For the unmarried girls, the rule that was set out in 1 Corinthians 7:17–24 should serve as a guideline. These girls should stay as they are. In their case, Paul motivates the rule by pointing to the present distress.
With the present distress,
Paul is quite possibly referring to the local opposition and persecution that believers endured at the hands of hostile Jews, particularly before the destruction of the temple in AD 70. This persecution is testified to in many passages in Acts and the rest of the New Testament (see, e.g., Hebrews 10:32–33; Revelation 2:1 – 3:22).
26 I think that in view of the present distress it is good for a person to remain as he is.