What does Paul mean when he says he has espoused the Corinthians to one husband?
Paul means he acted like a father arranging an engagement, espousing the Corinthian believers—members of the body of Christ—to Christ as their one husband. The espousal corresponds to an engagement, with the wedding to Christ still future, when the body will be joined to its head in glory.
Les explains that in the custom, a father would find the appropriate girl for his son's bride and make all the arrangements, more or less consummating the espousal—what we today call the engagement. Paul takes that same concept and says he has made the engagement between the body of Christ and Christ, the head of the body, in lieu of the wedding that will one day transpire, which Les expects will be in glory. He writes to the Corinthians as members of the body of Christ, warning that just as the serpent beguiled Eve through subtlety, their minds could be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. The analogy also rests on God's original setup: the man is head of the woman, and Ephesians 5 compares a husband's relationship with his wife to Christ's relationship with the Church.
For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
More Questions
What ancient cultural practice stands behind Paul's idea of being espoused?
The practice of espousal goes back to the habit of ancient cultures—contrary to modern practice—where parents would literally pair the children.