Paul now gives advice to the unmarried, and essentially he says that he thinks it is better not to marry. He gives general reasons and also specific reference to the “present crisis”. We do not know what this crisis was. At the same time Paul makes it absolutely clear that he is not giving a command that they should not marry. Churches that enforce celibacy of priests, as in the Catholic church, are wrong to do so. This is not to say that there are not great advantages in celibacy, and the church is correct to talk about these, especially in today’s sex obsessed society (though I suspect it has always been so). Where they go wrong is in saying priests must be celibate.
To those of us in different churches we do well to heed Paul’s advice. Marriage brings responsibility, and there are things a single person can do that a married man or woman cannot. A married person has to think of the other person in all decisions, and children as well. A single person is freer to serve the Lord in this respect. Of course marriage brings its own benefits and opportunities to serve the Lord, but some branches of the church have far too rosy a view of marriage, and do not teach the advantages of singleness enough.
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