What did Paul mean in 1 Corinthians 7 when he said 'it is good for a man not to touch a woman'?
Paul meant that these newly converted believers, just out of paganism, would soon come under intense persecution from the Roman Empire. This context shaped his counsel in 1 Corinthians 7 about marriage relationships, including the statement that it is good for a man not to touch a woman.
Les explains that when Paul begins 1 Corinthians 7 by dealing with marriage relationships and says 'it is good for a man not to touch a woman,' he likely had in mind that these people, just freshly converted out of paganism, would soon come under the intense persecution that the Roman Empire brought upon Christianity. Paul was trying to prepare them for the time when they would have to literally die for their faith, even as the apostles had already done, and as Paul himself would within a few years after writing this letter. Les notes that this is why he would allude to that when they get to chapter 7.
Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.