1 Corinthians 6:12-7:9

New King James Version

Glorify God in Body and Spirit

^12 (A)All things are lawful for me, but all things are not ^[a]helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of ^[b]any. ^13 (B)Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for ^(C)sexual immorality but ^(D)for the Lord, ^(E)and the Lord for the body. ¹⁴ And ^(F)God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up ^(G)by His power.

¹⁵ Do you not know that ^(H)your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! ¹⁶ Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For ^(I)“the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.” ^17 (J)But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

^18 (K)Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins ^(L)against his own body. ¹⁹ Or ^(M)do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, ^(N)and you are not your own? ²⁰ For ^(O)you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body ^[c]and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Principles of Marriage

7 Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me:

^(P)It is good for a man not to touch a woman. ² Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. ^3 (Q)Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. ⁴ The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. ^5 (R)Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that ^(S)Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. ⁶ But I say this as a concession, ^(T)not as a commandment. ⁷ For ^(U)I wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that.

⁸ But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: ^(V)It is good for them if they remain even as I am; ⁹ but ^(W)if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.