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Men Marrying Late -- Or Not At All

Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by Martin, Aug 7, 2006.

  1. tinytim

    tinytim <img src =/tim2.jpg>

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    Now that has got to be the quote of the week here!!!!

    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
     
  2. El_Guero

    El_Guero New Member

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    Martin

    Your strawman is that Paul wrote 1 Cor about marriage, Paul wrote 1 Cor in responce to problems in the church at Corinth and specifically answered some of their questions.

    You do not know what the questions are, but you interpret the Scripture as if the questions were something like, (1) "Everyone tells us young adults that we must get married, but we think God made all of us to be single. And we think being single is more holy than being married. We think this because everyone is getting divorced. What do you think Paul?"

    Not knowing what the questions were, I could say the questions were, (2) "Paul there are these new believers in the church that say we must remain single. And if we are married then we must divorce. They say that everyone must be single, because we are in the end times. What do you say?"

    All we know, is what the Scripture actually tells us. Moses, Jesus, & Paul all say that if someone is called by God to be a eunuch (the greek word eunuch means castrated one - just like steer instead of bull or gelding instead of stallion or eunuch instead of man), then remain so. But, if you aren't spiritually or physically castrated, then you should marry to prevent sexual immorality.

    The logical flow of the passage indicates that the questions asked of Paul were more along the lines of (2) than they were to question (1). And the questions were in responce to a group in the church wanting to respond to the sexual immorality of Corinth by enforcing that the men become eunuchs (you use the word celibate instead).

    Paul was clear in 1 Cor 7:1 - if you can be a eunuch, then do so. Because of sexual immorality, don't try to coerce believers into singleness (eunuchism).

    One of the verses says clearly that it is better to marry than to burn.

    If you don't like what Paul said, cut it out of your Bible.
     
  3. El_Guero

    El_Guero New Member

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    I have known two men in my life that I felt God had made to be single.

    One was married and regreted his decision.

    The other thought he wanted to be married, and thankfully his dating capability was such that he will probably never get married.

    I have met hundreds of men and women today that claim they are supposed to be single for decades at a time. They are usually angry and bitter. They say that they are waiting for that one and only. They are waiting for a perfect man or woman. Paul said, marry rather than burn.

    I ask young people about their living situations, I do the math, and I come to the answer that the younger generation of the church:

    Has chosen to become intentionally irrelevant to a world that needs the Gospel of Jeus Christ. The world sees 'believers' living in sin just like them.

     
  4. StefanM

    StefanM Well-Known Member
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    No one here is defending "living in sin." I think we all agree that living together before marriage is wrong.
     
  5. El_Guero

    El_Guero New Member

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    Stefan

    I apologize, I must have misunderstood. From your posts, I got the feeling that you were a married man that did not like his marriage and that you felt that singleness was better than your married life. I have heard that line of reasoning way tooo much.

    From a couple of your posts it would seem to me that we are agreeing that some people are designed by God to be single, but most are designed to be married?
     
  6. StefanM

    StefanM Well-Known Member
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    Yes. That is my position. I love being married. I'd go insane if I were single!
     
  7. El_Guero

    El_Guero New Member

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    Unfortunately, I go insane in your place . . .
     
  8. El_Guero

    El_Guero New Member

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    The dislike of marriage among our 'Christian' singles today is pervasive.

    "If I get married, I could get divorced." Is a comment upon our society that should make every true believer tremble in shame and fear of God's wrath that is to come.

    I never thought that I would get right with God, surrender to His ministry, and then find that Baptist women quit liking men.
     
  9. Martin

    Martin Active Member

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    ==I am aware of the reasons Paul wrote 1Corinthians and I have not said that he wrote it about marriage. 1Corinthians chapter 7 deals with, among a few other things, the issue of marriage and singleness.

    ==The questions written to Paul are lost however I don't see how that adds to your arugment or takes away from mine. Btw I do think verse 1 gives us a hint of the issue Paul was dealing with.

    ==I am not sure that Jesus was using the term in a literal sense. How many men do you know who were castrated by others or castrated himself for the Kingdom of God? So it is my understanding that Jesus was not using the term in a literal sense.

    ==I don't know anyone who is trying to "coerce believers into singleness".

    ==And I have quoted that very verse several times in my discussions on this matter. However Paul does not say that every person should marry, does he? Nope. In fact he says he wishes "all men" were able to be single like he was. However Paul realized that such was not realistic. This is why Jesus stressed that the statement, "it is better not to marry", can only be accepted by "those to whom it has been given". Most people certainly cannot accept the statement however those who can should not be told, by people like Maken, that they are in sin because they are denying some other person the pleasure of marriage (etc). All men are not under "divine obligation...to marry". That is my whole argument in one tight little statement.

    ==I don't even know where that is coming from.
     
  10. Martin

    Martin Active Member

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    ==Where in Scripture are we given permission to discern this in others? Neither Jesus nor Paul said anything of the such. Paul made it clear that marriage is permissible at any point (1Cor 7:28). However marriage is not required of anyone though for most it is better (1Cor 7:9).

    ==And that has to do with, what? If someone cannot accept the statement of Matthew 19:10 then they should get married.

    ==Believers do not live in sin (1Jn 3:9-10). The problem of professing believers living in sin is not related to the singleness issue it is related to the salvation issue. These people are not regenerated and their behavior screams it loud and clear. If they do not repent they will end up in the lake of fire (1Cor 6:9-10, Gal 5:19-21, Rev 21:8, etc).
     
  11. Martin

    Martin Active Member

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    ==The problem is that the church has left the door of divorce and remarriage open when Scripture, with few exceptions, does not. If preachers were to preach about the SIN of remarriage (after divorce) and if preachers were more direct about the dangers of entering marriage carelessly, the divorce rate in the church would drop. We have allowed James Dobson, and other social types, to pull us away from the Word of God. Divorce is not acceptable (in most cases). So before people get married they better make sure that this is the person they wish to spend the rest of their natural life with. Because once they are married its too late. He can't divorce her because she gets fat and she can't leave him because he does not know how to communicate. People better get all of that settled before they get married.
     
  12. Brother Bob

    Brother Bob New Member

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    removed post
     
    #112 Brother Bob, Aug 18, 2006
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 18, 2006
  13. El_Guero

    El_Guero New Member

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    Martin

    That is one of of your better posts . . .
     
  14. El_Guero

    El_Guero New Member

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    ;) Maybe you should focus on your unique gift of eunuch-ness.
     
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