slogans again

This article in Bibliotheca Sacra states that 6:18 and 7:1 can be (should be) viewed differently than we normally do.

First:

1 Corinthians 6:18-20 (ESV) (18) "Every sin a person commits is outside the body", but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. (19) Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, (20) for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Now this one is harder to make work easily. According to this view the first part of verse 18 is a saying of the Corinthians and the rest of it is a refutation using sexual sin as the prime example. Using this logic though sexual sin is not the only type of sin which is against the carnal body (as opposed to the spiritual). For example my favorite sin, gluttony. Gluttony is certainly a sin against the body.

Secondly:

1 Corinthians 7:1-5 ESV (1) Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: "It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman." (2) But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. (3) The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. (4) For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. (5) Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

This is certainly a quote from the Corinthians themselves. In the first passage I put the quotes in. In the second one, the quotes were in this translation already. But the article says that understood here is a common Corinthian belief that it is best for married couples to be celibate. Paul is speaking to immorality but also encouraging married couples to be sexually active.

This is Gordon Fee's view of 1 Corinthians 7:1 and others have followed him. But now others are disagreeing with him and taking a more traditional view.

So there is no absolutely right way to interpret these passages. But it is important to understand that this letter is between Paul and a group he knew well. It is only one of several letters and oral communications between them. We know that some facts are assumed known but not written. This makes it hard to be sure the context of some of the passages.