Why do 'you' seek relationships?

[LookingTotheFuture]

Hi,

I had an interesting question for everyone which may get you questioning
your own intentions.


In the First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, Chapter 7 it is written:


9 But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.


32 But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord:

33 But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife.


Why do you seek being involved in relationships?
How do you justify caring for another over caring for things that belong to the Lord?

 

[plum]

Out of those two passages came thousands of years of teaching and belief that the chaste are holier than married people. Just look at roman catholic priests, nuns, and monks. I personally don't think people who get married are less godly than anyone else. But whatever, I'll get back to the main topic

Why do I seek relationships... probably for selfish reasons.

I have an intense desire for companionship, connection, intimacy, love, the whole nine yards. I would love to think that marriage can be a terrific opportunity to serve God. Honestly, these passages make me wonder a bit about Paul and where the heck he was coming from. I don't know enough about him or the ekklesia in Corinth to speak on why he said this to them in the way he did... but I guess on a practical level it makes sense: more time for God if you don't have to worry about taking care of a family or spouse or nurturing that relationship.

It still bugs me...

 

[jasmine88]

Well, Paul was a bit biased...
God said it wasn't good for a man to be alone, and he who finds a wife finds a good thing, and I agree with Him!

 

[heavensangelwv]

I personally seek relationships for companionship; I want someone to share my time with. Not only my time though... my thoughts, my feelings, and myself eventually (after marriage). Most of all though, I suppose I want to love and be loved. I know that there is no greater love than Christ's... but I suppose it is the physical aspect that I like. I like being able to feel warm arms around me when I need someone... No one can comfort like God, but it is just nice to have someone there.

Although you do look for ways to please your significant other when you are in a relationship, I do believe that you can also look for ways to please God together. Sometimes being a Christian is a bit easier when you have another Christian to lean on and to go to for guidance. We also have to remember though, Paul was not speaking of Christ's commandments there... he was stating his personal opinion that he gained from knowing Christ.

I Corinthians 7:6
But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment.

I Corinthians 7:25
Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the LORD: yet I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful.

 

[ImperialPhantom]

Because you can't have just one.









*dodges gunshots from the north*

 

[Beautiful Fireball]

Because you can't have just one.









*dodges gunshots from the north*

You jerk!!!

 

[ImperialPhantom]

You know you like me

 

[Beautiful Fireball]

You know you like me

Mmmmmaybe

 

[Keri]

*Grabs Popcorn*

 

[Keri]

This forum is a soap opera sometimes. I love it.

 

[Beautiful Fireball]

Lol, I knew IP was kidding. Or at least he better be, I don't share very well.

 

[Keri]

LOL!

Speaking of sharing. My sister is watching Big Love right now... that is quite and interesting show.

 

[Timyone]

ummm this thread has stayed on toppic well..

But yeah if we all chose not to get married etc, there would be an end to human kind etc. One thing about the times of Paul is they were expecting the return of Jesus any day (which is what we are supposed to be doing, im not saying any thing against that) but yeah (lol i guess i shouldnt really use this as a point against staying single, because its some thing we can continuously use for just about any argument if we like hey)

But yeah, i guess if its the if you cant stay single thing, then ill go with that and say that yeah i reckon i suck at the single thing and think that it would be better for me to get married, as im so bad at the single bit
i also think that having a partner could really complete me in so many ways, as ive got alot of tallent in alot of things, but lack alot of things that i know a woman could bring into my life... not that im looking for a girl just to do stuff for me..

 

[Braticus]

If God has intened us all to stay single then I think that we would reproduce in a different manner!

I personally don't agree that you fall away from God when you are in a relationship. You have to learn what to put first, if you remember that God is first in everything, a relationship and marriage can bring you closer to God. The wrong sort of relationship pulls you away.

 

[twebcheater]

How do you justify caring for another over caring for things that belong to the Lord?

if both people are Christians then could it be said that they are both doing the lords work due to the fact that they belong to God? Like by caring for one another they are doing Gods work at the same time?

At this point id say if i had to say one reason i seek a relationship (although not too hard of seeking.... just sorta going with the flow) is just a stable companion that will go do things with me and wont move or something without us considering going together.

 

[KomissarSteve]

How do you justify caring for another over caring for things that belong to the Lord?

This is such a "Why do you beat your wife?" type of question...

Regardless, the reason why I seek relationships, romantic or otherwise, is because you cannot tend to Christ's flock without interacting with that flock. You can't claim to serve Christ when you love humanity but hate humans, as the popular adage goes.

I engage in romantic relationships because if I eschew such an important aspect of human material existence on Earth, then I cannot hope to grow fully as a person, and if I do not grow fully as a person, I cannot serve God optimally.

 

[alfrodull]

If God has intened us all to stay single then I think that we would reproduce in a different manner! .

Asexual reproduction through budding sounds like it would be very painful...

Anyway, I think my reasons are two-fold. One is loneliness. It's been so long since I've had anyone I could hug, stay up with until 3 a.m. talking about nothing, be accountable to...I miss that more every day.

And the other thing is pretty shallow, I know, but I just want to have the experience. I mean, more ink (and possibly blood) has been spilled over love than anything else in human history. God himself uses marriage as a metaphor for his relationship with us. I want to understand what all the hoopla's about.

 

[Braticus]

Asexual reproduction through budding sounds like it would be very painful...

Anyway, I think my reasons are two-fold. One is loneliness. It's been so long since I've had anyone I could hug, stay up with until 3 a.m. talking about nothing, be accountable to...I miss that more every day.

Thanks for pointing that out. We can be accountable to our S/O for a lot of things, including spending time with God. We should be an inspiration, and spur one another on to the things of the Lord.

 

[kingoffools13]

Hi,

I had an interesting question for everyone which may get you questioning
your own intentions.


In the First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, Chapter 7 it is written:


9 But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.


32 But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord:

33 But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife.


Why do you seek being involved in relationships?
How do you justify caring for another over caring for things that belong to the Lord?

I think your question misses the point of the passage. Paul was a single dude, and so he wrote it from that view point which can be misleading, but he none the less was right. He places a qualifier at the very beginning. "But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn." now paul wrote this in a way that makes it almost seem bad, but thats the influence of his single point of view. The fact of the matter is that God has made us with a need for companionship (the eve for your adam) and with those burning desires. Very few people come with out both of these, so really as soon as you see that first part, you can assume unless God has placed some other plans before you or you do not have a desire to be with others, that it is ok for you to marry.

And either way he doesn't say its a sin, he just says it "would be better" ... In high school I would often watch tv while I did homework, it would have been better for my concentration if I didn't and i would have finished a bit sooner probably, but I still got it all done. I think the concern here was to make sure that your romantic life doesn't distract from your relationship with God.

k
O
f

 

[Im_A]

Hi,

I had an interesting question for everyone which may get you questioning
your own intentions.


In the First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, Chapter 7 it is written:


9 But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.


32 But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord:

33 But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife.


Why do you seek being involved in relationships?
How do you justify caring for another over caring for things that belong to the Lord?

well i wouldn't say that carrying for another is not caring for things that belond to the Lord. that other woman/man belongs to the Lord.

i'll explain my reasons by what i do not need.

i have realized this:
1. i don't need a woman in my life to be happy.
2. i do not need sex to have a happy life.
3. i do not need children or the proverbial "my own family" to be happy.

so why do i seek a relationship? those things i don't need, but i do want, but more importantly, i want to be in my life with one person. i like that idea. i like the idea of a woman making me happy(and me making her happy equally) even tho i don't need her to. i like the idea of experiencing sex...hopefully a lot with that one special woman that wants me in every possible way. i like the idea of someday having a child or two and create a good family that will bring me happiness even tho i do not need it. i like the idea of standing by a woman for a lifetime...thick and thin and being her man, and her be my woman and God blessing that.

can't get any simpler for me.