Free group study handout
1 Corinthians 7: Group Study Handout
How to use: read 1 Corinthians 7 aloud together, then take the questions in order. One page is enough for an evening.
Overview
Paul responds to the Corinthian church about celibacy, stating it is good for a man not to touch a woman (vv. 1-2). Each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.
Key verse
“Only, as the Lord has distributed to each man, as God has called each, so let him walk. So I command in all the assemblies.”
1 Corinthians 7:17 (WEB)
Outline
- 1 Corinthians 7:1–2 Response to Celibacy Question
- 1 Corinthians 7:3–5 Mutual Affection in Marriage
- 1 Corinthians 7:6–9 Advice on Marriage and Singleness
- 1 Corinthians 7:10–16 Instructions for Married Believers
- 1 Corinthians 7:17–24 Living in One's Calling
- 1 Corinthians 7:25–38 Guidance for Virgins and the Unmarried
- 1 Corinthians 7:39–40 Status After Spouse's Death
Discussion questions
- In v2, what does Paul say about 'sexual immoralities' and marriage?
- What does Paul say about a wife and her husband in vv. 3-4?
- Paul's guidance in v12 about an 'unbelieving wife': what implications does this have for Christian families?
- In v35, what does Paul mean by attending to the Lord 'without distraction'?
- When have you experienced a time where you felt 'concerned about the things of the world' (v33)?
Go deeper
Passages that echo 1 Corinthians 7: Matthew 19, 1 Corinthians 6, 1 Peter 3.
Before next time: read 1 Corinthians 8.