1 Corinthians 7:10-16

In 1 Corinthians 7:10-16, Paul turns his attention to misunderstandings of the marriage covenant. There were individuals who felt they needed to leave their marriages to honor God and live in obedience to him. There were married believers who thought the right thing to do was abandon their marriage because it was better to be celibate and not engage in sexual relationships. There were others married to unbelievers who thought they needed to leave their marriage because the presence of the unbeliever would corrupt them, make them unclean, and cause them to produce children who were unclean.

It’s important to understand this context so that we understand what Paul is addressing. Paul isn’t covering every possible scenario that leads to questions about divorce and remarriage. Instead, he’s answering a few specific questions they have about their marriage commitments now that they’ve come to trust in Christ. As a result, we’re able to learn that God views marriage as a covenant between two people that is real and should not be broken out of a desire to pursue some greater good for the sake of Christ. Instead, God views the marriage itself as a greater good that should be honored for the glory of Jesus.
There are three situations Paul is addressing in this passage: