7:25
We now come to the final “question” in this chapter, and this concerns virgins. Paul is probably writing in response to a question from the Corinthians. His comments can seem rather begrudging about marriage, almost saying “you can get married if you must, but it's better not to”. However, as well as taking all Scriptures teaching on marriage, we should remember that Paul is probably writing in response to an ascetic approach to the immorality problem in Corinth. Jesus did not say anything directly on this (though Matt 19:12 could possibly be seen to have some relevance), but Paul’s teachings are still “trustworthy”.
7:26
“Because of the present crisis ...” There is no agreement on what “the present crisis” is. The two main contenders are (i) a famine in the region; (ii) an eschatological reference. The two are not necessarily mutually exclusive. However, neither are particularly appealing. If it was a famine, then Paul’s advice on marriage, or rather not getting married, would then be of a temporary nature, relevant only until the famine was over. If it is an eschatological reference, then one has to admit that Christ has not returned! So this would have to be a more general eschatological reference, i.e. not referring specifically to the actual return of Christ, but to the fact that we are now in the “last days”, and our priorities may be different. Whatever the case Paul’s advice was that “it is good for a man to remain as he is”. This is consistent with what he has said earlier in this chapter.
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