1Corinthians:7-8
Seeker Overlay ON
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Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me :
It is good for a man not to touch a woman .
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Nevertheless ,
to avoid fornication ,
let every man have his own wife ,
and let every woman have her own husband .
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Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence :
and likewise also the wife unto the husband .
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The wife hath not power of her own body ,
but the husband :
and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body ,
but the wife .
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Defraud ye not one the other ,
except it be with consent for a time ,
that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer ;
and come together again ,
that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency .
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But I speak this by permission ,
and not of commandment .
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For I would that all men were even as I myself .
But every man hath his proper gift of God ,
one after this manner ,
and another after that .
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I say therefore to the unmarried and widows ,
It is good for them if they abide even as I .
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But if they cannot contain ,
let them marry :
for it is better to marry than to burn .
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And unto the married I command ,
yet not I ,
but the Lord ,
Let not the wife depart from her husband :
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But and if she depart ,
let her remain unmarried ,
or be reconciled to her husband :
and let not the husband put away his wife .
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But to the rest speak I ,
not the Lord :
If any brother hath a wife that believeth not ,
and she be pleased to dwell with him ,
let him not put her away .
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And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not ,
and if he be pleased to dwell with her ,
let her not leave him .
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For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife ,
and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband :
else were your children unclean ;
but now are they holy .
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But if the unbelieving depart ,
let him depart .
A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases :
but God hath called us to peace .
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For what knowest thou ,
O wife ,
whether thou shalt save thy husband ?
or how knowest thou ,
O man ,
whether thou shalt save thy wife ?
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But as God hath distributed to every man ,
as the Lord hath called every one ,
so let him walk .
And so ordain I in all churches .
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Is any man called being circumcised ?
let him not become uncircumcised .
Is any called in uncircumcision ?
let him not be circumcised .
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Circumcision is nothing ,
and uncircumcision is nothing ,
but the keeping of the commandments of God .
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Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called .
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Art thou called being a servant ?
care not for it :
but if thou mayest be made free ,
use it rather .
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For he that is called in the Lord ,
being a servant ,
is the Lord '
s freeman :
likewise also he that is called ,
being free ,
is Christ '
s servant .
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Ye are bought with a price ;
be not ye the servants of men .
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Brethren ,
let every man ,
wherein he is called ,
therein abide with God .
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Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord :
yet I give my judgment ,
as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful .
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I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress ,
I say ,
that it is good for a man so to be .
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Art thou bound unto a wife ?
seek not to be loosed .
Art thou loosed from a wife ?
seek not a wife .
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But and if thou marry ,
thou hast not sinned ;
and if a virgin marry ,
she hath not sinned .
Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh :
but I spare you .
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But this I say ,
brethren ,
the time is short :
it remaineth ,
that both they that have wives be as though they had none ;
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And they that weep ,
as though they wept not ;
and they that rejoice ,
as though they rejoiced not ;
and they that buy ,
as though they possessed not ;
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And they that use this world ,
as not abusing it :
for the fashion of this world passeth away .
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But I would have you without carefulness .
He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord ,
how he may please the Lord :
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But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world ,
how he may please his wife .
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There is difference also between a wife and a virgin .
The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord ,
that she may be holy both in body and in spirit :
but she that is married careth for the things of the world ,
how she may please her husband .
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And this I speak for your own profit ;
not that I may cast a snare upon you ,
but for that which is comely ,
and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction .
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But if any man think that he behaveth himself uncomely toward his virgin ,
if she pass the flower of her age ,
and need so require ,
let him do what he will ,
he sinneth not :
let them marry .
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Nevertheless he that standeth stedfast in his heart ,
having no necessity ,
but hath power over his own will ,
and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin ,
doeth well .
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So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well ;
but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better .
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The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth ;
but if her husband be dead ,
she is at liberty to be married to whom she will ;
only in the Lord .
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But she is happier if she so abide ,
after my judgment :
and I think also that I have the Spirit of God .
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Now as touching things offered unto idols ,
we know that we all have knowledge .
Knowledge puffeth up ,
but charity edifieth .
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And if any man think that he knoweth any thing ,
he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know .
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But if any man love God ,
the same is known of him .
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As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols ,
we know that an idol is nothing in the world ,
and that there is none other God but one .
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For though there be that are called gods ,
whether in heaven or in earth , (
as there be gods many ,
and lords many ,)
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But to us there is but one God ,
the Father ,
of whom are all things ,
and we in him ;
and one Lord Jesus Christ ,
by whom are all things ,
and we by him .
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Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge :
for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol ;
and their conscience being weak is defiled .
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But meat commendeth us not to God :
for neither ,
if we eat ,
are we the better ;
neither ,
if we eat not ,
are we the worse .
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But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak .
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For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol '
s temple ,
shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols ;
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And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish ,
for whom Christ died ?
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But when ye sin so against the brethren ,
and wound their weak conscience ,
ye sin against Christ .
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Wherefore ,
if meat make my brother to offend ,
I will eat no flesh while the world standeth ,
lest I make my brother to offend .
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Am I not an apostle ?
am I not free ?
have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord ?
are not ye my work in the Lord ?