish that all men were as I am. But 
each man has his own gift from God; one has this 
gift, another has that.
1Cor. 7:8 ¶ Now to the unmarried and the widows I 
say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I 
am.
1Cor. 7:9 But if they cannot control themselves, 
they should marry, for it is better to marry than 
to burn with passion.

Hh: This is the NIV, which has tried to bring out 
what they feel the sense is. They added the word 
"unmarried" in 7:8. 

>If the footnote is questionable, is it legitmate to
>say then that this verse, among other things, teaches
>that outside of a marriage relationship, a man may not
>touch (have sexual relations) a woman? Am I reading
>anything into this, or is this one legitimate understanding?

HH: Paul says it is a good thing not to have 
sexual relations with a woman. Perhaps, as you 
say, we could think of reading into this 
statement the OT and NT morality, which states 
that fornication (sex outside of marriage) is 
wrong. But Paul is speaking more abstractly and 
broadly. You have already noted that for a 
married man, sexual relations are a good thing. 
Paul is simply asserting that being a virgin for 
life as a single man is a good thing. Or, if one 
is a widower, remaining single can be a good 
thing.

				Yours,
				Harold Holmyard


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