1 Corinthians 7:4-5 says spouses do not have authority over their own bodies. What the Bible says about withholding intimacy in marriage — and why no excuse holds up before God.
1 Corinthians 7:4-5 says that in marriage the husband and wife each have authority over the other's body, and commands them not to deprive one another.
Withholding intimacy in marriage is a direct violation of the command to love and serve your spouse. 1 Corinthians 7:4-5 states, “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. 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.” (1 Corinthians 7:4-5 KJV) In our society, people propagate the lie of “my body, my choice,” arguing that they don’t have to yield their body if they don’t feel like it. But Scripture points to the exact opposite. In marriage, your body is not your own. Whatever your reasoning—whether you are tired, angry, or just don’t feel like it—it is improper to withhold from your partner.
People love to manufacture “clever” arguments to dodge this, asking, “Well, what if I’m sick with cancer? Do you expect me to fulfill my duty on my deathbed?” We need to be honest that we often reach for extreme examples to create loopholes for our own convenience. Scripture is not interested in debating your hypothetical scenarios; it is examining your heart. Are you withholding? Why? Are you literally on your deathbed and incapable of movement? If not, why make that argument? To escape accountability? God does not look at clever arguments to justify sin; He looks at the heart. Simply submit to the authority of Scripture, men and women alike, and stop using your own eyes to justify what God has forbidden.
1 Corinthians 7:4 KJV“Thy neck is as a tower of ivory; thine eyes like the fishpools in Heshbon, by the gate of Bath–rabbim: thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon which looketh toward Damascus.”
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1 Corinthians 7:5 KJV“Thine head upon thee is like Carmel, and the hair of thine head like purple; the king is held in the galleries.”
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Read every Scripture quote in your chosen translation (WEB, KJV, Geneva, YLT, and more) at https://www.thelivingsword.org/sound-doctrine/marital-intimacy
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