Carry_Your_Name
Member
This is a huge struggle for me, and I've been thinking about it for a long time. In the creation week, all things created by God were good, nothing is evil. This is often used to rebuke the argument that blame God for the evils of this world. The one and only thing - or status that's NOT good, though, is man's solitude. Therefore God made woman out of man, and the two shall become one flesh, that is marriage as an institution of civilization ordained by God.
And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”(Gen. 2:18)
A man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (Gen. 2:24)
However, when it comes to the New Testament, it seems that man's solitude is no longer a bad thing, but rather a gift. Reading through the gospel, I've just come to realize that on one hand, Jesus respected women, he had always been gentle and kind to various women, which was well advanced of his time when women were deemed as property. Many women sponsored him and followed him, some followed him to his crucifixion while the disciples had fled, at the end they followed him to the tomb where he rose from the grave and appeared to them, Mary Magdalene, the first witness, was honored as the "disciple of disciples"; on the other hand, he was never married, he had no romantic attachment with any of those women.
His disciples said to Him, “If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” But He said to them, “All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given: For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it. (Matt. 19:10-12)
Later in 1 Cor. 7, in Paul's advice, marriage - and dating - is rather a distraction that lures you away from the Lord, its only purpose is to contain carnal desire so you won't succumb to the lust of the flesh. He expected his followers to stay single and serve the lord as he was.
It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. (1 Cor. 7:1-2)
For I wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that. But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I am; (1 Cor. 7:7-8)
It is good for a man to remain as he is: Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife. (1 Cor. 7:26-27)
But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none. (1 Cor. 7:28)
But I want you to be without care. He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord—how he may please the Lord. But he who is married cares about the things of the world—how he may please his wife. (1 Cor. 7:32-33)
So then he who gives her in marriage does well, but he who does not give her in marriage does better. (1 Cor. 7:38)
At the end, there's the wedding feast of the Lamb in heaven, that's when our Lord finally marries the Church, his pure, beautiful bride. More or less this gives me the impression, that if we're truly committed to conform to His image and follow His footprints, we shouldn't marry or date in this life, our eternal union is with Christ in the next life, in this life we should serve the Lord only as monks and nuns.
And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For theLord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’”(Rev. 19:6-9)
So I'd like to know how you guys think about marriage and celibacy from a biblical perspective, whether celibary is really a gift, "even though it's not good for man to be alone". To be fair, marriage itself is neutral, what really matters is whom you marry. In theory, a good partner could strengthen your faith in Christ and hold you accountable, a bad partner could lure your away from Christ and drain you dry, but there's no guarantee that everyone could find such a good partner, God didn't promsie anybody an ideal husband or wife. If you think He does, and you go to church for dating as the primary purpose, then that's prosperity gospel, that's idolatry.
And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”(Gen. 2:18)
A man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (Gen. 2:24)
However, when it comes to the New Testament, it seems that man's solitude is no longer a bad thing, but rather a gift. Reading through the gospel, I've just come to realize that on one hand, Jesus respected women, he had always been gentle and kind to various women, which was well advanced of his time when women were deemed as property. Many women sponsored him and followed him, some followed him to his crucifixion while the disciples had fled, at the end they followed him to the tomb where he rose from the grave and appeared to them, Mary Magdalene, the first witness, was honored as the "disciple of disciples"; on the other hand, he was never married, he had no romantic attachment with any of those women.
His disciples said to Him, “If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” But He said to them, “All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given: For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it. (Matt. 19:10-12)
Later in 1 Cor. 7, in Paul's advice, marriage - and dating - is rather a distraction that lures you away from the Lord, its only purpose is to contain carnal desire so you won't succumb to the lust of the flesh. He expected his followers to stay single and serve the lord as he was.
It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. (1 Cor. 7:1-2)
For I wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that. But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I am; (1 Cor. 7:7-8)
It is good for a man to remain as he is: Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife. (1 Cor. 7:26-27)
But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none. (1 Cor. 7:28)
But I want you to be without care. He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord—how he may please the Lord. But he who is married cares about the things of the world—how he may please his wife. (1 Cor. 7:32-33)
So then he who gives her in marriage does well, but he who does not give her in marriage does better. (1 Cor. 7:38)
At the end, there's the wedding feast of the Lamb in heaven, that's when our Lord finally marries the Church, his pure, beautiful bride. More or less this gives me the impression, that if we're truly committed to conform to His image and follow His footprints, we shouldn't marry or date in this life, our eternal union is with Christ in the next life, in this life we should serve the Lord only as monks and nuns.
And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For theLord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’”(Rev. 19:6-9)
So I'd like to know how you guys think about marriage and celibacy from a biblical perspective, whether celibary is really a gift, "even though it's not good for man to be alone". To be fair, marriage itself is neutral, what really matters is whom you marry. In theory, a good partner could strengthen your faith in Christ and hold you accountable, a bad partner could lure your away from Christ and drain you dry, but there's no guarantee that everyone could find such a good partner, God didn't promsie anybody an ideal husband or wife. If you think He does, and you go to church for dating as the primary purpose, then that's prosperity gospel, that's idolatry.
