In 1 Corinthians 7, the Apostle Paul addresses specific questions about marriage and celibacy. The Corinthian believers had taken his teaching about sexual purity to the point of practicing celibacy within marriage, thinking that made them more spiritual. Paul corrects that thinking, saying that sexual intimacy between husband and wife was not just necessary but obligatory, as something that each spouse owed to the other. His teaching on this point centered on the principle that each spouse has no control or authority over their own body, but rather that each spouse controls the other's body. Thus, physical intimacy is more about giving than receiving, as each spouse surrenders to the other's needs. Then Paul turns to celibacy, saying that while his preference is that the unmarried remain as they are, both marriage and celibacy are according to God's will and God's gifting for each person.