1 Corinthians 7:1

1 Corinthians 7:1 says, Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.  Paul was responding to a letter that he had received from the church at Corinth evidently asking questions about marriage.  Paul stated that in the uncertain times that they were living in, it might be better to be single.  Once a couple were married, they had a responsibility to the other person and looking out for their well-being.  Paul was not saying that it was better never to be married at any time.  He was not promoting a singles life for everyone, but I believe was simply stating that a person might be better off without the responsibilities of marriage during these times of severe persecution.  Verse two adds, Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.  I do not think that Paul was saying marriage was a necessary action simply to avoid sexual sin.  There are those who say that judging by a lot of what Paul wrote that he must not have had a high view of women, but we notice here and in his other writings that he applied this advice to men and women.  Verse three continues, Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.  Here again, the advice is mutual, addressed to both the husband and wife.  We need to remember that the Bible teaches that in marriage the two become one, and they have a mutual commitment to each other.  One cannot do anything they choose to do without affecting the other half of the relationship.  Verse four states, The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. Paul said that the husband nor wife had power over their own body, but that the spouse had the power. We must remember that both are under the leadership of the Holy Spirit and are to base all actions on love for the other person.  This was quite an improvement for the wife, who was considered to be totally under the power of the husband in most of the world.  Verse five adds, Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.   Remembering that Paul was speaking of sexual relationships between a husband and wife, he was warning them not to use sex as a weapon, as the saying goes.  If they mutually decided to abstain from sexual activity for a period of time for religious reasons, that was okay, but even then, it should not be for a period long enough to allow Satan to begin to tempt them.  Verse six continues, But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment.  I believe that Paul was speaking about what he was about to say about being married or single and not what he had just said about the marriage relationship.  Verse seven says, For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that.  Paul said that to marry or not marry was not a commandment from God.  Paul saw advantages to being single and wished for those advantages for others, but that was not God's plan for humanity.  The people of Israel had been told to marry, so that the people of Israel might increase in numbers.  Paul was saying that for him, being unmarried had been a blessing, but he knew it was not what God had commanded for the majority of people.  Verse eight adds, I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.  Again, Paul was not saying that this was what God commanded, but that from his prospective it was better to remain unmarried.  Marriage brings with it many commitments that do not exist in single life, and from the prospective of committing all to God possibly at times could be a hindrance to following God anywhere He led.  When Paul was imprisoned, concern for a wife and children could have gotten in the way of His obedience to God, and for that reason he was thankful that he was not married.  Paul said from this prospective it was better to not be married.  Verse nine continues, But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.  I don't believe that Paul was comparing marriage to hell and saying that of the two, being married was a little better.  I believe that what Paul was saying is that if a person could not commit to a pure single life, they needed to marry.  I also believe that Paul meant that this was to be done under the leadership of the Holy Spirit and entailed all that God intended for marriage to be, and not just for the sexual aspects of marriage.