So Paul tackles marriage in this reading, and apparently Paul is not much of a romantic but more of a realist. He says that if you can, stay unmarried. Unmarried people have less to worry about and can devote their lives to God (priests and nuns). This is a noble calling for some and I absolutely respect the sacrifice these people make.
BUTTT he says if you have desires of the flesh then you need to marry ASAP! Reading this made me feel less like a wife and more like some kind of tool for my husband to use and vice versa. Funny how it started this way and we, in later generations, brought love into the mix. I'm sure these people grew to love each other, but in most cases I don't imagine it started out that way.
Actually I saw a story not long ago about modern day arranged marriages, mostly people from India, who lived in America. These marriages actually have a higher success rate than traditional marriages. Not simply in terms of divorce but also happiness. I think its because we get too wrapped up in the romantic ideas that our society forces down our throats and when marriage doesn't look like what the movies tell us its suppose to look like then we give up.
I may have digressed.....
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It is once again brought clear that we ARE to rebuke fellow believers or those who claim to be when they continually and willfully commit the same sin over and over again (live a life of sin). Whether it's adultery, homosexuality, drunkeness, etc. This is very clear. As it is made very clear, AGAIN, that homosexuality is wrong and that anyone who engages in this lifestyle will not go to Heaven.
Paul also tells us that we must be careful about how much we, as believers, associate with non-believers. Of course, the Amish, take this to the extreme, because they forget or ignore what Jesus said about the sick needing a doctor, not the healthy.
Once again, we can see how often people take judging and associating with un-believers completely out of context when they attempt to decieve either purposefully or out of ignorance a little verse here or there.
Christians should attempt to settle their legal disputes within and among the church/other believers, and not to a secular/civil court of law.
Paul, again, as Jesus did, tells us that food (as well as other certain things, i.e. drinking small amounts of alcohol not to the point of addiction or drunkeness) are ok, but you still have to be careful, because if by doing these things you cause a weaker-minded believer to stumble then you have sinned.
We are God's temple because He lives in us once we accept Him; therefore we should take care of our bodies and not defile them. This includes not eating right and not exercising. I've heard many a protestant preacher rant about smoking and drinking and sexual immorality, all the while he's sweating like a stuck pig on the pulpit because he is 100lbs overweight and has a cholesterol level of 250+ because he's lazy and doesn't eat right. That is hypocrisy.
As Crystal said, Paul clearly shows us that the Bible or God have a stance on marriage. It is neither good or bad. So religions that won't allow their clergy to marry are totally wrong claiming that is Biblical in the sense that it's God's word or will. Sidenote: Paul says, as I've noted before, that there is a difference in commandments and good advice. It is clear which are which if one pays attention while reading. I'm not going to go over any thing else about what he says about marriage here because it seems fairly self-explanatory. Our focus, regardless of marital status, should be on God's work.
Tomorrow is 1 Cor. 9-11
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