Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary 1 Corinthians 7:1

"Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote: It is good for a man not to touch a woman." — 1 Corinthians 7:1 (ASV)

As to the question from the Corinthian church on the pros and cons of being married, Paul may seem to agree completely with those who argued for a celibate life—in contrast to Ge 2:18, “It is not good for the man to be alone,” and the usual Jewish view in favor of the married state. But Paul’s statement of 7:1 is not to be taken absolutely; it is his suggestion specifically for Corinth because of some present crisis there (v.26; cf. vv.29, 35). Part of this crisis may have been connected with possible persecution they might have to suffer for the Lord.

It is difficult to hold, as some do, that Paul here is teaching against marriage because he felt the second coming of Christ was near. If that were his position, he would naturally have argued against marriage in his other letters also. But in Eph 5 and 1Titus 3 he speaks in favor of marriage. Further, in 1 Timothy 4:1–3 Paul states that “forbidding to marry” is one of the signs of the approaching end-time apostasy, and in Heb 13:4 it is said that “marriage should be honored.” It is true that distresses and crises are connected with both the first and second comings of Christ (cf. Matthew 24:3–14; 1 Peter 1:10–12). But reference to “crises” (7:26) need not be pressed to mean that the Corinthian Christians should not get married because the Lord was to come shortly.

For an alternate view, see the NIV note.