Singleness and Celibacy - Incomplete

Does a vow of singleness (celibacy) show singleness in its best and highest form? Is singleness is a casualty — a result of the fall — or is it inherently good? Is it the result of sin (like illness) that some people marry and others do not? Is marriage better than singleness? Are people who never marry missing out on one of God’s good earthly gifts as a result of the fall? There is obviously a good purpose in marriage — it is a picture of Christ and the church. But what is the purpose of singleness? There is a marriage vow in the Scriptures. Should there be a parallel vow of singleness? Married couples glorify God by remaining faithful to their marriage vows. But what can unmarried people remain faithful to unless they also take a vow of singleness?

This topic came up recently in conversation, and I thought I would try to write up my initial thoughts. My gut feeling is that I strongly disagree with any kind of vow of singleness. Any mention of such a thing makes me think of the errors of the Catholic church. But is there room for such a vow in the life of a Christian?


The Bible makes it clear that some people have a special calling and gift of singleness. “I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.” (1 Cor. 7:7) According to this Scripture, it would seem that there are some people who do not desire to marry. This is a gift from God.


There are also people who desire to marry but do not have the opportunity. I think of the generation of women who came of age during WWI. Many of them never married because so many young men died in the war. Death is a result of the fall. I also think of Corrie Ten Boom. The man she loved ended up marrying someone else because of his family, and she was single her whole life. I’m sure this was a trial in her life, but God gives his children trials to strengthen them (e.g. Job).


Single or married, we can be completely whole in Christ. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” (Eph. 1:3) “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Phil. 4:12-13


I don’t like the idea of a vow of singleness because it is not mentioned in Scripture. The marriage covenant is mentioned many times, especially in the Old Testament, where God compares Israel to a woman who has broken her marriage covenant. “‘The time is coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,’ declares the LORD.” (Jer. 31:31-32). When asked about divorce, Jesus quotes from Genesis. (Matt. 19:4-6).


I don’t think the Bible ever shows us that there should be a singleness vow that parallels the marriage vow. The only thing I can think of is that a person could choose to make a personal vow. The Old Testament gives a lot of instruction on vows, but it’s not something I really understand. It seems like making vows used to be more common. “When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, ‘My vow was a mistake.’ Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands?” (Ecc. 5:4-6).


Other thoughts to touch on:

  • The goodness of marriage

  • Widows over sixty

Popular posts from this blog

The Franks - History Summary

Clovis gradually rose to power by conquering other small kings of the Franks. The land ruled by the Merovingian dynasty grew until it encroached on Rome. However, the kings gradually lost power to their noblemen. The nobles would make agreements to peasants to protect them, and the peasants would serve the nobles. The kings began granting more and more immunity to the nobles, which meant that they and their law was immune from interference from the king. Finally, the kings had lost almost all their power, and even the royal land was disappearing. Another important event that happened at this time was the Musselman invasion. Because of the Muslims, the focus of Europe was turned north, breaking the continuity between Western Europe and the East. Trade on the shores of the western Mediterranean was becoming non-existent.
Read more

Women in the Church

June 2, 2023 A friend and I were talking recently about women’s ordination. Should women ever be ordained to serve in the church? Is it ever okay for a woman to serve the church in a formalized way? She had been reading in the doctrinal statement of a denomination where they did not allow women’s ordination, and their justification was male headship in marriage. She mostly agreed with the statement, but not with the reasoning. I wanted to take a little time to look at what the Scriptures say about women in the church. Women should remain silent in the churches. Paul gives specific instruction in 1 Cor. 14 about what it should look like when believers come together: “ What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done so that the church may be built up. If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. ...
Read more

Gregory the Great - History Summary

When Pope Gregory the Great came to power in 590 AD, the Roman Empire in the West had almost completely deteriorated. Gregory used his organizational skills to consolidate many things from the Roman empire into the church, bringing stability. As a spiritual leader, he differed from the earlier church fathers. His writings and teachings centered on eternity, heaven, and the torment of hell. The author says that this laid a foundation for the philosophy of medieval times. It also made the church important as the agent of salvation by which all people could be rescued from this terrible and fearful fate. Gregory also consolidated the monks and made them a part of the church. Both his practical side and his mystic side worked together toward his greatest scheme — the Christianization of England. After a long and careful planning stage, the missionaries set out. It was not long before England itself was sending missionaries to colonize Germany. It’s fascinating to me how quickly England was...
Read more