What if Paul’s words about marriage, celibacy, and devotion weren’t just about outer relationships, but inner dynamics? What if “husband” and “wife” symbolised your conscious and subconscious mind, and their union represented the mystery of manifestation? Neville Goddard taught that the Bible is not secular history but psychological truth wrapped in allegory. Let us read 1 Corinthians 7 not as a rulebook for external behaviour, but as a map of your creative power.
1. The Power of Remaining Uncommitted (Verse 1)
“Now as to the things about which you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to have a woman.”
To be “unmarried” is to rest in the neutrality of uncommitted imagination. It is a powerful pause before selecting a desire. This isn’t repression—it’s readiness. Neville might say: you are between states, and therefore, all are open to you.
2. Committing to One Assumption (Verses 2–5)
“But because of the danger of sexual sin, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.”
This is the danger of scattering your desire across multiple assumptions. If the conscious mind (man) directs many conflicting beliefs to the subconscious (woman), manifestation becomes confused. Choose a state. Assume it. Remain faithful to it.
“Do not refuse one another...”
This means the conscious and subconscious must work together in trust. Doubt, delay, or disconnection breaks the inner union. But time set aside for “prayer and fasting”—withdrawal from external distraction—helps realign this sacred relationship.
3. Not All Are Called to Immediate Union (Verses 6–7)
“I speak this by way of suggestion, and not as a commandment.”
Every imagination works differently. Some thrive in solitude (unmarried—undeclared thought), others feel called to commit (marry—assume a state). Each is honourable if done with awareness.
4. Desire Unfulfilled Burns Within (Verses 8–9)
“It is good for them if they remain even as I am. But if they cannot contain themselves, let them marry...”
To “burn” is to be internally consumed by a longing unclaimed. Better to assume the wish fulfilled—better to "marry" the desire—than to linger in the ache of postponement. Assumption cools the fire.
5. Do Not Separate What You Have Joined (Verses 10–11)
“Let not the wife put away her husband, and let not the husband put away his wife.”
Once your belief (husband) and feeling (wife) are united, keep them one. Doubt divides. If union fails—if the subconscious no longer cooperates—remain still. Do not enter a new state until reconciliation or clarity returns.
6. The Unbelieving Subconscious Can Be Won (Verses 12–14)
“The unbelieving husband is made holy by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy by the husband.”
Even if the subconscious initially resists the belief (the “unbeliever”), it may still be transformed through the persistence of assumption. “Children”—your manifested results—become clean when this harmony is achieved.
7. Let It Go If It Leaves You (Verses 15–16)
“But if the unbelieving departs, let him depart.”
If a belief cannot be maintained, release it. No need to bind yourself to inner conflict. The conscious mind is always free to reimagine, to realign. Salvation of the subconscious is possible—but not guaranteed. It must be willing.
8. Stay Present in Your Calling (Verses 17–24)
“Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.”
Whether “circumcised” (identified with a belief) or “uncircumcised” (undefined), the form is irrelevant. What matters is presence. Know your state. Honour it. Every condition is a doorway to transformation if consciously accepted.
9. Celibacy and Marriage: Two Creative Rhythms (Verses 25–40)
Celibacy symbolises a state where desire is present but unassumed—charged with potential. Marriage represents the selection and embodiment of a belief. Neville would say: to marry a desire is to live from its fulfilment, to think from the end.
“He that is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord.”
The Lord, in Neville’s teachings, is your own wonderful human imagination. Whether you are actively assuming or patiently resting in potential, your inner world must be honoured and tended.
Final Thoughts: The True Marriage Is Within
Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 7, far from being rules about romance, map out the spiritual mechanics of creation. The conscious mind chooses, the subconscious receives, and their union gives birth to the world you experience.
In Neville’s teachings, marriage is not a legal or social contract—it is assumption. To assume the feeling of the wish fulfilled is to wed the desire and bring forth its likeness. To remain single is to dwell in stillness until the right idea arises. Both paths are sacred. Both are yours to walk.
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