Should man be alone?

Was man created to be alone? We often see priests and monks practicing celibacy and think, how much dedication would it take to be celibate?

Does celibacy give man power over his will? Does God call people to be celibate?

Celibacy (from Latin, cælibatus) is the state of voluntarily being unmarried, sexually abstinent, or both, usually for religious reasons.It is often in association with the role of a religious official or devotee. In its narrow sense, the term celibacy is applied only to those for whom the unmarried state is the result of a sacred vow, act of renunciation, or religious conviction. In a wider sense, it is commonly understood to only mean abstinence from sexual activity.

We see many many religions practicing celibacy such as; Buddhists, Brahma Kumaris, Catholic Church, Hinduism, Etc..

These are just the few of many religions that practice celibacy…So what does the bible say about celibacy?

I have been told on many occasions that maybe God has planned a celibate life for you (just because relationships don’t seem to work for you), maybe it isn’t in Gods plans for you to take a wife. Maybe God wants you to be a missionary or a priest?

Well, regardless of what God has in store for me, I will continue to live by the book and do what the Holy Spirit inspires me to do. I will continue to listen to Gods voice and spend my days building my reward i heaven.

But what does God say about men being alone?

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” (Genesis 2:18)

God originally created man and noticed man was not complete just being alone. Interesting thought here, on a side note, do you think God didn’t see that man would be lonely without a mate? Did God not realize that Adam would need a wife to be complete?

Well, I honestly believe that God did. However, he delayed the process, so that man would appreciate that mate all the more…

How many people rush into marriage simply because its the society norm. Well everyone is getting married, so I guess I will to. The anxiety of being alone pressuring you to search in desperation, only to grab on to the first person that smiles at you.

First off, how are we to approach marriage? 

Are we to run to prophets or pastors in hopes they will reveal our significant other?

No, I honestly think God will not waste his words on something as simple as a marriage decision. As we see all the history of Prophecies, we never see people using prophets for match making.

If you are in any sort of predicament, or are unsure about what you are to do, call out to the Lord and he will provide.

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philipians 4:19).

If you spend your time in the presence of the lord he will provide all the desires of the heart.

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4)

Keep in mind the above verse only applies if you are a person of God and your desires are inspired by the Holy Spirit and not your fleshly desires. This is what the next verses are referring to;

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you (Matthew 7:7).”

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours (Matthew 11:24). 

So as we grow in our faith God will answer all the desires of our heart. It is only natural to want to get married, to have kids, to enjoy the warmth of another. But we are to first find God and all else will be given to us….

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (Matthew 6:13)

We further see God giving us commands of our future journey, and he states; Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh (Gen 2:24).

So to conclude, we are to first turn to God, meditate in his presence, grow spiritually and the desires of our heart (which is inspired by the Holy Spirit that dwells in us) will be fulfilled.

Based on Biblical principal we see too much evidence against celibacy. We see Gods design of us was essentially intended for companionship, for partnership, for becoming one flesh with someone (of the opposite sex only).

there are two passages in the New Testament are typically used to discuss what is sometimes called “the gift of celibacy.” What are they referring to?

“‘I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.’ The disciples said to him, ‘If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.’ Jesus replied, ‘Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.'” (Matthew 19:9-12)

This verse is referring to the gift of celibacy, however, naturally most people do not desire to be celibate. There are people that try and renounce marriage by serving God, But this is practically the only exception.

The term eunuch means; a man who has been castrated, especially (in the past) one employed to guard the women’s living areas at an oriental court.

This may also refer to people that are impotent, celibate, or asexual. Many of these terms are due to lack of testosterone, lack of attraction, or the hormonal imbalance that drives people to have sexual desires.

The second verse we see is when Paul says; it is not wrong to get married, but that it is better if a Christian can stay single. (The reason is that a married man’s attention is “divided” between pleasing the Lord and pleasing his wife; a single man is free to be more focused on the Lord’s work, verses 32-34.) Paul says, “I wish that all men were unmarried as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that” (verse 7). Paul is careful to state that this is “a concession, not . . . a command” (verse 6). The ability to stay single and serve God apart from marriage is a gift. Paul and some others had this gift, but not everyone.

So although we see, the Bible does not explicitly call this “the gift of celibacy,” but it does express that the ability to remain unmarried to serve God more fully is a gift. Most adults desire marriage, and this desire is not sinful. In fact, marriage can keep us from sin: “Since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband” (Corinthians 7:2).

So in conclusion, it is not a sin to be celibate, unless that celibacy is causing you to stumble. We see many people of God that were married- Abraham, David, Noah, Isaiah, Peter, Job, Moses, Joseph and many others. Scriptures seems to indicate that those who choose celibacy (for whatever reason) include Daniel, John the Baptist, Elijah, and Jesus Christ (Although, we can clearly see why Jesus was celibate, he was without sin, born into the world without sin and left without sin except for all the sins of the world when died on the cross).

Sources:

• Donald Cozzens, Freeing Celibacy, Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minn., c. 2006
• Brown, Gabrielle (1980). The New Celibacy: Why More Men and Women Are Abstaining from Sex—and Enjoying It. New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-008430-0  Includes bibliograph