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The Celibate Thread
- Thread starter fellowshipseeker
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K9_Trainer
Unusually unusual, absolutely unpredictable
- May 31, 2006
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I was wondering this myself.
I think some "virtues" can come more naturally and easily to some people, depending on their personality, or upbringing.
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Strider1002
For when I am weak, then I am strong.
"The two become one" when married. Their bodies belong to each other. So, married sex is pure. Unmarried is not.
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Paulie079
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Right, because purity of heart begets sexual purity. The biggest difference between Jesus and the Pharisees there is that the Pharisees were only concerned about the action, which is why they could follow the law so well by their own estimation but still had wicked hearts. But with Jesus we are made righteous through his death and resurrection, and the law (or God's commands to us in the Bible) are given to us as boundaries and to show us our need for Christ. At that point it should still be our aim to pursue obedience to God through keeping our hearts, minds, and bodies pure, but we do it in the freedom of His grace that we can use as a springboard that propels us into joyful obedience rather than begrudging obedience.
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MarkSB
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No, as K9 trainer said I think it depends on the person and their upbringing, and their personality traits and own personal weaknesses.
But again, I think at some point in their Christian walk a believer will face some moral circumstances which are difficult for them to overcome.
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Nanopants
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The short answer is that it is God's Spirit that actually purifies the heart by faith (Acts 15:9), and that's possibly more easily said than done, but it shows that virtue is not of or from us, but rather from God, literally.
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Paulie079
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Yeah, most definitely. It is a gradual process, though, and we are active participants in it, so there is a sense in which we are striving towards righteousness even as we look to the Holy Spirit for His sanctifying work and strength. And the great thing is that even when we do fail, there is grace to continue to propel us toward greater obedience and Christlikeness.
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Kingsdotter
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While I agree that virtue is from God, the fact remains that there are different abilities given by Him. Some are celebates because they were born that way, others are because life experiences made them that way, some have made the choice for the sake of the Kingdom. For those of us who remain celebates to serve God, it is a gift, it is an ability given by God for Christian service. Reading through the posts on this thread, it is clear that many cannot accept living a life without sex. This teaching does not apply to everyone but only to those who God has given it.
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- Jul 5, 2005
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Yeah but Jesus told the woman at the well, who had slept with five different men (and He called the husbands) to go and sin no more. So obviously what she was doing was sinning
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Nanopants
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^I think you may be confusing two different stories, but anyways, there's no reason given to assume that the situation is so black and white. Jesus didn't command either the woman caught in adultery or the woman at the well to make themselves eunuchs. IOW, the situation may not be so stringent so as to force a person into a state of asexuality in order to avoid fornication or adultery.
We're admonished to work out our own salvation and to mind our own business, and there should be no reason to be concerned with anyone's private life (even sins) as long as there is no issue that affects a community like a church. Further, to set one's self up as the inspector or boss of one's neighbor's private parts and sexuality, simply because the bible says such and such, is tantamount to religious molestation, in my opinion.
We're admonished to work out our own salvation and to mind our own business, and there should be no reason to be concerned with anyone's private life (even sins) as long as there is no issue that affects a community like a church. Further, to set one's self up as the inspector or boss of one's neighbor's private parts and sexuality, simply because the bible says such and such, is tantamount to religious molestation, in my opinion.
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- Jul 5, 2005
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You are wrong. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we are called to approach one another when we are caught in sin. You may not think you are causing others harm because of what you do in the privacy of your own bedroom, but you are. You are causing the person you are sleeping with to sin as well AND by condoning and defending your position, you may be positioning others to sin. You may not understand how, because you are so entrenched in your own sin that you don't care, but there it is.
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ImperatorWall
Veteran
I don't find in myself the desire or ability to throw stones.
If someone is living in sin, or a fellow believer has fallen into sin, they do not, nor does God, need me to go all fire and brimstone on them. Nor am I responsible for their choices. But at the same time, I will not condone immorality, and they will know this of me by my actions and words.
If someone is living in sin, or a fellow believer has fallen into sin, they do not, nor does God, need me to go all fire and brimstone on them. Nor am I responsible for their choices. But at the same time, I will not condone immorality, and they will know this of me by my actions and words.
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