Is Celibacy Biblical?

quote:

Originally posted by DeepFat:
Yes.

The 10 Commandments have been rescinded. Thou mayest covet thy neighbor's wife and her ass all thou wantest.

Just be careful that the neighbor does not pack a .45.

DF

LOL! Good quip Deep!

But not all the commandments were rescinded.

Romans 13: 8-10
8"Owe no man any thing, but to love one another; for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour; therfore love is the fulfilling of the law."

Matthew 22: 36-40
36 "Master, which is the great commandement in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love the neigbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
King James version

My interpretation of this is if we truly love God and our fellow man, then we won't want to do things like lie, cheat, steal, etc. JMHO

Hi Autumn,

You are correct when you reply to Deep, "But not all the commandments were rescinded."

Yet, you do not go far enough. The passage you quoted tells us that none of the Ten Commandments were rescinded.

Matthew 22: 36-40 King James version:
36 "Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love the neighbor as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

When Jesus tells the Pharisee scribe, and us, "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" (Matthew 22:40) -- this includes the Ten Commandments, all of the Ten Commandments. "The law and the prophets" pretty much cover the Old Testament. So, Jesus is telling us that the Old Testament law and prophets are still valid -- however, He has come to be the full atonement, the full propitiation, the full payment for our sins. Jesus does not, as He tells us, negate the Old Testament -- but, only completes its teachings. Jesus brings us past the dispensation of Law and into the dispensation of Grace -- "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).

In this dispensation of grace, we are saved by faith alone. It is not faith plus anything -- not works, not liturgical rituals, nothing else except faith in Jesus Christ. By faith alone we are saved; by being saved, we do works. That is the fruit of our salvation.

We need to thank our Friend, Deep, for giving us this opportunity to share more of God's Word with our Forum Friends.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill

One of my favorite teachings about the Law & Grace are copied and placed below.

COLLOSIANS 2 1 thru 23

1I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. 2My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. 5For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.

Freedom From Human Regulations Through Life With Christ
6So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
8See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

9For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. 11In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature,[a] not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, 12having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

13When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature,[b] God made you[c] alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. 15And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.[d]

16Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. 18Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. 19He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.

20Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: 21"Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? 22These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. 23Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

Why does celibacy have to be Biblical for it to be a good option in some peoples' cases? Maybe it can be a lifestyle choice. I certainly prefer celibacy than to submit to a fundamentalist man!

quote:

Originally posted by Disappointed:
Why does celibacy have to be Biblical for it to be a good option in some peoples' cases? Maybe it can be a lifestyle choice. I certainly prefer celibacy than to submit to a fundamentalist man!

Hi Disappointed,

Not a problem, if that works for you. My point is that celibacy is not Biblical; it is not required that people of God be celibate to serve Him. As the Bible tells us; if being married is the way you best serve the Lord -- that is good. If being single and celibate is the way you best serve the Lord -- that is good.

The main thing is, whether you are married or single -- don't leave God out of your life.

With God in your life, you don't have to be Disappointed.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill

quote:

Originally posted by Bill Gray:
Hi Autumn,

You are correct when you reply to Deep, "But not all the commandments were rescinded."

Yet, you do not go far enough. The passage you quoted tells us that none of the Ten Commandments were rescinded.

Matthew 22: 36-40 King James version:
36 "Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love the neighbor as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

When Jesus tells the Pharisee scribe, and us, "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" (Matthew 22:40) -- this includes the Ten Commandments, all of the Ten Commandments. "The law and the prophets" pretty much cover the Old Testament. So, Jesus is telling us that the Old Testament law and prophets are still valid -- however, He has come to be the full atonement, the full propitiation, the full payment for our sins. Jesus does not, as He tells us, negate the Old Testament -- but, only completes its teachings. Jesus brings us past the dispensation of Law and into the dispensation of Grace -- "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).

In this dispensation of grace, we are saved by faith alone. It is not faith plus anything -- not works, not liturgical rituals, nothing else except faith in Jesus Christ. By faith alone we are saved; by being saved, we do works. That is the fruit of our salvation.

We need to thank our Friend, Deep, for giving us this opportunity to share more of God's Word with our Forum Friends.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill

I was stating my interpretation. Sorry Bill, I forgot that yours is the only opinion about scriptures that matters.

quote:

I was stating my interpretation. Sorry Bill, I forgot that yours is the only opinion about scriptures that matters.

Hi Autumn,

If you feel that I was stepping on your toes by jumping in, I apologize. I was really just taking what you said to Deep and expanding upon it. You were right -- I merely added to what you said.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill

quote:

Originally posted by GoFish:

quote:

ya know, if we all truly allowed the Holy Spirit to live within us, laws wouldn't even matter. neither secular or 'religious'........food for thought.

That makes absolutely no sense.

...to an athiest, perhaps.

Is Celibacy Biblical? It talks about Celibacy being an option for a christian. It is an option. So what kind of question is that? It's not required, but it is an option. Personally, this forum is not for any non-believers. Christians know that even Satan himself and demons know their Bible very well. They even tremble with fear. Perhaps that is why so many people get defensive when they hear the truth. I've read all of Bill's post and I don't see where he is being judgemental at all. Everything he said was truth and was said in love. That's the difference between christian and non-christian. The love factor makes a big difference.

Isn't the whole purpose of this thread to bash the Catholic clergy?

Who really gives a hang whether celibacy is Biblical or not?

Why should everything revolve around the Bible? Why not the Quran?

The Bible just says it's a personal choice, that's it.

Celibacy is boring. The end.

quote:

Originally posted by Full Cup Balcony:
Isn't the whole purpose of this thread to bash the Catholic clergy?

Who really gives a hang whether celibacy is Biblical or not?

Why should everything revolve around the Bible? Why not the Quran?

Hi Full,

No, it has nothing to do with the Catholic church. If you will look back at my post which began this discussion; you will see that I am responding to a question asked by TSC. Below is the beginning of that post just as a refresher:

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This is in no way an attempt to bash the Catholic church. But, I do believe celibacy is not a Biblical teaching, in any church.

You ask, "Why should everything revolve around the Bible? Why not the Quran?"

Because we Christians, including the Roman Catholic church, recognizes the Bible as the inspired Word of God. There is only one Bible, even though it has been translated into many languages.

A Christian believer will acknowledge the Bible as the Word of God; a non-believer will just see it as a book, just as the Qur'an is just another book.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill

i ain't never not touched a woman or avoided fornicating in my life! any man who does ain't right in the head.

quote:

Originally posted by Bill Gray:

quote:

Originally posted by Full Cup Balcony:
Isn't the whole purpose of this thread to bash the Catholic clergy?

Who really gives a hang whether celibacy is Biblical or not?

Why should everything revolve around the Bible? Why not the Quran?

Hi Full,

No, it has nothing to do with the Catholic church. If you will look back at my post which began this discussion; you will see that I am responding to a question asked by TSC. Below is the beginning of that post just as a refresher:

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This is in no way an attempt to bash the Catholic church. But, I do believe celibacy is not a Biblical teaching, in any church.

You ask, "Why should everything revolve around the Bible? Why not the Quran?"

Because we Christians, including the Roman Catholic church, recognizes the Bible as the inspired Word of God. There is only one Bible, even though it has been translated into many languages.

A Christian believer will acknowledge the Bible as the Word of God; a non-believer will just see it as a book, just as the Qur'an is just another book.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill

Bill, Amigo; I am truly sorry but the more I read in this forum about religion and "Christianity" the less Christian I feel.

quote:

Bill, Amigo; I am truly sorry but the more I read in this forum about religion and "Christianity" the less Christian I feel.

Bill isn't Jesus. If you want to know what Jesus really taught, go straight to the source.

quote:

Originally posted by NashBama:

quote:

Bill, Amigo; I am truly sorry but the more I read in this forum about religion and "Christianity" the less Christian I feel.

Bill isn't Jesus. If you want to know what Jesus really taught, go straight to the source.

Hi Nash,

Thank you for that breath of fresh air. All I can add to that is: AMEN! AMEN! AMEN!

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill