Charis

It seems, like you are saying that Paul is simply stating the obvious about people’s “status”. I believe essentially the opposite – that Paul is instructing people to change the status quo.

Its not an either/or IMO. Paul is doing both/and.

Looking at the verb forms helps to sort out which is descriptive (of how things ARE) and which is prescriptive (what one needs to DO if one wants a biblical marriage)

And BTW I do feel understood by you gengwall. Thank you for that. I really appreciate your making the effort to understand what I am saying! 🙂

Merry Christmas!