Problem: Paul writes, “It is better to marry than to burn with passion” (1 Cor. 7:9). This seems to imply that we should just marry to handle our sexual desires. Isn’t this a low view of marriage?
Solution: Paul isn’t lowering the bar for marriage; he is raising the bar for sexual integrity. He is teaching the principle that sexual integrity is incredibly serious and important for the Christian life. Moreover, Paul’s comments about passion in marriage were common to the Greek world. Blomberg observes, “Greek romantic novels regularly made similar claims in context of celebrating sexual pleasure in marriage, so this would not have sounded to the Corinthians like the grudging concession it often seems to us.”[1]
“But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn. (1 Cor 7:9)”
