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DOES THE BIBLE TEACH CELIBACY?
Does the Bible teach Celibacy? The purpose of this study in God's word is to answer the question on the controversial subject of celibacy among the clergy in the church. In other words, does the Bible teach that the priest, Bishops, Cardinals, and Popes of the Catholic Church must be CELIBATE in order to be leaders in the church?
Now, the SHORT answer is that there are verses and passages of scripture in the Bible that do indeed teach that it would be better if the apostles were NOT married. And the reason is so that they could devote their time to the ministry and their time for ministry would not be taken up by things such as a wife and family or even a job. But the Bible ALSO teaching that the “bishop” or the pastors and elders of the churches should be MARRIED to ONE wife and proven to be a good HUSBAND and father to his wife and family BEFORE he is given the care of watching over the church or specific congregation that has been placed in his care.
So again, the SHORT answer is BOTH yes and no. The Bible does indeed teach that SOME elders in the church were made eunuchs and that they did not marry a wife. But rather they were married to the church or there work in the ministry to the church so to speak. However, the Bible ALSO teaches that the BISHOPS in the church should be MARRIED and that the married be a GOOD marriage as well.
So then, the more specific question now becomes does the Bible teach the MANDATORY CELIBACY of the clergy of the church as the Roman Catholic Church teaches today?
Let us begin this study in God's word by reading the passage of scripture found in 1 Timothy 3:1-15, which CLEARLY and plainly teaches us the QUALIFICATION the both a BISHOP and a DEACON must meet FIRST, in order for them to become either a bishop or a deacon in the church. And one of these QUALIFICATIONS is that they be MARRIED to ONE WIFE and be shown to be a good husband as well.
1 Timothy 3:1-15.
“This is a TRUE saying, If a man DESIRE the OFFICE of a BISHOP, he desires a good work.
2. A bishop then MUST be blameless, the HUSBAND of ONE WIFE, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
3. Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
4. One that rules WELL his OWN house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;
5. (For if a man know NOT how to rule his OWN house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)
6. NOT a novice (Or NOT a NEW believer), lest (Or for fear that) being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
7. Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
8. Likewise must the DEACONS be grave, not double tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;
9. Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.
10. And let these also FIRST be PROVED; THEN let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.
11. Even so must their WIVES be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things. (This verse clearly shows us that the WIFE is PLURAL meaning that these verses cannot be correctly interpreted as the ONE WIFE being the CHURCH, the children as being Christians and their OWN house as being the specific CONGREGATION that the deacons and the bishops have been placed in as overseers and ministers to the widows and the poor. But rather these verses are CORRECTLY interpreted as the Bishops and the deacons having their OWN wife, each one, and that they be good caregivers to their OWN families BEFORE they be entrusted the office of caring for a particular flock, of the whole flock, of believers all over the know world, which is far too large for ONE man to oversee the ENTIRE flock or the entire church of Jesus Christ.)
12. Let the DEACONS be the HUSBANDS of ONE, ruling their children and their own houses well.
13. For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
14. These things write I unto you, hoping to come unto you shortly:
15. But if I tarry long, that you may know how you ought to behave yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”
Now this ONE passage of scripture ALONE should be more than enough CLEAR, PLAIN, and SIMPLE evidence from God's word of TRUTH to show the ERROR of the Roman Catholic Church that dogmatically DEMANDS that ALL the clergy in the Catholic church remain CELIBATE in order to become a DEACON, which in the Catholic Church is a man who is seeking or learning to become a PRIEST, which is this next step in the rank of offices within the Catholic Church. So, obviously, each advancement in the rank of authority in the Catholic Church is also required by the laws of the Roman Catholic Church to remain CELIBATE their whole life.
But is this teaching within the Roman Catholic Church a SOUND BIBLICAL teaching?
Obviously this Roman Catholic teaching of CELIBACY does NOT AGREE with 1 Timothy chapter 3. So then, where does the Catholic Church get there support from the Bible for their teaching of CELIBACY? Please read the words of the apostle Paul, found in his letter to the church at Corinth, regarding both marriage and celibacy in 1 Corinthians chapter 7. Now it is necessary to read the ENTIRE CONTEXT in order to arrive at a CORRECT interpretation of what Paul is actually and truly teaching us, because the Bible does NOT contradict itself. But rather it is the INTERPRETATIONS of MEN that contradict themselves. This is why we must always compare what we ourselves conclude that a particular verse means with the REST of God's word in order to see if our own personal INTERPRETATION does indeed AGREE with the REST of God's word. This is what I mean by the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of God.
1 Corinthians 7:1-40.
“Now concerning the things whereof you wrote unto me: (So evidently there was a CONTROVERSY within the church and they were writing Paul to settle this controversy of whether or not it was a sin to marry or not, and the following chapter is Paul's answer back to the church.) It is good for a man not to touch a woman.
2. NEVERTHELESS, to avoid fornication, (And all other manner of sexual sins) let every man have his OWN WIFE, and let every woman have her OWN HUSBAND. (In other words, do NOT FORBID to MARRY! Jesus said that not everyone is able to live a life of celibacy. And o make it MANDATORY to be able to serve God in the ministry is going against the teachings in the New Testament under the New Covenant)
3. Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.
4. The wife has not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband has not power of his own body, but the wife.
5. Defraud you not one the other,(In other words, do NOT withhold intimacy from each other for any reason) except it be with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency. (Or voluntary abstinence from sex while you were fasting and praying for that AGREED upon amount of time)
6. But I speak this by permission, and NOT of commandment. (In other words, it is permissible and good that those who are married abstain from sex from time to time and give themselves to fasting and prayer. But NOT for so long a time that one or the other be TEMPTED of the devil to sin. In other words, neither spouse should force the other spouse to abstain from sex just because one spouse is more devoted to the things of God. And again this is my own personal opinion that I speak this to you and NOT a COMMANDMENT of God or the church itself)
7. For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man has his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that.
8. I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.
9. BUT if they cannot contain, let them MARRY: for it is better to MARRY than to burn. (Now this verse means that it is BETTER to MARRY than to BURN with LUST. But some have interpreted the word burn here as meaning to burn in the fire of JUDGMENT the last day. Now, I would agree that if a person who does burn in LUST to commit sin and does NOT repent of their sin shall indeed burn also in the fire of judgment the last day, but I lean more to the interpretation of burning with LUST in this context)
10. And unto the MARRIED I COMMAND, yet not I, but the Lord, Let NOT the wife depart from her husband:
11. But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let NOT the husband put away his wife.
12. But to the REST speak I, NOT the Lord: If any brother has a wife that believes not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. (In other words, Paul is giving his own personal opinion here in verse 11-14.)
13. And the woman which has an husband that believes not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.
14. For (Or because) the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. (Again, verses 11-14 are Paul’s own person opinion that is good advice. For you see, we should do as much as possible to help lead an unsaved spouse to the Lord. Hopefully, one that is already a Christians does not marry an unsaved person. And if they do, then in my own opinion they should work all the harder to win their spouse to the Lord. For you see, they CHOSE that relationship. But those already married couples that are both unsaved, and then one spouse come to the Lord, did not chose for their spouse to be unsaved. They did not even know what being saved truly meant when they got married. And the following verses are from the Lord)
15. BUT IF the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God has called us to peace. (This is true in either case. It is true if a Christians marries and unsaved spouse. And it is even more true when on spouse becomes a Christian and the other unsaved spouse leaves for any reason. BUT the ideal situation would be to try and convince the unsaved spouse to remain married to you in hopes that they will come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved)
16. For what knows you, O wife, whether you shall save your husband? Or how knows you, O man, whether you shall save your wife?
17. But as God has distributed to every man, as the Lord has called every one, so let him walk. (In other words, do as you sincerely believe that the Holy Spirit of God is directing you, PERSONALLY, to do in all that I, Paul, have spoken to you about whether to marry or to remain celibate. Do you feel led of the Holy Spirit to marry again, IF SO BE, that your UNBELIEVING spouse departs from YOU? Do you feel that you will not be able to remain unmarried if you unsaved spouse leaves you? Paul is simple saying for us to be assured that he is NOT teaching us that a Christian should ever depart from an unbelieving spouse. For how can one know that God will not use you to save them?) And so ordain I in all churches.
18. Is any man called being circumcised? Let him NOT become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? Let him NOT be circumcised .
19. Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.
20. Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.
21. Are you called being a servant? Care not for it: but if you may be made free, use it rather.
22. For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant.
23. You are bought with a price; be not you the servants of men.
24. Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.
25. Now concerning virgins I have NO commandment of the Lord: yet I give MY judgment, as one that has obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful.
26. I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress (In other words, for now, for this present CONTROVERSY in the church), I say, that it is good for a man so to be.
27. Are you bound unto a wife? Seek NOT to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Seek not a wife.
28. BUT and IF you MARRY, you have NOT sinned; and if a virgin marry, she has not sinned. Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you. (In other words, it is my personal opinion that if you are already single, as never have been married, or now a widow or widower, then it is good or better that you do not marry, even as I, Paul, have remained celibate, because if you do marry, then you will have trouble or problems in the flesh wanting to serve each other rather than the Lord)
29. But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remains, that both they that have wives be as though they had none; (in other words, time is running out before the Lord comes so even those who have a wife let it be as if you are not married so you can devote your time to the ministry)
30. And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not;
31. And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passes away.
32. But I would have you without carefulness (In other words, do not have so much care for worldly things, but make your priority the things of God). He that is unmarried cares for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord:
33. But he that is married cares for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife. (In other words, all Paul is saying in this entire passage of scripture is that it is good and even better if ALL Christians be SINGLE and NOT married, because then they could spend MORE TIME serving the Lord as opposed to serving each other. But truly and honestly is this the case within the Roman Catholic Church. Do the priests spend ALL their time serving God? I mean do they continually serve God day in and day out, 365 days a year? Be HONEST!
Does the mere fact of their not being married truly cause them to spend ALL their time serving the Lord? I once had a conversation with a priest asking him how much TIME he spent preparing his response to the reading of the gospel. In the Protestant church it is called a SERMON. The response of the priest was that he spent about a hour preparing for what he would say in his sermon, on the passage of scripture, that is already decided by the Church at Rome that will be read by every Roman Catholic Church that particular Sunday or Saturday evening mass. ONE hour of study per week. Yes, I realize that they also visit the sick and such and that the few hours a week that they give to the church, offering the sacrifice of the mass, is not all that the Catholic priest do.
But my point is this, do they really do MORE for the Lord than Protestant ministers who are MARRIED? Also, please keep in mind that Paul is speaking to ALL believers and NOT just to the so called CLERGY, that it is good but NOT DEMANDED or COMMANDED by God to be virgins rather than to marry. HOWEVER, if any man or woman, INCLUDING an apostle, desires to marry then he should NOT be FORBIDDEN to MARRY!)
34. There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married cares for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.
35. And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that you may attend upon the Lord without distraction. (Just because a wife SEEMED to be a DISTRACTION to Paul does NOT mean that neither wives nor husbands are distractions to all men and women in the Lord. This was Paul's PERSONAL OPINION and NOT a COMMANDMENT of the Lord)
36. BUT if any man think that he behaves himself uncomely toward his virgin, if she pass the flower of her age, and need so require, let him do what he will, he sins not: let them MARRY. (In other words, IF a man and a woman who are NOT married should be overcome by their love for each other and they have premarital sex, then they have not sinned if so be they MARRY. Please do not misunderstand what the word of God is saying. God is not saying that premarital sex is not sin, but rather that Christians should not come under condemnation if they were overcome by their love for each other and came together before they were married, because their INTENT was to marry anyway. So let them now marry, so that they do not burn in lust toward each other. It is my own personal opinion that the coming together of a man and women is the actual act of marriage in the eyes of God and this is WHY God forbids fornication)
37. Nevertheless he that stands steadfast in his heart, having no necessity, but has power over his own will, and has so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, does well. (Again, this is speaking of one's OWN personal choice and NOT a dogmatic demand to FORBID Christians or more specifically to forbid the clergy NOT to marry)
38. So then he that gives her in marriage does well; but he that gives her not in marriage does better. (Again. Paul is speaking in his own opinion and he is also speaking to the WHOLE church, as in, EVERY believer, and NOT specifically to the elders in the church. Also, Paul is CLEARLY NOT forbidding any one NOT to marry whether they be clergy or the laity.)
39. The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.
40. But she is happier if she so abide, after my judgment: and I THINK also that I have the Spirit of God.” (In other words, Paul THINKS that he has God's direction as to what is best based upon his OWN personal experience. But again Paul does NOT dogmatically demand that all Christians should NOT marry. He only SUGGESTS that it would be better, in his eyes, that all Christians remain single if so be that their spouse should die)
However, the Roman Catholic Church INTERPRETS verses 1, 7, and 8 out of context to mean that Paul is teaching AGAINST marriage of the elders of the church so that they can give their FULL attention to the Lord and NOT be DISTRACTED by a WIFE.
But is this INTERPRETATION a CORRECT understanding of the WHOLE word of Almighty God? In other words is the Roman Catholic Church teaching, on the FORBIDDING of marriage among the CLERGY of the church, a SOUND BIBLICAL teaching that does NOT contradict any part of God's word?
The answer to that question is an ABSOLUTE NO!
Please read 1 Timothy 4:1-6, which was ALSO written by the apostle Paul after his letter to the Corinthian church. And this time Paul say that the Holy Spirit of Almighty God speaks EXPRESSLY leaving NO DOUBT that there will arise FALSE teachers in the church that will FORBID Christians to MARRY.
1 Timothy 4:1-6.
“Now the Spirit speaks EXPRESSLY, that in the latter times some shall DEPART from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2. Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
3. FORBIDDING to MARRY, and COMMANDING to abstain from MEATS, which God has created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. (Now the Roman Catholic Church seems to IGNORE this passage of scripture and she FORBIDS her clergy to MARRY, she commands her followers to ABSTAIN from MEAT on every Friday of the week and also on certain holy day, that she has ordained as being holier than other days and makes the claim that TRADITION is equal to scripture when forming church doctrine.)
4. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:
5. For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
6. If you put the brethren in remembrance of these things, you shall be a GOOD minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of GOOD doctrine, where unto you have attained.”
Here in this passage of scripture it is CLEARLY and PLAINLY seen that to FORBID any Christian to MARRY is a doctrine of the DEVIL and therefore should NOT be followed.
So then, since the word of TRUTH, the Holy Bible, the very word of Almighty God himself, CLEARLY and PLAINLY teaches us as Christians NOT to FORBID any Christian to MARRY. Then WHERE did the Roman Catholic Church get this doctrine of CELIBACY, which FORBIDS any of the clergy in the Catholic Church to MARRY? I mean how much clearly could God's word be? Paul simply SUGGESTED to be like him and not marry. That was his OWN PERSONAL OPINION and NOT a commandment from the Lord!
Now some may argue and say that 1 Timothy 5:11,12 teaches that virgins who seek to marry bring damnation upon themselves.
1 Timothy 5:11,12.
“But the younger widows refuse: for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry; (The context is talking about taking different people into the church, as in, the church taking CARE of them. Sort of like a convent or a commune. There was a time when the church had all things in common and they lived together as one big family. And the phrase was wanton against Christ also means to become promiscuous which is against the teaching of Jesus. So the apostles thought it best to NOT invite trouble into the community of believers all dwelling together having all things in common. And young virgin woman could cause such a problem eventually. And thus it would be best for the church and for her as well to be refused, as in, to not be aloud as a LIVE IN among the church community or commune)
12. Having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith.”
Paul is NOT saying that these young virgins have DAMNATION because they MARRY. But rather they have damnation because they have cast off their faith and have begun to LUST and SEEK to be MARRIED. They have become IDLE in their work for the Lord. They have become busybodies and gossipers. You have to KEEP the verse or verses in question in their CONTEXT in order to understand their true meaning. Please read 1 Timothy 5:11-15 where we can CLEARLY see that the word of truth teaches us that it is better that a young virgin MARRY than for her to be drawn into SIN and commit fornication.
1 Timothy 5:11-15.
“But the younger widows refuse: for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry;
12. Having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith.
13. And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.
14. I will therefore that the younger women MARRY, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.
15. For some are already turned aside after Satan.”
So then, CLEARLY the word of TRUTH does NOT teach the FORBIDDING to MARRY as does the Roman Catholic Church. But rather, the Bible teaches that IF a person is able and they desire to be celibate, then it is PERMISSIBLE to do so. Nevertheless at ANY time, they can MARRY, if they so choose to do so. In other words it is up to the INDIVIDUAL person as to what they themselves feel that the Lord is directing THEM to do and NOT a BLANKET COMMAND that ALL who serve the Lord are FORBIDDEN to MARRY. This is CLEARLY a doctrine of DEVILS and NOT a teaching from God's word of TRUTH.
Now the questions becomes, “WHEN did this false teaching of forbidding to marry enter into the church?” And WHERE did this doctrine of MANDATORY CELIBACY come? We have clearly seen that mandatory celibacy did NOT come from the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament under the New Covenant. In fact, the teachings in the New Testament FORBID such a teaching as mandatory celibacy.
Here are some possibilities as to how or why the Roman Catholic Church adopted the doctrine of celibacy among the clergy and the nuns.
You see my dear brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ, the belief of priests being celibate began long before Christianity came to be. The priests of the ancient pagan Druid religion are believed to have been celibate. Also, the Aztec temple priests of South America and Mexico were expected to remain sexually abstinent. And some other pagan religions also mandated that the priests that were chosen to offer sacrifices to the pagan gods must be pure. And therefore they were forbidden to engaged in any sexual activity. And most Protestant Christians can see and understand how the Roman Catholic church MIXED many pagan practices within Catholicism when Constantine declared all pagans to be Christians.
You cannot demand anyone to become a true born-again Christians against their own will. In other words, very few if any of those pagans were actually CONVERTED to Christianity. Rather they were being FORCED to obey what the Roman Catholic Church taught. And in order to make peace with the fake pagan Christians the Roman Catholic Church COMPROMISED the true Christians faith and created FAKE Christian ritual such as CELIBACY for the priesthood. They may have even ADDED the priesthood to appease the fake pagan Christians. Anyway, these are my thoughts as to HOW so many things that the Roman Catholic Church teaches came to be. For you see, there are so many things that the Catholic Church teaches that directly CONTRADICT what Jesus teaches HIS church in the New Testament under the New Covenant.
Yes. it is true that Jesus himself lived a celibate life and that Jesus himself never married. And in Matthew 19:12 it SEEMS that Jesus is teaching his disciples to be celibate or a be eunuchs. Now, a eunuch is one who abstains from sex. But it is not necessarily for a eunuch to be a single unmarried male. In other words, a eunuch can marry. But a eunuch does not or cannot have sex. A eunuch either chooses to not have sex. Or it is no longer physically possible to have sex due to total castration either by choice or by force.
Here is what Matthew 19:3-13 actually teaches when left in context.
Matthew 19:3-13.
“The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for EVERY cause?
4. And he answered and said unto them, Have you not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
5. And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
6. Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
7. They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
8. He said unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: BUT from the beginning it was not so.
9. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, commits adultery: and whoso marries her which is put away does commit adultery.
10. His disciples say unto him, IF the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. (In other words, IF so be that a man puts away his wife, without cause of her committing adultery, then it is not good for THAT man to marry because he would be committing SIN if he does marry again)
11. But he said unto them, All men CANNOT receive this saying, save they to whom it is given.
12. For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it. (In other words, some eunuchs were BORN in a way that prevents them from having sex. Others were either FORBIDDEN to have sex or they were surgically altered where they could not have sex, period. And then there are some who by their OWN personal choice have abstained from sex so that they could serve God more fully in their own eyes.)”
In other words, from the very beginning Almighty God has instituted MARRIAGE. And then, after a male and a female were married, they should NOT depart from each other. In other words, from Adam and Eve to Moses there was no such thing as a DIVORCE. It was Moses who added that if the man gives his wife a writing that he has divorced HER then that would allow her to marry another man. And according to Moses there were a lot of reasons that allowed for a man to divorce his wife.
But in the New Testament, Jesus teaches us that divorce is allowed only in the case of ADULTERY. And then a man and woman could depart. But ONLY the one that did NOT committed adultery is free to marry again. In other words, if the wife cheats on her husband, then the man is allowed to divorce his wife AND get married again. But the woman is guilty of the sin of adultery. And until she repents of her sin with godly sorrow she will be causing any man that marries her to commit adultery as well.
Now IF so be that the husband has NOT remarried and he is willing to receive back his wife who sinned against him and God, then let them remarry each other. Let them forgive each other and all is in the past. Also, if the man cheats on his wife and they get divorced, then the wife is free to remarry. But the man is in sin until he repents with godly sorrow and either remarries his wife or another woman that is FREE to marry.
So then, what I am seeing is that divorce itself is not actually the sin so much as the forication. In other words, would it be a sin to divorce so long as you remained celibate the rest of your life? What if one spouse does succeed to reamain celibate but the other spouse does not? Would that divorce then not cause that future sin of forincation? Would both be resonsible for creating the opportunity for the future sin of fornication seeing that it was a mutual decision? These are questions you must answer for yourself. It would seem that divorce would be a better option than murder.
Agian, Jesus himself was celibate by his OWN personal choice. And yes, at least the apostle Paul was indeed celibate by his OWN personal choice. But SOME of the apostles of Jesus were indeed MARRIED and some had children. So then, the early Christian church as a whole had no such hard and fast rule against clergy marrying and having children. Peter, who was a Galilean fisherman, was married. Please read Matthew 15:14, which clearly and plainly teaches us that the apostle Peter was married and had a WIFE.
Matthew 15:14.
“And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever.”
Now keep in mind that the Roman Catholic Church highly exalted Peter to be the FIRST Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. And at the same time the Catholic Church dogmatically teaches that ALL the clergy are FORBIDDEN to MARRY. Also, in the history of the Popes it can be seen that some Popes were indeed married. We know this to be true because their sons later became Popes themselves. Please read the study called “WAS PETER THE FIRST POPE”, to get a sound Biblical teaching that clearly shows us that Peter was NOT the first Pope.
You see my dear brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ that are in the Catholic Church, this Catholic teaching of FORBIDDING to MARRY did NOT come into existence until AD 304. That was when it was first written that the clergy should abstain from having sex with their wife if they were already married. And it was also written that any and all future priest could not marry.
Canon 33 of the Council of Elvira stated that all "bishops, presbyters, and deacons and all other clerics" were to "abstain completely from their wives and not to have children."
Then a short time later in 325 AD, the Council of Nicea, convened by Constantine, REJECTED this earlier ban on priests marrying requested by Spanish clerics.
But as time went on this practice of celibacy began to spread in the Western Church in the early Middle Ages. And GRADUALLY over many centuries, the CELIBACY of priest and the rest of the clergy became accepted. But it was NOT until the early 11th century that Pope Benedict VIII responded to the decline in priestly morality by issuing a rule prohibiting the children of priests from inheriting property. Then a few decades later Pope Gregory VII issued a decree against clerical marriages.
So then, it was over a thousand years before the Roman Catholic Church definitively took a firm stand in favor of celibacy. It was in the twelfth century at the Second Lateran Council held in 1139 that the Roman Catholic Church made the decision for the clergy to be celibate. And it was then that a RULE was approved forbidding priests to marry.
Then this RULE of CELIBACY and the FORBIDDING of the clergy to MARRY in the Roman Catholic Church was reaffirmed in the Council of Trent in the year 1563. And that is when the forbibbing of priest to mary became a Roman Catholic DOGMA. That was some one thousand five hundred thirty years after the resurrection of Jesus.
So you see my dear brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ that are in the Catholic Church, this is a MAN MADE doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church of FORBIDDING their clergy to MARRY. And it is also totally and completely AGAINST the clear plain and simple teaching of the word of TRUTH, the Holy Bible. Can you not see that the Catholic Church EXALTS herself ABOVE God's word by their false claim that church TRADITION has always taught that the priest have ALWAYS taught CELIBACY. The truth of the matter is that the New Testament does NOT even teach us that there is to be a priesthood. In fact, The New Testament teaches AGAINST a priesthood. Please read the study “IS THE PRIESTHOOD BIBLICAL?”
Now while it may be true that celibacy itself was practiced. And that it taught by some that it was GOOD if so be that a person could receive this teaching. In other owrds it was voluntarily for them make themselves celibate for the work of the Lord. But it is NOT true that the church ALWAYS taught the FORBIDDING of the clergy to marry.
Again, the New Testament forbids the forbidding of marriage among the leaders of the church. And IF a single mand or woman desires on their OWN to remain unmarried then that would be between them and God. But again, the New Testament teaches that a bishop or pastor should be married and have a family in order to show that they can manage their congregation. The line of reasoning being that if they could not manage their own family then how could the manage a whole congregation of Christians?
The TRUTH of the matter is that once again the Roman Catholic Church is proven guilty of MIXING the pagan practices of worship with Christianity to pervert the TRUE gospel of Jesus Christ. Therefore, her teachings should NOT be followed. Fod you see, there are so many teachings in the Roman Catholic Church that blatantly CONTRADICT the very word of Almighty God himself.
Thanks for reading, and may God bless you richly as you continue to seek the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of Almighty God.
And to me, the truth concerning who Jesus TRULY is, according to the Bible ITSELF, is the Biblical Unitarian view of Jesus.
Once Christians, Jews, Muslims, and even atheists understand the REASON that Yahweh CREATED the Son of MAN, Jesus, was to have DOMINION over the work of Yahweh’s hands.
And after you understand that the REASON that Yahweh did that is to STILL His ENEMIES, Satan and the fallen angels.
Then you can understand that God made His human Son to become “a” Lord, “a” King, and “a” God, under and subject to his God and Father in order to JUDGE Satan and the fallen angels.
For a deeper understanding of this WAR that Lucifer and one third of the angels waged against the throne of Almighty God, please read the studies under the subject category called ** Q-0 Why Are We Here? Is God at WAR? **.
More studies are coming in this SHORTER Biblical Unitarian view of who Jesus is according to the WHOLE word of God.
If you have a PARTICULAR verse of Scripture that you would like to know the sound Biblical Unitarian meaning, then please email me at MarkatAMatterOfTruth@Gmail.com and let me know.
For further and more in-depth studies on this subject of Jesus being created to STILL the enemies of Yahweh, please read the studies called D-25. A NEW LOOK at JOHN 1:1, In the BEGINNING!
And also read the study called D-28. The PRE-ADAMIC LUCIFERIAN FLOOD!
At the top of my homepage, there are subjects or categories which contain compiled lists of ** ALL Studies! ** I have written on that particular subject. So, if a link within a study is broken, then click on ** ALL Studies! ** to find the suggested study.
Or you can scroll down to the MORE dropdown menu list to find those studies as well.
Thanks again for reading, and may God bless you richly as you continue to seek the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of Almighty God.
And to me, the truth concerning who Jesus TRULY is, according to the Bible ITSELF, is the Biblical Unitarian view of Jesus.
And again, for ALL of the studies on the Biblical Unitarian view of Jesus, please click on the subject heading ** D-0 The BIBLICAL UNITARIAN VIEW of Jesus! **
And for the SUBJECT on the true foundation of the church, please click on the subject heading ** C-0 The TRUE FOUNDATION of the Church! **
This way you can just send ONE link to those who you want to share the TRUE sound Biblical FOUNDATIONAL teachings of the church that Jesus and his Apostles taught in the first century church.
Your brother in our Lord Jesus Christ,
Brother Mark.
My heartfelt prayer is that all Christians RETURN to the TRUE FOUNDATION of the church that is taught by the very Apostles of Jesus in the first century.
So let us all come into the UNITY of the faith and return to what Jesus and his Apostles taught us in SIMPLICITY in the New Testament.
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Always be faithful to share, to preach, and to teach the whole gospel of Jesus Christ!
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