1 Corinthians 7:13 teaches that a Christian wife whose husband does not follow Christ should not leave him if he is willing to keep living with her. The verse is part of Paul’s instructions to the church in Corinth about marriage, and it is addressed to believing women who were married to unbelieving men.
The woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he is content to live with her, let her not leave her husband.
1 Corinthians 7:13 (WEB)
What 1 Corinthians 7:13 Means
The phrase “the woman who has an unbelieving husband” describes a wife whose husband does not share her faith in Jesus. Paul is not describing a marriage where one partner is simply indifferent to religion. He has in mind a real difference in allegiance, one that could create tension in the home, especially in a city where pagan worship was woven into daily life.
The words “he is content to live with her” are the condition that matters most. Paul’s counsel assumes the husband has not rejected the marriage itself. If he is willing to continue the relationship, the wife should not be the one to walk away. The verse reads as a guideline about faithfulness and stability in marriage, not a rule about who must be converted first.
The verse does not promise that the husband will become a believer, nor that the marriage will be easy. It also does not say that a wife must stay in every circumstance. The verses that follow, which address the case where an unbelieving partner leaves, make clear that Paul sees separation as a different situation.
The Context of 1 Corinthians 7:13
First Corinthians was written by the apostle Paul to a church he had founded in the bustling Greek port city of Corinth. The congregation was made up of people from many backgrounds, some of whom had been married before coming to faith, and some of whom were confused about how their new life in Christ related to their marriages. Several questions in the letter come from the Corinthians themselves, and chapter 7 responds to questions about marriage, singleness, and sexual life.
Just before verse 13, Paul gives a direct command in verses 10 and 11 that believing spouses should not separate from one another. He then turns to mixed marriages in verses 12 and 13, and then explains in verse 14 that the unbelieving partner is in some sense made holy through the believer. The verse fits within that reasoning: Paul wants believers to see their marriages as places where God’s presence can work, rather than as obstacles to faith.
Key Phrases in 1 Corinthians 7:13
1 Peter 3:1-2
1 In the same way, wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; so that, even if any don’t obey the Word, they may be won by the behavior of their wives without a word; 2 seeing your pure behavior in fear.
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Peter gives similar counsel to wives with unbelieving husbands, encouraging them to live with quiet and respectful conduct so that their husbands might be won without words. It deepens Paul’s instruction by showing how a believing spouse can witness through everyday faithfulness within the marriage.
Ephesians 5:25
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the assembly, and gave himself up for it…
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Paul calls husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church. Reading this alongside 1 Corinthians 7:13 reminds us that faithful marriage is a shared calling, and that love and commitment are meant to flow in both directions within the home.
A Short Prayer From 1 Corinthians 7:13
Lord, you know the quiet ache of living in a home where faith is not shared. Give me patience when the distance feels wide and wisdom to know how to love well in my marriage. Help me to stay faithful to you and to my spouse, trusting that you are present even in the hardest seasons. Let my life point toward your goodness, and keep my heart steady in your peace. Amen.
