In this verse, Paul summarizes his approach to the general principle given in 1 Corinthians 7:1. It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman, if he has the self-control to abstain from sex altogether. This seems to have been the case with Paul himself (see 1 Corinthians 7:8).
However, God has not given everyone the gift
of remaining single and celibate. This is proof that marriage and sex are part of God’s will for at least some of his people.
All the same, it is remarkable that Paul refers to the unmarried, celibate state as a gift from God. This gift is not the absence of any sexual feelings. Rather, it is the ability to control one’s feelings, so as not to be led into sexual temptation (1 Corinthians 7:5b, 1 Corinthians 7:9).
The word gift
seems to indicate an intentional commitment to celibacy. Yet Paul’s words are also relevant for those believers who are unmarried due to no choice of their own (see Matthew 19:11–12). Such believers can trust God to provide them with the necessary self-control (1 Corinthians 10:13). They too may view their unmarried state as a gift from God (see also 1 Corinthians 7:17).
7 I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another.