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Summary
- Paul wished all were unmarried like him, wrote that “he who refrains from marriage will do even better,” and called marriage no sin (1 Corinthians 7:7–9, 28, 38).
- His reason was undivided devotion: the unmarried are anxious about “the things of the Lord,” the married about pleasing a spouse (1 Corinthians 7:32–35).
- Jesus said celibacy “for the sake of the kingdom of heaven” is for those “to whom it is given” (Matthew 19:10–12).
- The Catholic Church teaches that celibacy for the kingdom is the higher state and that both it and marriage come from the Lord (Council of Trent; Catechism 1618–1620).
- The Orthodox Church ordains married men as priests and chooses bishops from single men or widowers, usually monks.
- Protestant confessions deny that celibacy is a holier state and teach that all who are able to consent may marry.
Bibliography (Click to show)
- Scripture quotations from the English Standard Version (1 Corinthians 7:1–2, 7–9, 25–29, 32–35, 38; Matthew 19:4–5, 10–12; 22:30; Jeremiah 16:2; Genesis 2:18, 24; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Timothy 4:3).
- Council of Trent, Twenty-Fourth Session (11 November 1563), Canons on the Sacrament of Matrimony, canon 10. https://www.papalencyclicals.net/councils/trent/twenty-fourth-session.htm
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1579, 1618–1620, 1658 and 2349. https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P4X.HTM, https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P51.HTM, https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P56.HTM and https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P85.HTM
- John Paul II, Familiaris Consortio (1981), 16. https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_19811122_familiaris-consortio.html
- John Paul II, Mulieris Dignitatem (1988), 22. https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/1988/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_19880815_mulieris-dignitatem.html
- Orthodox Church in America, The Orthodox Faith, vol. 2, “Monasticism,” “Marriage” and “Holy Orders.” https://www.oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith/worship/the-sacraments/monasticism, https://www.oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith/worship/the-sacraments/marriage and https://www.oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith/worship/the-sacraments/holy-orders
- Augsburg Confession (1530), Article XXVII, “Of Monastic Vows.” https://bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession/of-monastic-vows/
- Church of England, Articles of Religion, Article XXXII, “Of the Marriage of Priests.” https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/book-common-prayer/articles-religion
- Westminster Confession of Faith, chapter 24, “Of Marriage and Divorce.” https://opc.org/wcf.html
- John Piper, “For Single Men and Women (and the Rest of Us),” in Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, ed. John Piper and Wayne Grudem (Crossway, 1991), 13–21. https://cdn.desiringgod.org/website_uploads/documents/books/recovering-biblical-manhood-and-womanhood.pdf
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