Brief notes on my translation of 1 Corinthians 7:7-16
7 For I wish that all people were even as I am, but each has their proper gift from God, one in this way and another in that way.
8 Therefore, I say to the unmarried and widows, “It is better for them if they remain just as I am.”
9 But if they cannot hold their desires in check, let them marry, for it is better to marry than to burn [with sexual desire].
10 To the married I command, [yet] not I but the Lord, “Don’t let the wife depart from her husband.”
11 But if she does leave, let her remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And the husband must not leave his wife.
[Paul is not teaching that celibacy is more spiritual than being married, so spouses should divorce].
12 Now concerning the rest I speak, not the Lord. If any brother has an unbelieving wife, and she is pleased to live with him, let him not divorce her.
13 If a woman has an unbelieving husband, and if he is pleased to live with her, she should not leave him.
14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified because of the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified because of the husband, otherwise yourp children would be unclean, but now it is considered holy.
[Sanctified not salvation. Robertson’s Word Pictures has, Clearly he only means that the marriage relation is sanctified so that there is no need of a divorce. If either husband or wife is a believer and the other agrees to remain, the marriage is holy and need not be set aside. This is so simple that one wonders at the ability of men to get confused over Paul’s language].
15 But if the unbelieving one leaves, let him leave. A brother or sister is not enslaved in such cases, moreover God has called us to peace.
[This does happen where a non-believer divorces the believer. Divorce and remarriage are allowed in some instances. The first (as here) is abandonment which can be physically leaving the spouse, porn (Matthew 5:32), affairs/adultery (Matthew 19:1-9 and Matthew 5:32), abuse (of any type (1 Corinthians 5:11 and 1 Corinthians 6:9-10)), etc. The second is when a person would slowly depart from the faith (Ezra 10:44, Deuteronomy 7:1-6). The third reason would be marriages not recognized by God such as incest (Leviticus 18:6-18) and widowed stepmother or father (1 Corinthians 5:1-5)].
16 For how do yous know, wife, whether yous will save yours husband, or how do yous know, husband, whether yous will save yours wife?