A marriage in which faith is not shared still calls for love, loyalty, and care. First Corinthians 7:12–16 speaks directly to that situation; 1 Peter 3:1–7 adds particular guidance for wives and husbands. Read their encouragement and their qualifications together, so that hope for your spouse serves faithful life rather than becoming a promise Scripture has not made.
Honor the marriage you already share
Honor Christ by giving your spouse faithful love and taking your marriage seriously. In 1 Corinthians 7:12–13, Paul speaks directly to a Christian whose husband or wife does not believe. A believing husband is to remain with his unbelieving wife if she is willing to live with him; a believing wife receives the corresponding instruction concerning her husband. The difference in faith does not itself cancel the marriage. Your spouse remains someone to cherish, serve, and treat honestly before God.
Paul gives this direction within his account of marriage in 1 Corinthians 7:10–16. In verses 10–11 he recalls the Lord’s command: the wife is not to depart, and the husband is not to put away his wife; if the wife does depart, he directs her to remain unmarried or be reconciled. Jesus’ reasoning in Matthew 19:3–9 explains the seriousness of that bond. He answers a question about divorce by returning to the Creator’s making of male and female and their becoming one flesh. What God has joined must not be treated as disposable. Jesus then addresses Moses’ concession because of hard hearts and the stated exception concerning fornication, or sexual immorality. His creation argument establishes the faithful intention with which marriage is to be lived.
In 1 Corinthians 7:12, Paul’s words “speak I, not the Lord” distinguish his apostolic direction from the marriage command he has just attributed to Jesus. He is addressing a circumstance for which he does not cite a saying from Jesus’ earthly ministry. The words are not a reason to dismiss his instruction as optional personal advice: he gives actual directions to both spouses, then describes his rule for the churches in verses 17–24. Belonging to Christ calls you to obey God within your responsibilities, including this existing relationship.
Choosing a future spouse is a different question. First Corinthians 7:39 gives a widow freedom to marry, qualified by “only in the Lord”; shared allegiance to Christ rightly guides that choice. Second Corinthians 6:14–7:1 calls God’s people to holiness, contrasting God’s temple with idols and faith with unbelief. It does not specifically order the dissolution of mixed marriages. Read it with Paul’s express instruction to remain in 1 Corinthians 7:12–13: maintain your allegiance to Christ while faithfully honoring the marriage you already have.
Further study: Stephen C. Barton · John Calvin · Biblical Studies Press
Receive the place God gives your household
You can serve God within this household with a clear conscience. First Corinthians 7:14 explains why Paul tells the believer to remain: the unbelieving husband is sanctified in relation to his wife, and the unbelieving wife in relation to her husband; their children are holy. Sanctified means set apart as holy. Paul applies that language to the family’s relationship to the believing spouse, so that the other spouse’s unbelief is not a reason to treat their shared marriage as spiritually contaminating. His conclusion supports continued faithfulness in the household.
Follow the way Paul reasons about the children. He says that otherwise they would be unclean, but now they are holy (1 Corinthians 7:14). Their holiness supports his assurance about the parents’ union; he does not tell the believer to make the household holy by removing the other parent. Christians explain the precise status differently, including covenant belonging and the family’s consecrated relationship to God through the believer. Those differences deserve further study. The immediate direction is clear: receive your family as the people among whom you can live faithfully before God.
This holiness is not a declaration that everyone in the household has already been saved. In the same sentence Paul continues to call the spouse unbelieving, and in 1 Corinthians 7:16 he asks whether that spouse will be saved. Ephesians 2:1–10 describes salvation as God’s merciful act of making people alive with Christ, received by grace through faith, rather than an achievement in which anyone can boast. Marriage to a Christian is not a substitute for that saving relationship with Christ.
Acts 16:25–34 helps keep household hope joined to hearing the gospel. After the earthquake at Philippi, the jailer asks Paul and Silas what he must do to be saved. They direct him to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and speak of salvation for his household as well. Then they speak the Lord’s word to everyone in the house; the account proceeds to baptism, care for the prisoners, and rejoicing in faith. The promise brings the message of Christ into the household. It does not teach that one person’s faith makes the others’ response unnecessary. Pray and speak with hope while giving your family the truth about Jesus.
Further study: Stephen C. Barton · John Calvin
As a wife, join respect to steadfast faith
If you are a wife, Peter speaks to you directly about faithfulness when your husband does not obey the gospel. First Peter 3:1–2 calls wives to be in subjection to their own husbands, so that even husbands who disobey the word may be won through their wives’ pure, reverent conduct. This is a responsibility within your own marriage, not a direction that every woman submit to every man. Peter envisions your life making the goodness of your faith visible to the husband who observes it.
The KJV’s “conversation” in 1 Peter 3:1–2 means conduct or manner of life. Peter’s point is therefore especially concrete: what your husband sees matters. This develops the wider call in 1 Peter 2:11–12 to live honorably among people who may speak against Christians. A sincere, faithful life can bear witness where the gospel has been resisted. The purpose gives reason for hope, but it does not promise that every husband will be converted or make you responsible for producing his faith.
Peter directs attention to the inward character that God values in 1 Peter 3:3–4. He contrasts the arranging of hair, gold, and clothing with the enduring beauty of a meek and quiet spirit. The reason he gives is its great worth in God’s sight. Cultivate a gentle, settled disposition that seeks what is good, rather than making outward appearance carry the weight of your witness. This concern for the heart also prepares you to speak without contempt when speech is called for.
In 1 Peter 3:5–6, the women Peter commends hoped in God. Sarah’s respect for Abraham is his example; Genesis 18:12 records her referring to him as her lord even while she laughs inwardly at the promise of a son in their old age. Peter draws attention to her marital respect and calls wives to do good without being overcome by terror. He is not endorsing every action in Abraham and Sarah’s history. Your respect is joined to hope in God and the courage to do what is right. The very aim of winning a husband to faith assumes that you continue following Christ even while he does not.
Take seriously Peter’s emphasis on witness without words in 1 Peter 3:1. You need not make repeated persuasion the measure of your faithfulness; give your husband a life of purity, respect, and goodness to observe. The same letter calls all believers to be ready to explain their hope with meekness and fear when asked (1 Peter 3:14–16). Scholars differ over how strictly the silent witness was directed in Peter’s setting. Neither passage makes a wife’s whole Christian life voiceless. Let your conduct carry its proper witness, and answer sincerely and gently when there is an occasion to explain your hope.
Further study: Jeannine K. Brown · Biblical Studies Press · Sam Storms
As a husband, love your wife with care and honor
If you are a husband, your wife’s lack of faith does not release you from the duty to love her. Ephesians 5:25–29 calls husbands to love as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. Paul then describes a person nourishing and cherishing his own body and tells a husband to give his wife that care. Verses 30–33 connect the instruction to the one-flesh union. Seek her good as someone whose life is joined to yours: give attention, care, fidelity, and willing service.
Christ’s love supplies the pattern, while Christ himself remains the Savior. Ephesians 5:25–27 speaks of his sanctifying, cleansing, and presenting the church to himself. A husband imitates that self-giving love; he does not acquire Christ’s power to cleanse his wife or produce her conversion. Colossians 3:19 gives a direct companion command: love your wife and refuse bitterness toward her. The compassion, humility, patience, and forgiveness of Colossians 3:12–17 should characterize that love, including when faith is not shared.
First Peter 3:7 joins understanding with honor. A husband is to live with his wife according to knowledge, treating her with attentive consideration; Peter’s description of her as the weaker vessel makes honor more necessary, not less. The description most naturally points to physical vulnerability; differences in social power may also be relevant. The command gives no basis for treating her as morally or intellectually inferior. Peter connects a husband’s treatment of his wife with his prayers: devotion to God includes accountability for how he treats her.
Peter also describes husband and wife in 1 Peter 3:7 as heirs together of the grace of life. In light of the inheritance through faith described in 1 Peter 1:3–9, this is best understood as the shared standing of believing spouses. It does not assert that an unbelieving wife already possesses saving faith. A Christian husband whose wife does not believe still owes her the love and honor these marriage commands require; Paul expressly recognizes their continuing marriage in 1 Corinthians 7:12–14. Give that care because it is faithful to Christ, while hoping for the day when faith itself will be shared.
Further study: Jeannine K. Brown · Biblical Studies Press · Sam Storms · Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
Give daily care, truthful speech, and peace
Let continuing faithfulness include the ordinary care marriage requires. In 1 Corinthians 7:3–5, Paul addresses husband and wife reciprocally about marital intimacy: each is to give what is due to the other, and temporary abstinence for fasting and prayer is to be by agreement, followed by coming together again. Religious devotion is not presented as a reason for one spouse to withdraw indefinitely from shared marital life. These mutual responsibilities belong with love and honor, not coercion. In 1 Corinthians 7:32–35, Paul also recognizes the married person’s concern for pleasing a spouse while explaining the advantages of unmarried devotion. Take your spouse’s needs seriously as part of the life in which you serve Christ.
Peace begins with conduct you can actually offer. First Peter 3:8–12 turns from wives and husbands to all believers: show compassion, answer evil with blessing, turn from evil, do good, and pursue peace. Peter joins these commands to the Lord’s care for the righteous and attention to their prayers. Romans 12:17–21 likewise commands honorable conduct and refusal of personal revenge. Its qualification in verse 18 matters: live peaceably with everyone as far as it is possible and depends on you. Seek peace actively without imagining that you can control both sides of the relationship.
Speak about your faith with that same character. In Colossians 4:2–6, Paul calls the church to persevering prayer, asks for opportunity to make Christ known, and directs believers to wise conduct toward outsiders and gracious answers suited to the person. First Peter 3:14–16 joins an answer about Christian hope to gentleness, reverence, and a good conscience. Listen carefully, tell the truth about Christ, and answer with respect. Your spouse is a person to love, so truthful witness and patient care belong together.
Peaceful life also requires honest allegiance to the Lord. First Corinthians 10:14–22 tells Christians to flee idolatry, explaining that participation at the Lord’s table cannot be combined with fellowship in idolatrous sacrifice. Second Corinthians 6:14–7:1 similarly reasons from being God’s dwelling to holiness in life and worship. These passages address religious participation, not the cancellation of the marriage Paul affirms. Remain faithful to Christ in what you worship and do, and continue giving your spouse the good that love requires.
Further study: Biblical Studies Press
Nurture your children toward faith in Christ
If you have children, give them patient care and the knowledge of God’s word. Their being called holy in 1 Corinthians 7:14 is reason to receive their place in your household with confidence, not to neglect their need to know Christ. Second Timothy 3:14–17 tells Timothy to continue in what he has learned: from childhood he has known the Scriptures, which can make him wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Scripture teaches, corrects, and equips for good work. Bring its truth into the upbringing you are able to give.
Timothy’s family shows how faith can be nurtured across generations. In 2 Timothy 1:3–7, Paul remembers the sincere faith first present in Timothy’s grandmother Lois and mother Eunice and now in Timothy himself. Acts 16:1–5 identifies his mother as a believing Jewish woman and his father as Greek. Luke does not expressly state his father’s faith; Greek identity alone is not a statement of unbelief. What is clear is the meaningful contribution of his mother and grandmother, joined to Timothy’s own faith and subsequent service.
Teach children with care for them and honor for their parents. Ephesians 6:1–4 tells children to honor both father and mother, then specifically charges fathers to bring them up in the Lord’s nurture and admonition instead of provoking them to wrath. Colossians 3:20–21 also warns fathers against discouraging their children. A believing father should undertake that responsibility; a believing mother’s teaching likewise has the honored place shown in Timothy’s family. Help your children understand and follow Christ with patience and truthful instruction. Their need for faith and their duty to honor both parents belong together.
Understand what Paul says when an unbelieving spouse departs
Paul gives a distinct instruction when an unbelieving spouse leaves the marriage. First Corinthians 7:15 says to let that spouse depart and declares that the believing brother or sister is “not under bondage in such cases”; it adds that God has called us to peace. This addresses the unbeliever’s departure, not permission for the believer to dismiss a willing spouse because faith differs. The condition in verses 12–13 and the condition in verse 15 are both real. You are called to be faithful, but you cannot make another person continue the marriage.
Hope for conversion does not require pretending that Paul never permits departure. In 1 Corinthians 7:16 he asks the wife whether she knows she will save her husband and asks the husband the corresponding question about his wife. Some readers take this as an encouragement to remain where the marriage can continue: the spouse may yet come to faith. Others hear a reason to allow the departure just mentioned: salvation is uncertain, so the believer must not hold the marriage together at any cost in order to secure it. Both readings preserve the question rather than turning it into a promise. Continue to seek the other person’s good, while receiving the permission Paul actually gives.
Whether “not under bondage” also permits remarriage is a further question on which serious Christian interpreters differ. One reading understands it as release from the marriage bond when the unbeliever abandons the union. It sees a real contrast with the instruction to remain unmarried in 1 Corinthians 7:11 and notes that divorce in Paul’s world ordinarily carried freedom to remarry. Another understands it as freedom from an obligation to prevent the separation, while the marriage bond continues. It stresses the instruction in verses 10–11, the different word Paul uses for being bound in verse 39, and the absence of an express statement about a new marriage in verse 15. The historical background and the wording both matter; neither simply removes the need to interpret the whole argument.
Jesus’ teaching keeps that question accountable to the marriage bond. Mark 10:2–12 grounds marriage in creation and calls divorce followed by another marriage adultery, addressing both husband and wife. Luke 16:18 also speaks against divorce and remarriage, including marrying a divorced woman. Matthew 5:31–32 and Matthew 19:3–9 include an exception concerning fornication, whose precise reach Christians also debate. First Corinthians 7:39 explicitly permits a widow to marry after her husband’s death, only in the Lord; Romans 7:1–6 uses that release through death to explain believers’ changed relationship to the law through Christ. Widowhood and an unbeliever’s departure must therefore be distinguished rather than treated as identical cases.
Receive the clear responsibilities now: keep faith with a spouse willing to remain, pursue peace, and accept that an unbeliever may leave. A decision about remarriage calls for the fuller study of these passages together and careful counsel from faithful church leaders who will explain their reasoning from Scripture. The permission to let a spouse depart should neither be concealed nor made to answer more than has been established. Continue seeking a life of integrity before God as the consequences of that departure are faced.
Further study: Biblical Studies Press · David Instone-Brewer · David Instone-Brewer · John Piper · Robert A. J. Gagnon · John Calvin
Keep praying, receive help, and entrust the outcome to God
Pray for your spouse’s salvation and for the grace to live faithfully toward him or her. First Timothy 2:1–7 calls for prayer for all people, including rulers, and connects that prayer with God’s concern that people be saved and know the truth. It identifies one mediator, Jesus Christ, who gave himself as a ransom. Your spouse belongs among the people for whom you may pray. Bring that desire to God because salvation rests on Christ’s work and God’s mercy.
Your witness matters even though you cannot give another person faith. First Corinthians 3:5–9 explains the relationship between Christian service and God’s work: Paul planted, Apollos watered, and God gave the growth. In context Paul is correcting church factions that exalt one servant over another. The distinction also helps a believing spouse keep faithful service in proportion. Paul can even speak of saving some through his ministry in 1 Corinthians 9:19–23 while describing himself as a servant for the gospel’s sake. Live, speak, and pray faithfully, trusting God with the fruit.
Let the church share in your encouragement. Hebrews 10:19–25 grounds confidence in Jesus’ blood and priesthood, then urges believers to draw near to God, hold fast their confession, and encourage one another toward love and good works. Give that fellowship a place in your life and receive its prayer and counsel. First Peter 5:6–11 likewise joins casting your care on God with steadfast faith and the knowledge that other believers also suffer. You are not asked to sustain Christian life entirely by yourself.
The hope that sustains you is secure in Christ even while your spouse’s response remains unknown. First Peter 1:3–9 praises God for new birth into living hope through Jesus’ resurrection and an inheritance kept for his people. Peter speaks of both grief in trials and continuing love for the unseen Christ. You may bring sorrow to God while continuing to trust him. Keep doing the good he has given you to do, receive his care, and place your deepest hope in the Lord who has brought you to himself.
Further study: John Calvin
Read the passages
Scripture in context
34 contextual selections for this subject, including the passages cited above and further related reading. Every selected range is reproduced in full from the KJV. Context notes identify the setting and kind of evidence.
Creation narrative 1 selections
Genesis 2:18–25 KJV
Context: The woman is provided as a fitting companion; the narrative concludes in the one-flesh union.
2:18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
2:19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
2:20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
2:21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
2:22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
2:23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
2:25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
Narrative used by Peter 1 selections
Genesis 18:1–15 KJV · In this guide
Context: The visitors announce a son; Sarah laughs within herself and refers to Abraham as her lord; the LORD reaffirms his promise.
18:1 And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
18:2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,
18:3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
18:4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:
18:5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.
18:6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.
18:7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.
18:8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.
18:9 And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.
18:10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.
18:11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
18:12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
18:13 And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?
18:14 Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.
18:15 Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.
Covenant legislation 1 selections
Deuteronomy 7:1–11 KJV
Context: Israel is instructed concerning named nations in the land; intermarriage is prohibited because it turns children to other gods.
7:1 When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou;
7:2 And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:
7:3 Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.
7:4 For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.
7:5 But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire.
7:6 For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.
7:7 The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:
7:8 But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
7:9 Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;
7:10 And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face.
7:11 Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them.
Covenant history 2 selections
Ezra 9:1–15 KJV
Context: The restored community reports intermarriage and abominations; Ezra confesses covenant unfaithfulness in the land after exile.
9:1 Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.
9:2 For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.
9:3 And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied.
9:4 Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried away; and I sat astonied until the evening sacrifice.
9:5 And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God,
9:6 And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens.
9:7 Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day.
9:8 And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage.
9:9 For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.
9:10 And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments,
9:11 Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness.
9:12 Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever.
9:13 And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this;
9:14 Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor escaping?
9:15 O LORD God of Israel, thou art righteous: for we remain yet escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this.
Ezra 10:1–17 KJV
Context: The assembly covenants to remove foreign wives and children; Ezra calls for separation and arrangements for examining the cases.
10:1 Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore.
10:2 And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.
10:3 Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.
10:4 Arise; for this matter belongeth unto thee: we also will be with thee: be of good courage, and do it.
10:5 Then arose Ezra, and made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they should do according to this word. And they sware.
10:6 Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib: and when he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water: for he mourned because of the transgression of them that had been carried away.
10:7 And they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem;
10:8 And that whosoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and the elders, all his substance should be forfeited, and himself separated from the congregation of those that had been carried away.
10:9 Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month; and all the people sat in the street of the house of God, trembling because of this matter, and for the great rain.
10:10 And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed, and have taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel.
10:11 Now therefore make confession unto the LORD God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives.
10:12 Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do.
10:13 But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand without, neither is this a work of one day or two: for we are many that have transgressed in this thing.
10:14 Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let all them which have taken strange wives in our cities come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter be turned from us.
10:15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah were employed about this matter: and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them.
10:16 And the children of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain chief of the fathers, after the house of their fathers, and all of them by their names, were separated, and sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter.
10:17 And they made an end with all the men that had taken strange wives by the first day of the first month.
Marriage bond parallel 3 selections
Matthew 5:27–32 KJV · In this guide
Context: Jesus addresses heart-level adultery and then divorce, with the exception concerning fornication.
5:27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
5:29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
5:30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
5:31 It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:
5:32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
Mark 10:1–12 KJV · In this guide
Context: Jesus answers divorce testing with Moses, creation, and private explanation to the disciples including husbands and wives.
10:1 And he arose from thence, and cometh into the coasts of Judæa by the farther side of Jordan: and the people resort unto him again; and, as he was wont, he taught them again.
10:2 And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him.
10:3 And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you?
10:4 And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away.
10:5 And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.
10:6 But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.
10:7 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;
10:8 And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.
10:9 What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
10:10 And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter.
10:11 And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her.
10:12 And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.
Luke 16:14–18 KJV · In this guide
Context: Jesus confronts human self-justification and asserts the law’s enduring seriousness; the marriage saying is part of that challenge.
16:14 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.
16:15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
16:16 The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.
16:17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.
16:18 Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.
Marriage bond 1 selections
Matthew 19:1–12 KJV · In this guide
Context: A testing question about divorce receives Jesus’ creation argument, explanation of Moses’ concession, exception wording, and response to the disciples.
19:1 And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan;
19:2 And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there.
19:3 The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
19:4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
19:5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
19:6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
19:7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
19:8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.
19:9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.
19:10 His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.
19:11 But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given.
19:12 For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother’s womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.
Narrative 1 selections
Acts 16:1–5 KJV · In this guide
Context: Paul meets the disciple Timothy, whose mother believes and whose father is Greek, and takes him into ministry.
16:1 Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek:
16:2 Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium.
16:3 Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek.
16:4 And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem.
16:5 And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily.
Narrative of household response 1 selections
Acts 16:25–34 KJV · In this guide
Context: The prison earthquake leads to the jailer’s question, the gospel spoken to his household, baptism, and rejoicing.
16:25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
16:26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.
16:27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.
16:28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.
16:29 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,
16:30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
16:32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
16:33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.
16:34 And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.
Marriage analogy 1 selections
Romans 7:1–6 KJV · In this guide
Context: Marriage and a spouse’s death illustrate release from law; Paul applies death with Christ to fruitful service in the Spirit.
7:1 Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?
7:2 For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.
7:3 So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.
7:4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
7:5 For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.
7:6 But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.
Peace and love 1 selections
Romans 12:9–21 KJV · In this guide
Context: Sincere love, shared life, blessing, peace as far as possible, and non-retaliation form one ethical exhortation.
12:9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
12:10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
12:11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
12:12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
12:13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.
12:14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.
12:15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
12:16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
12:17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
12:18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
12:20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
12:21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
Ministry and dependence 1 selections
1 Corinthians 3:1–9 KJV · In this guide
Context: Paul rebukes divisions around human servants; planting and watering depend on God’s giving growth.
3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
3:2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
3:3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
3:4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
3:5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
3:7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
3:8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.
Direct marriage instruction 1 selections
1 Corinthians 7:1–16 KJV · In this guide
Context: Paul answers questions about sexual relations and marriage, recognizes differing gifts, recalls the Lord’s marriage instruction, and addresses existing mixed marriages.
7:1 Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.
7:2 Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.
7:3 Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.
7:4 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.
7:5 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.
7:6 But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment.
7:7 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.
7:8 I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.
7:9 But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.
7:10 And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband:
7:11 But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.
7:12 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.
7:13 And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.
7:14 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.
7:15 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.
7:16 For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?
Calling and obedience 1 selections
1 Corinthians 7:17–24 KJV · In this guide
Context: The general calling principle follows the marriage cases and considers circumcision and slavery while giving precedence to God’s commands.
7:17 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.
7:18 Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised.
7:19 Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.
7:20 Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.
7:21 Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather.
7:22 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.
7:23 Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.
7:24 Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.
Marriage and differing callings 1 selections
1 Corinthians 7:25–40 KJV · In this guide
Context: Paul addresses virgins, present distress, married and unmarried concerns, and the widow’s qualified freedom to marry.
7:25 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.
7:26 I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be.
7:27 Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife.
7:28 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.
7:29 But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none;
7:30 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;
7:31 And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away.
7:32 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:
7:33 But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife.
7:34 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.
7:35 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.
7:36 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.
7:37 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.
7:38 So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better.
7:39 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.
7:40 But she is happier if she so abide, after my judgment: and I think also that I have the Spirit of God.
Mission and instrumental agency 1 selections
1 Corinthians 9:19–23 KJV · In this guide
Context: Paul makes himself a servant for the gospel, adapting his conduct within allegiance to Christ in hope of saving some.
9:19 For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.
9:20 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;
9:21 To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.
9:22 To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
9:23 And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.
Worship and allegiance 1 selections
1 Corinthians 10:14–22 KJV · In this guide
Context: The Lord’s table and Israel’s sacrificial participation explain why sharing in idolatrous worship is incompatible with Christ.
10:14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.
10:15 I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say.
10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
10:17 For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.
10:18 Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?
10:19 What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing?
10:20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.
10:21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.
10:22 Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?
Holiness and worship 1 selections
2 Corinthians 6:14–7:1 KJV · In this guide
Context: Contrasts incompatible allegiances, names believers as God’s temple, and draws holiness from God’s promises.
6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
6:15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Salvation 1 selections
Ephesians 2:1–10 KJV · In this guide
Context: God makes the spiritually dead alive with Christ; salvation is his gift by grace through faith and leads to good works.
2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
2:3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Role-specific marriage instruction 2 selections
Ephesians 5:15–33 KJV · In this guide
Context: Wise, Spirit-filled, thankful life introduces the distinct instructions to wives and husbands and the Christ/church, one-flesh argument.
5:15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
5:16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
5:17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
5:21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
5:22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
5:24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
5:28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
5:29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
5:30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
5:31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
5:32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
5:33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
1 Peter 3:1–7 KJV · In this guide
Context: Peter addresses wives, especially the case of disobedient husbands, then believing husbands with knowledge, honor, and shared inheritance.
3:1 Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;
3:2 While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.
3:3 Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;
3:4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
3:5 For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands:
3:6 Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.
3:7 Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
Role-specific family instruction 1 selections
Ephesians 6:1–4 KJV · In this guide
Context: Children are addressed with obedience and honor toward parents; fathers receive a direct charge to nurture without provoking.
6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
6:2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)
6:3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
6:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
Household discipleship 1 selections
Colossians 3:12–21 KJV · In this guide
Context: Mercy, forgiveness, love, peace, Christ’s word and thanksgiving precede commands to wives, husbands, children and fathers.
3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
3:13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
3:14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
3:17 And what soever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
3:18 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.
3:19 Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.
3:20 Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.
3:21 Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.
Prayer and witness 1 selections
Colossians 4:2–6 KJV · In this guide
Context: Persevering prayer and Paul’s request for clear gospel proclamation lead to wise conduct and gracious answers toward outsiders.
4:2 Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;
4:3 Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:
4:4 That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.
4:5 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.
4:6 Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
Prayer for others 1 selections
1 Timothy 2:1–7 KJV · In this guide
Context: Prayer for all, including rulers, is grounded in God’s saving concern and Christ’s unique mediation.
2:1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
2:2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
2:7 Where unto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.
Family faith and ministry 1 selections
2 Timothy 1:3–7 KJV · In this guide
Context: Paul’s thanksgiving recalls sincere faith in Lois, Eunice, and Timothy before urging Timothy’s faithful use of his gift.
1:3 I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day;
1:4 Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy;
1:5 When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.
1:6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.
1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Scripture and formation 1 selections
2 Timothy 3:10–17 KJV · In this guide
Context: Paul contrasts faithful endurance with deceivers, urges continuing in received teaching, and explains Scripture’s saving and equipping function.
3:10 But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,
3:11 Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.
3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
3:14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
3:15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
Church fellowship 1 selections
Hebrews 10:19–25 KJV · In this guide
Context: Access through Jesus’ blood and priesthood grounds drawing near, holding confession, and mutual encouragement as the day approaches.
10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
10:20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
10:21 And having an high priest over the house of God;
10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Hope and inheritance 1 selections
1 Peter 1:3–9 KJV · In this guide
Context: Peter praises God for resurrection-grounded hope and inheritance, acknowledging grief and tested faith.
1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
1:6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
1:9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
Witness and submission in context 1 selections
1 Peter 2:11–25 KJV · In this guide
Context: Peter calls believers to honorable conduct among Gentiles, addresses civic submission and servants, and presents Christ’s suffering and saving work.
2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
2:12 Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.
2:13 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;
2:14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.
2:15 For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:
2:16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.
2:17 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.
2:18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.
2:19 For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.
2:20 For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
2:22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
2:23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:
2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
2:25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
Shared Christian duties 1 selections
1 Peter 3:8–17 KJV · In this guide
Context: Shared Christian compassion, blessing and peace lead into suffering for righteousness and a gentle answer about hope.
3:8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:
3:9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.
3:10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:
3:11 Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.
3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
3:13 And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?
3:14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;
3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
3:16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
3:17 For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.
Dependence and perseverance 1 selections
1 Peter 5:6–11 KJV · In this guide
Context: Humility and casting cares on God are joined to vigilance, shared suffering, and God’s gracious strengthening.
5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
5:9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
5:10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
5:11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Go deeper
Sources & interpretation
The teaching starts with the cited Scripture. These consulted works inform wording, context, and interpretive questions. No qualified human review has been recorded for this guide.
What kind of holiness does Paul ascribe to the spouse and children?
First Corinthians 7:14 calls the unbelieving spouse sanctified and the children holy; verse 16 still raises the question of salvation. The terms do real work in the argument for remaining married.
- A covenant reading sees children as belonging to the covenant community and connects their holiness with baptism; Calvin develops this argument.
- A relational reading emphasizes the family’s consecration through the believer and the legitimacy of continuing its shared life; Barton stresses household solidarity.
- An influence reading emphasizes access to Christian witness and nurture. This captures a practical benefit, but by itself can understate Paul’s present-tense declaration of holiness.
Teach the family’s real relationship to the believer’s holy calling and the absence of a defiling barrier to marital life. Do not equate the words with guaranteed conversion, mere moral improvement, or civil legitimacy alone. Leave the baptismal inference for a fuller doctrinal discussion.
Further study: Stephen C. Barton · John Calvin
Further examination: How does the chosen account explain both spouse and children, the argument from their holiness, and the continuing unbelief and open salvation question without importing a settled baptismal policy?
How do witness without words and readiness to answer belong together?
First Peter 3:1 connects submission and observed conduct with winning a disobedient husband without words. Verses 14–16 address all believers with readiness to answer about hope.
- Brown reads the former as an actual restriction in the ancient marital setting, interpreting it alongside the wider duty of verbal witness.
- A narrower reading takes the purpose clause as emphasizing what conduct can accomplish without further persuasion, without imposing an absolute prohibition on every spoken testimony.
Preserve a serious call to conduct that witnesses without repeated persuasion and the distinct address to wives. Preserve the all-believer answer command as well. Neither warrants a universal rule that wives may never speak about Christ or that every husband must eventually convert.
Further study: Jeannine K. Brown · Biblical Studies Press · Sam Storms
Further examination: Does the explanation give full force to Peter’s words without generalizing a specific marital instruction to every setting, erasing its audience, or making a contested reconstruction certain?
Does not under bondage include freedom to remarry?
The unbeliever’s departure is permitted in 1 Corinthians 7:15. Verse 11 gives remaining unmarried or reconciliation after the separation it describes, and verse 39 expressly gives freedom after death. The Gospel parallels retain the marriage bond and Matthew’s exception.
- Release of the bond: the special case in 7:15 and ordinary divorce conventions imply freedom to remarry. Instone-Brewer develops the historical case.
- Release from compelled cohabitation or resistance to departure: the bond continues, given 7:10–11,39 and Jesus’ sayings. Piper argues this reading.
- Gagnon treats a remarriage implication as possible while challenging its extension beyond the particular unbelieving-spouse case.
State the immediate permission and responsibility clearly, without selecting a denominational remarriage policy. The difference between Greek bondage and bond vocabulary does not settle the question alone, nor does secular divorce practice. Refer the complete policy question to the related marriage-bond guide.
Further study: Biblical Studies Press · David Instone-Brewer · David Instone-Brewer · John Piper · Robert A. J. Gagnon
Further examination: Which reading accounts for the scope of the unbeliever condition, Paul’s change of case, each explicit qualification, and the Gospel parallels? How far does a conclusion go beyond an express statement?
Is Paul’s question about salvation encouragement to remain or a reason to permit departure?
First Corinthians 7:16 is phrased as two questions after the instructions to remain when the unbeliever consents and to let the unbeliever depart.
- Hopeful: salvation remains possible and supplies a reason to preserve a willing marriage.
- Limiting: the possibility of salvation is uncertain and cannot oblige the believer to prevent the departure allowed in verse 15.
Both readings reject guaranteed conversion and retain verses 12–15. The guide teaches hopeful witness and prayer without assigning control of salvation or every marital outcome to the believer.
Further study: John Calvin · Stephen C. Barton · Robert A. J. Gagnon
Further examination: Does the explanation preserve the question’s uncertainty and its argument in context, and avoid using evangelistic hope to cancel Paul’s express departure instruction?
Why does Ezra’s separation action not supply the Christian rule for an existing mixed marriage?
Deuteronomy 7 addresses Israel and named nations in the land, with turning to other gods as its reason. Ezra 9–10 addresses covenant infidelity in the restored community and includes removal of wives and children. Paul instructs the believer to remain with a willing unbelieving spouse and declares spouse and children holy in relation to that believer.
- Treat Ezra as a direct model for every later mixed marriage; this cannot account for Paul’s explicit opposite instruction for the named Christian circumstance.
- Read each within its covenant and literary setting: Israel’s restoration action retains its seriousness while Paul gives the direct instruction for the Christian household.
Retain what Ezra actually narrates and commands without making it an ethnic or universal Christian divorce rule. Paul’s express instruction governs the case this guide answers.
Further study: Stephen C. Barton
Further examination: Can the explanation account for the religious concern, children, and covenant setting in both passages without softening Ezra’s difficult action or overriding Paul?
What may a believing husband apply from Peter’s coheir language?
First Peter 3:1 explicitly envisages husbands disobeying the word; 3:7 instead describes wives as coheirs of life. The letter’s opening locates inheritance in resurrection hope and faith.
- Saving inheritance is in view, so 3:7 most naturally addresses believing husbands with believing wives.
- Ellicott’s commentary understands the joint gift as natural life and procreation, allowing an unbelieving wife to be included. This rests on an inferred counterpart to the mixed-marriage case in 3:1 and must be tested against the letter’s saving-inheritance context.
Prefer the saving-inheritance reading in the letter’s context; apply the husband’s duty of love and honor to his unbelieving wife through the broader marriage commands without declaring her saved. Weaker vessel is no verdict of lesser moral, intellectual, or human worth.
Further study: Jeannine K. Brown · Biblical Studies Press · Sam Storms · Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
Further examination: Does the article keep 3:1 and 3:7’s audiences distinct, explain the inheritance inference, and avoid using vulnerability to justify dishonor?
- Sanctification and Oneness in 1 Corinthians with Implications for the Case of Mixed Marriages (1 Corinthians 7.12–16)
Stephen C. Barton · New Testament Studies 63.1, Cambridge University Press, pp. 38–55 · 2017
Explores household solidarity and holiness as Paul’s reason for preserving mixed marriages.
What was reviewed
Abstract and HTML sections 1, 6–7, with opening of section 8; especially the argument on 1 Corinthians 7:14 in section 7. Accessed 2026-09-26 · Read in part.
Its proposed Corinthian purity party is a reconstruction, not a group expressly identified in the letter. The entire article and its underlying cited literature were not read.
- Commentary on Corinthians, Volume 1: 1 Corinthians 7:10–17
John Calvin · Christian Classics Ethereal Library, historical commentary transcription
Supplies a historical covenant reading of children’s holiness and the hopeful reading of 7:16.
What was reviewed
Complete linked unit, especially comments on 7:12,14–16. Accessed 2026-09-26 · Read in part.
Represents a Reformed interpretation; its infant-baptism inference and historical claims are not adopted merely on authority. Print edition details were not independently checked.
- NET Bible: 1 Corinthians 7:12 and 7:15, study notes
Biblical Studies Press · NET Bible, classic online edition
Checks Paul’s distinction from Jesus’ earthly teaching and compares the two main readings of freedom in 7:15.
What was reviewed
Complete study note 1 on 7:15, with verse and linked word alignment; complete study note 1 on 7:12 at https://classic.net.bible.org/verse.php?book=1Co&chapter=7&verse=12. Accessed 2026-09-26 · Read in part.
A concise comparison, not a full history of divorce interpretation or a pastoral ruling.
- Silent Wives, Verbal Believers: Ethical and Hermeneutical Considerations in 1 Peter 3:1–6 and Its Context
Jeannine K. Brown · Word & World 24.4, Luther Seminary, pp. 395–403 · 2004
Identifies the tension between silent marital witness and the wider verbal-witness command.
What was reviewed
Printed pp. 395–401 and opening of p. 402; comparison of 3:1–6 with 3:14–16, audience, religious allegiance, and honor. Accessed 2026-09-26 · Read in part.
Her historically conditioned silence reading is compared with a narrower reading of the purpose clause. The final page and the ancient works she cites were not independently inspected.
- NET Bible: 1 Peter 3:1 and 3:7, translation and translator notes
Biblical Studies Press · NET Bible, classic online edition
Checks the purpose clause and conduct in 3:1 and the command-bearing participles in 3:7.
What was reviewed
3:1 translator notes 1–2; 3:7 translator notes 1–2 at https://classic.net.bible.org/verse.php?book=1Pe&chapter=3&verse=7. Accessed 2026-09-26 · Read in part.
Brief grammar notes do not settle the extent of silence, the precise weakness, or every implication of coheir language. KJV remains the display text.
- 1 Peter: The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary
Sam Storms · The Gospel Coalition
Provides a published physical-vulnerability interpretation of weaker vessel and an eternal-inheritance reading of grace of life.
What was reviewed
Sections Submission of Wives to their Husbands (3:1–6), Why Husbands must Honor their Wives (3:7), and When We Suffer for Doing Good (3:13–17). Accessed 2026-09-26 · Read in part.
A confessional commentary. Its rendering of conversion’s manner is not turned into a guaranteed outcome; adjoining doctrinal positions are not adopted wholesale.
- 1 Peter 3:7: heirs together of the grace of life
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers · Bible Hub, historical commentary transcription
Documents the natural-life/procreation interpretation as a genuine alternative to saving inheritance.
What was reviewed
Complete Ellicott entry on 1 Peter 3:7, especially the paragraphs on the audience and on heirs together. Accessed 2026-09-26 · Read in part.
The unbelieving-wife audience is inferred. The guide prefers the letter’s inheritance context; print edition and individual contributor were not independently verified.
- 1 Corinthians 7 in the Light of the Jewish Greek and Aramaic Marriage and Divorce Papyri
David Instone-Brewer · Tyndale Bulletin 52.2, pp. 225–243 · 2001
Argues that release language and documentary convention support freedom to remarry after the departure in 7:15.
What was reviewed
Printed pp. 237–240, with end of p. 236: not bound, divorce certificate, emancipation analogy, and remarriage inference. Accessed 2026-09-26 · Read in part.
The documentary parallels require interpretation; later rabbinic evidence is not automatically Paul’s context. The whole article or author’s books were not read.
- 1 Corinthians 7 in the Light of the Graeco-Roman Marriage and Divorce Papyri
David Instone-Brewer · Tyndale Bulletin 52.1, pp. 101–116 · 2001
Documents separation/divorce vocabulary and ordinary legal freedom to remarry, testing modern assumptions about departure.
What was reviewed
Printed pp. 111–115 and the word list on p. 116; especially the divorce deed on p. 112 and conclusions on p. 115. Accessed 2026-09-26 · Read in part.
Legal permission does not itself establish Christian moral permission. Its famine proposal is outside the guide and is not treated as established.
- Divorce & Remarriage: A Position Paper
John Piper · Desiring God · 1986-07-21; author note added 1989-05-05
Presents the restrictive reading: permission to accept departure does not release the continuing marriage bond.
What was reviewed
Opening qualification and numbered arguments 5–6 and 9, especially 9.11–9.13. Accessed 2026-09-26 · Read in part.
A personal exegetical position, expressly not the church’s official policy; no endorsement of every argument or application is implied.
- Divorce and Remarriage-After-Divorce in Jesus and Paul: A Response to David Instone-Brewer
Robert A. J. Gagnon · Author essay, hosted among responses on Instone-Brewer’s site · 2009-06; posted 2012-09-26
Tests wider applications of the departure clause and cautions against treating death and divorce as interchangeable.
What was reviewed
PDF pp. 1–3, 7–8: scope of mixed-marriage departure, limits of historical inference, and the relation to widowhood. Accessed 2026-09-26 · Read in part.
Gagnon assigns an even chance to a remarriage implication in 7:15; he must not be presented as unambiguously denying it. This standalone essay is not a read-through of the Oxford volume.