1 Corinthians 7:35

Paul did not want his readers to regard his preceding comments as an attempt to build too strong a case for celibacy, as ascetics do. He wanted to help his readers appreciate the realities of the single and married states so they could express unhindered devotion to the Lord. Christians have genuine freedom under the Lord to choose to be single or married. Similarly we have freedom to choose how many children to have and when to have them, assuming we can have them. There is no New Covenant legislation in this regard. However, we need to view life in view of the "present distress" and the "shortened times" as we consider our options.

Paul counseled, not commanded, single women to remain unmarried for three reasons: the present difficult time for Christians (1 Corinthians 7:26-28), the imminent return of Christ (1 Corinthians 7:29-31), and the opportunity to serve Christ undistracted (1 Corinthians 7:32-35). Nevertheless, single women have freedom to choose whether they want to get married, as do single men. Yet the realities of life in Christ that Paul outlined in this pericope need to inform that decision.