It is a great privilege to read and try to understand and interpret a biblical text. One of the crucial steps is to go back to the text in the original languages. If one does not know Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek, one should consult a number of translations in order to notice differences and be alerted to the fact that it is possible to translate a term or phrase differently or that another reason may be causing the differences in translation.

In 1 Corinthians 9 an interesting text is found. The ESV provides the following translation: “Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?” NASB, NIV, and NKJV translate the text very similarly.

Context

The Larger Context

Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians deals with the issue of liberty. The believers in Corinth understood that the gospel of Christ had indeed set them free. In Christ they were liberated from the realm of sin, from the law as a supposed way to salvation, from eternal death, receiving all the privileges that belong to salvation—a wonderful and new situation. In his second letter to the Corinthians Paul stressed that those who are in Christ are a new creation (2 Cor 5:17).

But the believers in Corinth had taken Christian liberty too far. They made themselves dependent on various teachers and allowed for division in the church. A process of alienation had taken place. In addition, they allowed for sexual immorality in the church. On top of this, they had created a class distinction between the rich and the poor. The rich had their meals before the Lord’s Supper, and the poor went hungry. So Paul felt he had to address the problem and explain what it means for Christians to be free.

The Immediate Context

In 1 Corinthians 9:1 he begins by saying, “Am I not free? Am I not an apostle?” In verse 4 and 5 he continues: “Do we not have the right to eat and drink? Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?” The questions demands a positive answer, although he has not used all of his rights.

Finally, he explains, Christian freedom has limitations in spite of all its privileges (1 Cor 9:19–22). True Christian freedom means not to be enslaved by one’s own ego. Paul is willing to adapt to many different persons in order to save them or help them mature spiritually, but without abandoning his convictions. So his Christian freedom allows him to serve, live under difficult circumstances, and love others who may not be so lovable at first glance.

In this connection Paul talks about the freedom to have a believing wife, one of the privileges that he did not claim. While under certain circumstances it is good to be single, Paul also makes it clear that it is good to be married “in the Lord” (1 Cor 7:39).

Analysis of the Text

Christians and Marriage

It is very clear that the early apostles were married. Peter was married, as were the brothers of Jesus, James, and Jude. Marriage is one of the remnants of paradise still with us, and it is designed to be a paradise on earth. It is God’s wish for the majority of humanity to be married. Paul was an exception. He had the gift of celibacy. This freedom also has a limitation. Translations talk about a believing wife, not just any wife. However, this limitation can also be a great blessing, as God’s commandments always are.

Translation of 1 Corinthians 9:5

While the previously mentioned translations reflect the intention of the original text, they have not translated the text literally. A literal translation reads: “Do we not have the right to take along a sister, a wife . . . ?” That means Paul as well as all Christians have the privilege to live with a sister as wife. Yet Paul is not talking about incest or related issues. He does not mean a biological sister, but a spiritual sister.

Sisters in the New Testament

The term “sister” appears a number of times in the New Testament (twenty-six times). It describes mostly literal sisters—that is, biological sisters (about sixteen times). For example, Lazarus was ill, and his sisters Mary and Martha sent to Jesus, their friend, so that He would come and heal their brother (John 11:1, 3, 5, 28, 39).

However, the noun “sister” is also used metaphorically. In this case it describes a female follower of Christ. Those who are doing Jesus’s will are His brothers and sisters (Matt 12:50). In some cases, Jesus’s disciples may have to leave father and mother, because after becoming Christians they are sometimes rejected by their own relatives. But Jesus promises that, instead, they will “receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life” (Mark 10:30). Phoebe and Apphia are sisters of the believers (Rom 16:1; Phlm 1:2). Younger female church members should not be rebuked when something goes wrong but should be encouraged as sisters (1 Tim 2:5). “If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food” (Jas 2:15), he or she needs to be taken care of. They are “family” members in the Lord.

So, followers of Christs are indeed rich and blessed. They have hundreds and thousands of sisters, sisters in Christ. These are as real sisters as biological sisters are— sometimes even more so.

Brothers in the New Testament

The term “brother” is found much more frequently in the New Testament than sisters (343 times), but, as stated, “sisters” are mentioned too and not only subsumed under the inclusive term “brother.” While brothers in the New Testament can be biological brothers, mostly they are believers. The plural does not distinguish between males and females, but covers “all the children of a family, both male and female.”¹ “Thus modern Eng. Versions often render it ‘brothers and sisters,’’’ unless the context requires it to be limited to males.²

The term “brother” in a spiritual sense appears about 260 times in the New Testament,³ the term “resurrection” (anastasis) about forty times, and the term agape, “love,” about 120 times. We have to add to the noun agapē the verb “to love” (agapaō) and the adjective “beloved” (agapētos) to surpass “brother,” “sister,” and “brotherhood.”⁴ In other words, the New Testament strongly emphasizes the brotherly and sisterly relationship of the believers. The term “brother” appears in all New Testament books with the exception of 2 John, where one finds “sister.”

“But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers” (Matt 23:8). After the Jerusalem Council the delegates sent out a letter: “The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings” (Acts 15:23). Onesimus is no longer to be regarded as a slave but as “beloved brother” (Phlm 1:16). The brotherhood and sisterhood of Christ’s followers is not just a present reality, but it extends back to the apostles: “I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance” (Rev 1:9).

Brotherhood reaches its climax in Jesus whose brothers and sisters we were honored to become: Jesus is “the firstborn among many brothers” (Rom 8:29). He states, “For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother” (Mark 3:35).

He [Jesus] is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.” . . . Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. (Heb 2:11–17)

As one scholar has noted, “because Jesus became our brother, we are brothers and sisters of one another. The ruling principle in this relationship is love.”⁵

The Family of God

With Jesus something very important has happened: the foundation of His church, which actually is His family, is a brotherhood and sisterhood. It is true that the Israelites occasionally called themselves brothers. But with His church Jesus went way beyond this concept. His family is no longer a nation. It surpasses all boundaries between humans beings, including race, class, and social ranking. Jewish Christians are now brothers and sisters of Gentile Christians and vice versa. Christian men and women are brothers and sisters, as are slaves and their owners. This is the miracle and mystery of Christ’s church.

But today this concept has to be recovered. As time goes by and the church is growing, believers tend to forget that they are brothers and sisters. Fortunately, one can still experience brotherly and sisterly kindness, thoughtfulness, and love in Christ’s church. Marcus Minucius Felix, who died around AD 250 in Rome, defended Christianity in his apology Octavius, in which a dialogue on Christianity takes place between the pagan Caecilius Natalis and the Christian Octavius Januarius. He writes, “They [the Christians] love one another almost before they know one another.”⁶

Application: What “Sister” Expresses

The terms “brother” and “sister” express closeness and intimacy. These terms picture a loving family as God had intended it to be when He created Adam and Eve. My wife is my “sister.” Your wife is your “sister.”

Typically, biological brothers do not need to be told to protect their biological sisters and care for them.When Dinah was raped, her brothers avenged her (Gen 34). That may not have been the best way to deal with the issue, but they cared for their sister. The same with Absalom. When Tamar was violated and then rejected, humiliated, and hated by Amnon, Absalom, her brother, found out, took her in his house, and paid Amnon back (2 Sam 13). While the last step is not a Christian way to deal with the issue, Absalom still cared for his sister. Normally, brothers care for their sisters. Sisters also take care of their brothers, especially if they are younger brothers.

This is the case also in the church, which is called “the household of faith” (Gal 6:10) and “the household of God” (Eph 2:19; 1 Tim 3:15; 1 Pet 4:17). Therefore, one cannot get rid of brothers and sisters, whether biological or spiritual, unless we separate from the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. So indifference is not an option; neither is divorce. But there is to be respect, attention, a compliment here and there, time for conversation, a little gift—in short: love. Christian couples need to cultivate their human union and their spiritual union. Husband and wife are spiritual siblings, members of the family of Christ as is the entire community of believers.

Summary

In the enterprise of trying to understand better Scripture, God, and His will, a knowledge of the biblical languages is helpful. It can open doors of understanding that are otherwise closed. It can help us get excited about insights and nuances that otherwise may be missed.

However, only a few Christians have the privilege of understanding the biblical languages. For those who do not have such access, a look at different translations can be very helpful. The “believing wife” (ESV, CSB, NASB, NET, NIV, NKJV, NRSV), or “a wife who believes” (CEB), or “a Christian wife” (NAB, NJB, NLT) is the husband’s “sister” (KJV, MIT, The Voice, TNT, WEB, YLT) in Christ. While the phrase “believing wife” and its variants express what the text in 1 Corinthians 9:5 means, it may miss the aspect of affection and fondness, the bond of love that is expressed through the term “sister” and that is so important for marriage and relationships in the church. However, we are not suggesting that the preceding translations should be dismissed. We only argue that by being mindful of the fact that the Greek text uses the term “sister,” our understanding of a Christian wife may be broadened by revealing a closeness, an intimacy, and aspects of multilevel relations that followers of Christ today may need to hear about again. At the same time, marriage is not only an individualistic covenant between husband and wife, but has also a larger dimension as it is incorporated into the community of believers, the family of God.

These and more may be found at “Official Statements,” Seventh-day Adventist Church, https://www.adventist.org/official-statements/ (accessed March 11, 2024); and “Seventh-day Adventist Guidelines for Navigating High-Impact Topics and Situations,” Seventh-day Adventist Church, https://www.adventist.org/beliefs/guidelines/ (accessed March 11, 2024).