Hi to my Forum Friends,
Our Forum Friend, TSC asks, "So Bill, are you saying that by choosing to remain celibate and unmarried the Pope is not doing the will of God as expressed by Paul when Paul said "Now concerning the things whereof you wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband" (1 Cor 7:1-2)"
No, Paul tells us that, if a person feels that he cannot be celibate; it is best that he be married so that he will not be tempted to immorality.
Paul is responding to a letter from the church in Corinth. Corinth was a major city of commerce and travel, known for its reputation for immorality. You might say that Corinth was the Las Vegas of that area and time. Sin and immorality were all around the believers and this had begun to seep into the church.
In 1 Corinthians 5:1, we read Paul's chastisement of the Corinthian church for allowing incest and sexual immorality into the church, "It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father's wife."
This is the background of what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 7:1-2, "Now concerning the things about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman. But because of immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband."
Speaking to the church at Corinth, and to all believers, in 1 Corinthians 6:15-16, Paul admonishes, "Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be! Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, ‘The two shall become one flesh.'"
Paul is teaching that when a person sinks into immorality with another; he/she becomes one with that other person in the immoral act. This would apply to sexual immorality with a prostitute, or fornication (sex outside marriage), or incest, or homosexuality. All are sins of immorality and equally condemned.
So, what is a believer to do? Paul, in 1 Corinthians 6:17-20, tells us, "But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body."
And, then, in 1 Corinthians 7:1-2, Paul shows us what a man is to do to avoid the temptation of immorality, "Now concerning the things about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman. But because of immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband."
So, TSC, you ask if the Pope is wrong to remain celibate. No. If that is his calling and he can be faithful in it; in the teachings of the Bible, he is not wrong in choosing that for himself. He is wrong to impose that burden upon others.
Paul himself had been married. We do not know what happened to his wife; but, to have been a Jewish Rabbi and a member of the Sanhedrin; Paul had to have been married. Possibly his wife died; or possibly, when he converted to Christianity, she, wanting to remain in the Jewish religion, left him or divorced him. We do not know. But, we do know that Paul tells all who want to do the work of God in spreading the Gospel; it is better if you are not married.
Why does Paul say this? In Paul's day, and even today, when a person commits himself or herself to serving God; often it is a hindrance having a family. A person with a family has responsibilities to that family -- and often these responsibilities can conflict with doing a ministry.
So, Paul tells them that, if you are married, that is fine. If you are not married, but feel that your sexual desires might lead you into acts of immorality; it is better that you get married. But, if you do not have a problem with sexual desires being that strong and can live a celibate life -- then, it is better to do so; that you might more effectively serve the Lord.
What most of us see as wrong is the Roman Catholic church forcing all the priest and nuns, many of them young people in their sexual prime -- to take a vow of celibacy. I see two problems with this: First, it is unnatural to force people to live a life of celibacy -- and it is impossible for most to do it. It is so obvious that this is a major contributing factor to the sexual abuse problems which have come to light in recent years among the Roman Catholic priests.
I know that in some third world countries which are predominantly Roman Catholic; sexual immorality among priests is overlooked by the local parishioners. In the Philippines, many priests have been known to have a number of children. I am not sure if the situation still exists today; but, in the past, in the Philippines it was condoned for priests to have live in lovers, who bear them children. And, the local people looked the other way. After all, the priest is a man of authority and not to be questioned.
This most likely happens in many other third world countries such as South America and others. This would not happen if the priests were allowed to marry.
The second problem I see with celibate priests who have never been married: Many Catholics go to their priests for marital counseling. How in the world can a man who, supposedly, has never had a sexual relationship, has never been married -- counsel others on marriage and sexual relationships? That would be like a person who owns a Masserati coming to me, who has never even sat in a Masserati -- and asking me to tune his engine. I would most likely have trouble even finding his engine. Celibate priests have the same problem with counseling on marriage and sexual relationships.
Then, TSC, you ask, "Paul said that it is good for a man not to touch a woman. It is GOOD for a man to be celibate, it is GOOD for a man not to reproduce. Now why would you want to argue with The Word in the Bible?"
I believe I have pretty much covered this ground already in what I have written above. However, keep in mind that the Bible is not, nor is Paul, telling people not to marry. And, the Catholic church cannot support celibacy from Scripture either.
In his book, "Truth Encounters, Catholicism and Holy Scripture," Tony Pezzotta, who spent a large portion of his life as a Catholic priest and was head of the Catholic Seminary in the Philippines for ten years, teaching and training other priests -- then left Catholicism to work for God outside the Catholic church -- writes about Celibacy and Priesthood (pages 103, 104):
The Roman Catholic Church officially imposed celibacy on all priests in the eleventh century (AD 1079). Although many monastics practiced celibacy prior to that time, there was no law forbidding the clergy to be married. Several Popes, many bishops, and very many priests were married men.
I was taught in the seminary that several things contributed to the decision to forbid the clergy to marry: rampant immorality in Catholic families; married priests breaking the 'seal of secrecy' by telling their wives what they had heard in the confessional; and fear of losing church property to the children of priests. But, the greatest reason for the decision was a Gnostic philosophy embraced by theologians in the Middle Ages which taught that "the soul is basically good, while the flesh is fundamentally evil." This false assumption led to the conviction that sexual activity was a "necessary evil for the propagation of mankind." Since sexual activity is substantially evil, those who have been called to serve God as "His priests," to be endowed with great supernatural powers, should not be entangled with it.
In summary, TSC, the Bible does not teach celibacy. What the apostle Paul teaches us in the Bible is that we should do what makes us better followers of Christ and what helps us to better share His Gospel with the world. If being married equips a person better to serve God; then be married. If being single better equips a person to serve God, and he/she can maintain their morality in doing this; then be single. But, in all things, let Jesus Christ be the ruler of your life.
I pray that I have sufficiently answered your question. My comments are not meant to be, nor should they be construed, that I am knocking the Roman Catholic church. They have their teachings and when those teachings coincide with the teachings of the Bible; we are in agreement. Obviously, when their teaching differs from the Bible; I will stay with the Bible; as in the instance of celibacy.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill Gray
billdory@pacbell.net
Alabama bred,
California fed,
Blessed by God to be a Christian American!
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