The Apostle Paul addresses the believer who is also a wife to her unbelieving husband. She was converted probably after her marriage to the unbelieving spouse. The advice is that she does not rush to severe the marriage relationship because of their different faith. Rather, if her husband does not object to her faith and is willing to honour the marriage, she must not leave him.

For the Apostle Paul, God has given him the gift of singlehood whereby his focus was the ministry God entrusted to him as an apostle to the Gentiles. He explained that not everyone is called to the same state of celibacy. He addressed the unmarried and widows that if God gives them the strength to remain single, they may continue as they are.

Marriage with its comfort and satisfaction is God’s prescribed wisdom for preventing fornication. The word “fornication” describes all sorts of lawless lusts. And thus, in the marriage, both husband and wife has given the power over their own body to their better half. Any relationship outside the marriage covenant is a violation of the partner’s rights. [Matthew Henry]

Marriage is a blessed union of mutual dependence between the husband and the wife. With each carrying out their part of the commitment to support, encourage and bless one another in a lifetime of cleaving, comforting and strengthening. “Due benevolence” means demonstrating “kindness, conjugal duty, good will, consideration, thoughtfulness, unselfishness, compassion, kind-heartedness”. Let each fulfil their martial duty! [Hendricksen]

The Apostle Paul highlights the temptation to fall into the the sin of sexual immorality for believers who are single is very real. And he administers the remedy that one finds a spouse in marriage to avoid fornication. Of course, it is not the case that all single believers will face this problem. He tells us that it can happen.