1 Corinthians 7:1 Commentary and Bible Study

The Corinthians had written a letter to the apostle Paul letter, which has not survived. It was never intended by God to be part of the inspired canon, though it was no doubt an inspired letter. The Corinthians had asked questions. We can only guess what they were from the kind of answers which are given, but we cannot be absolutely sure what the questions were. One would have been along these lines: Is it best not to marry? There were evidently some in the Corinthian church who thought there was something unholy or unclean about marriage. Perhaps another was: Or should there be sexual abstinence by Christians, or even married people? Then another question that may have been: If somebody is converted to Christ and the husband or wife remains an absolute pagan, an idol worshipper in the context of the ancient world, should the believer remain married to that pagan unbeliever? ‘It is good for a man not to touch a woman’, which is a euphemism, the apostle's way of saying it is good for a person not to be married. There is nothing unholy or disobedient or wrong in remaining unmarried. When we proceed through the chapter we see there is much to be said for remaining single, if it is your calling, if God has providentially brought you to the position of being single, then that is a noble calling. It is described in this passage as a calling from God. It is described as being connected with a gift of God. The single state is in no sense a second best, but neither is it a superior state, though it does bring certain advantages. He makes it quite plain that as a general rule the normal thing is to marry. Certainly, in the apostle's case, it was a means of his being mightily used of God, and so he can affirm at least this: it is good. He was an itinerant preacher. He was an apostle, living in very difficult times. He travelled from place to place constantly. He was never anywhere for more than about three years, and he would move on. More often his stay in any place was much shorter. He was constantly facing opposition and tremendous persecution. Can you imagine the state of mind of a wife, had he been married? She would be so anxious; she would be constantly concerned. The poor soul would be torn apart, as the apostle endured all the rigors of his work. He did not have a home; he did not have anywhere to call his own. He depended upon hospitality and rooms and so on, wherever he went; sometimes living in the open. It is just an indication of one of the necessary situations or advantages, sometimes, of being unmarried. However that is only a partial answer to the question. Of course, the apostle does not contradict himself and the things that he says, for example, in Ephesians chapter 5 about marriage and the richness and the wonder and goodness of marriage. He does not contradict God's word in Genesis 2:18, ‘And the Lord God said, it is not good for the man to be alone. I will make him an help meet for him.’ He needs a helper, the Hebrew says, to surround him: a surrounding help for him. So marriage is a good thing, and a holy thing, and is instituted of God, and that will come out later in the passage. But equally it may be a good thing for a man or woman to remain unmarried, and that is established from the beginning.