Posted on 06/17/2011 7:58:44 AM PDT by Amerisrael
[Do they?]
"Here are a few reasons why married people in the church tend to be more spiritual than those who are single:
In the beginning God commanded mankind to be fruitful and multiply so he could exercise dominion over the earth. This commandment was given with the assumption that a man and woman should be united in marriage according to Genesis 2:23-25. One of the best ways to serve God is to have children (naturally or through adoption) in marriage so the couple can raise up a godly heritage for the Lord. 1 Timothy 2 even verifies that if a wife raises children in the faith, it is a sure sign of her salvation.
Married couples tend to be less selfish than singles. They have to think about how best to serve their mate and this often takes their focus away from themselves which helps them understand God’s unconditional love better than singles. Single people who have never been married and have no children are often preoccupied with how to please themselves or are busy trying to find a mate. Most of the time, they don’t have someone around 24/7 whose needs they have to look after.
Marriage is a living example of the relationship between Christ and his church, according to Ephesians 5:31-33. In a Christian marriage where the man loves the woman as himself and she reverences her husband, they know what it means to sacrifice oneself for the sake of their spouse just like Jesus sacrificed himself for the sake of his church.
Single people are more prone to fornicate. Because they are so preoccupied with themselves and have no accountability, they tend to read the Bible less which makes them more susceptible to have sex outside of marriage since sex is being advertised everywhere. Their sexual urges then have a way of getting out of control and they give in to their urges by having uncommitted sex partners. Married Christians are accountable to their spouses, are pressured in a positive way by their spouses to spend time with God and minister to others for the Lord, and have a committed partner to fulfill their sexual desires.
Married Christians are more reliable than singles to be available when the church doors are open. Since they are used to following a set schedule and know that they have to be at a certain place at a specific time, they are more familiar with time commitments. Singles, outside of their work schedules, have a tendency to do their own thing on their own time without a set schedule.
I could go on, but I think I’ve listed enough at this point. BTW, if you think I believe any of the stuff I listed above–I had you fooled! The truth is, these are some of the mindsets that have been promoted in churches for years by married couples from the pastors on down and is a source of division in some churches. There may be some singles in the church who fit the profile, but many don’t. But there are also married people who do the things that the singles are accused of. I have heard plenty of single Christians complain about how they are looked down on as being inferior in the church.
Some pastors won’t allow singles to be ministry leaders based on 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 where it says leaders must be the husband of one wife, yet overlooking the fact that Jesus, Paul, and other apostles were single. I have even seen how some married couples will avoid socializing with singles unless there is a crowd because they fear that the single person of the opposite sex will seduce their spouse and the single person of the same sex (especially men) will be a bad influence on their mate. The truth is, there are many singles in the church who look for opportunities to reach out to others with the genuine selfless love of the Lord and desire to contribute the use of their spiritual gifts for the church’s benefit, but are held back by the prejudices of married Christians. This not only hurts the church, but can greatly discourage the single believer.
The bottom line is that we need to exercise the love that God commands us to in the Bible. When we have to deal with worldly people everyday and their evil ways, the church should be the one place that a Christian–single or married–should be greeted with a holy kiss of acceptance and have the freedom to serve in whatever capacity God is leading them to.
Good Lord....is there nothing you people won’t argue about?
I like the summary but I find find the title unnecessarily argumentative. Most threads with type of title I will skip.
Stupid article, only serves to bring divisiveness into the church.
“”The bottom line is that we need to exercise the love that God commands us to in the Bible. When we have to deal with worldly people everyday and their evil ways, the church should be the one place that a Christian–single or married–should be greeted with a holy kiss of acceptance and have the freedom to serve in whatever capacity God is leading them to.””
Very much agree.
“Stupid article, only serves to bring divisiveness into the church.”
Discussing both sides of a disagreement can bring unity and can eliminate divisiveness.
“So then, he who marries the virgin does right, but he who does not marry her does even better.” (1 Cor. 7:38 )
How many people make it through the article to see what he’s doing? I’d wager many read a couple lines and drop it.
Doing it in this manner creates bad feelings and turns people away from the church.
Good grief. Not this crap again!
If someone has a low sex drive and wants to stay single, then good for them. Although someone may be guilted or deceived into such a course, no one should try to change them. Let ‘em regret it when they turn 39. :)
The issue is singles who desire to marry but for whatever reason are prevented from doing so: social awkwardness, no prospects, not willing to take just anyone (yes, I’m being sarcastic on the last one).
Those who desire to marry need support and encouragement from the church, not breathtakingly stupid platitudes, pat answers and guilt-inducing accusations (”idolizing marriage, etc.”) and bad theology.
Forced singleness has consequences. God is sovereign, so He can accept those things. If He doesn’t like the consequences, He can change them. If neither, then...
Wasn’t Paul single? The way I see it, Paul served God pretty well in writing most of the New Testament.
What about those who are single who are devoted and faithful Christians? Did not the scriptures say about those who are single but serve the Lord?
Yes, Paul was single and I do believed counciled those Christians who were single in at least the I Corth book of the NT.
“Wasn’t Paul single? The way I see it, Paul served God pretty well in writing most of the New Testament.”
All we know for sure is that Rabbi Sha’ul [Paul] was single at the time he wrote his letters. That does not mean he was never married. He never says that about himself.
Did you read the full article? Did you see this part:
“I could go on, but I think I’ve listed enough at this point. BTW, if you think I believe any of the stuff I listed above–I had you fooled!
The truth is, these are some of the mindsets that have been promoted in churches for years by married couples from the pastors on down and is a source of division in some churches.
There may be some singles in the church who fit the profile, but many don’t. But there are also married people who do the things that the singles are accused of. I have heard plenty of single Christians complain about how they are looked down on as being inferior in the church.”
While the author calls attention to some serious issues in regards to married vs. single, he has a very spot-on summary at the end.
My short point was not to debate small details of Paul's life, but to show a prominent example of a single who had served God "well".
All can serve God; we are a body - consisting of many parts with different, but complimentary, functions.
Both Jesus and Paul believed that celibacy could result in a higher state of spirituality. How about some Jesus:
Matthew 19: 12 Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage 9 for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it."
Here is some Scripture that outlines what one of the earliest Bishops believed:
1 Corinthians 7: 5 Do not deprive each other, except perhaps by mutual consent for a time, to be free for prayer, but then return to one another, so that Satan may not tempt you through your lack of self-control. 6 This I say by way of concession, 4 however, not as a command. 7 Indeed, I wish everyone to be as I am, but each has a particular gift from God, 5 one of one kind and one of another. 8 6 Now to the unmarried and to widows, I say: it is a good thing for them to remain as they are, as I do, 9 but if they cannot exercise self-control they should marry, for it is better to marry than to be on fire.
Clearly the teaching is here that celibacy is not to be shunned for all. For those who are chosen by God for it, it is better and they are better servants of God for it.
we serve the Lord best when we follow his will.
It’s not being single or married.
Equally false, a soulish person might believe married people are more prone to adultery.
Neither claim is made with a doctrinal understanding of agape love, the role of sex in marriage, nor sex within God's Plan. The assertion also focuses upon the act of sex and thoughts of sex independent of faith in Christ.
The author simply is telegraphing his own past sinful thinking.
This guy’s website is a conspiracy theorist’s dream.
“The author simply is telegraphing his own past sinful thinking.”
Did you read the full article?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.