July 17
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DUTIES OF HUSBANDS AND WIVES TOWARDS EACH OTHER
Now concerning the things about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman. 2 But because of sexual immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband. 3 The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise the wife also to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise, the husband also does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5 Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 But this I say by way of concession, not of command. – 1 Corinthians 7:1-6
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In this letter, Paul addresses the teaching on marriage. He talks about how a man shouldn’t touch a woman. Because of the existing issues about sexual immorality in the church at Corinth, he advises the men to marry and have his own wife, and likewise the women to have her own husband. He then explains the duties of husbands and wives once they commit to be with each other in verses 3-5. They both have a duty to fulfill to each other. In verse 4, he reminds the wife that since she became one with her husband, she now does not have authority or ownership to her own body and vice-versa with the husband. It is interesting how the world twists the concept of marriage. When a man and a woman marry one another, they still think that they can do what they want with their own bodies or that they have authority over it. Many worldly couples please their own selves and there is no covenant to keep each other holy and fulfilled with one another. In verse 5, Paul advises them to ensure that they do not deprive one another of their own bodies if they are married. The only thing that should stop them from indulging in pleasuring each other is when they have to come together to pray. In other words, Paul is explaining that God still comes first in their relationship if they have committed to Christ as their Lord and Savior. Just like a man and woman becomes one flesh when they get married, believers and Jesus Christ becomes one as well. We need to submit to each other as husbands and wives and submit to Christ as our head in our spiritual lives.
Sadly, many worldly people operate individually even when they get married. They do what they want when they were still single and never submitted to each other. When they do this, they give Satan the power to destroy their relationship
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REFLECTION
• Why would the world not understand the concept of submission to each other?