1 Corinthians 7: Is it ok NOT to marry?

God says in Genesis 2:18 "...it is not good for the man to be alone." Yet Paul says in 1 Corinthians 7:1, “...It is good for a man not to marry.” Is Paul contradicting God? Is God pro-marriage and Paul anti-marriage?

To properly understand the advice given in 1 Corinthians 7 we must understand it in light of what v.26 calls "the present crisis" (for more on that click here). In light of the present crisis, Paul says "...It is good for a man not to marry" (v.1). But in v.2 Paul lays out the general rule to be followed. Under normal circumstances he says "...each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband." 

So according to Paul, the norm is to be married (unless you have the gift of singleness), but under special circumstances (i.e. crisis) it might be best to wait to be married.