Petra
Puritan Board Freshman
1 Corinthians 12:14-20
(14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.)
So the original meaning is a reflection upon these examples in the previous verse, which was a very big deal back then before the cultural paradigm shift would later occur in Christianity.
(13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one bodyJews or Greeks, slaves or freeand all were made to drink of one Spirit.)
However, there are two extremes and I submit that both Protestants and Catholics err. The Orthodox allow married priests, but a bishop must be celibate.
Now there is nothing unique about the value of the family in every culture on God's planet earth. It is not unique to Christianity. It is common via general revelation to all. It doesn't make us better Christians to be married or single, the way I see it. And even good things like the family and money can become idols.
To remain celibate, Paul argues, is to be able to serve the Lord better. I don't think most Protestants believe this. I talk to many of them. They act as though the single youth minister is more dangerous than the married one, for instance. This is not true in my experience. I just found out that a then married youth minister divorced his wife for a young adult that was in his youth ministry. You have married pastors getting busted with child p0rn on their computers and phones.
You have married pastors, elders, and deacons having affairs inside of the church.
Possibly it is so because the more intercourse you get, the flesh cries out for more? Even married regenerate men may m-bate more than some celibate regenerate men. But the stereotype is false. Marriage is said to be apart of our sanctification (1 Corinthians 7).
But...
1 Corinthians 7:8
(8 To the unmarried and the widows I say that (J)it is good for them to remain single, as I am. 9 But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.)
But the married folks assumed that all singles do burn as they did and thus had sex with their future wife. They felt responsibly guilty and got married. Then they all told everyone and their children that they all waited until marriage.
1 Corinthians 7:28-29
(28 But if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if a betrothed woman marries, she has not sinned. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that. 29 This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none,)
More trouble sayeth Pauleth...
But this is what we often do. We put singles into a singles department over there with their Sunday school. That way they can get married and be like us in our image.
No single pastors or elders, or deacons?
We would have to basically get rid of most of the authors of the entire Bible. The Apostle Paul wrote close to 2/3 of the New Testament. Then you have the Gospel authors...then you have most of the prophets...then you most of the priestly editors writing the history in the books of history in the Torah.
So basically instead of letting the older women teach the younger women and the same with old men teaching younger men in Sunday school, we have spliced and divided the kingdom of God falsely.
Most of the authors that God breathed through were single. But they wouldn't be allowed to teach us or be truly with us on Sunday morning. Selah.
(14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.)
So the original meaning is a reflection upon these examples in the previous verse, which was a very big deal back then before the cultural paradigm shift would later occur in Christianity.
(13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one bodyJews or Greeks, slaves or freeand all were made to drink of one Spirit.)
However, there are two extremes and I submit that both Protestants and Catholics err. The Orthodox allow married priests, but a bishop must be celibate.
Now there is nothing unique about the value of the family in every culture on God's planet earth. It is not unique to Christianity. It is common via general revelation to all. It doesn't make us better Christians to be married or single, the way I see it. And even good things like the family and money can become idols.
To remain celibate, Paul argues, is to be able to serve the Lord better. I don't think most Protestants believe this. I talk to many of them. They act as though the single youth minister is more dangerous than the married one, for instance. This is not true in my experience. I just found out that a then married youth minister divorced his wife for a young adult that was in his youth ministry. You have married pastors getting busted with child p0rn on their computers and phones.
You have married pastors, elders, and deacons having affairs inside of the church.
Possibly it is so because the more intercourse you get, the flesh cries out for more? Even married regenerate men may m-bate more than some celibate regenerate men. But the stereotype is false. Marriage is said to be apart of our sanctification (1 Corinthians 7).
But...
1 Corinthians 7:8
(8 To the unmarried and the widows I say that (J)it is good for them to remain single, as I am. 9 But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.)
But the married folks assumed that all singles do burn as they did and thus had sex with their future wife. They felt responsibly guilty and got married. Then they all told everyone and their children that they all waited until marriage.
1 Corinthians 7:28-29
(28 But if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if a betrothed woman marries, she has not sinned. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that. 29 This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none,)
More trouble sayeth Pauleth...
But this is what we often do. We put singles into a singles department over there with their Sunday school. That way they can get married and be like us in our image.
No single pastors or elders, or deacons?
We would have to basically get rid of most of the authors of the entire Bible. The Apostle Paul wrote close to 2/3 of the New Testament. Then you have the Gospel authors...then you have most of the prophets...then you most of the priestly editors writing the history in the books of history in the Torah.
So basically instead of letting the older women teach the younger women and the same with old men teaching younger men in Sunday school, we have spliced and divided the kingdom of God falsely.
Most of the authors that God breathed through were single. But they wouldn't be allowed to teach us or be truly with us on Sunday morning. Selah.
