Knowingtruth

Show us the differences, scripturally. If you are claiming that Paul's Gospel was different from the other Apostle's Gospel, then this should be very simple for you to do, because you would have the scriptural evidence prepared before making the statement. Your personal opinion carries no weight and sways no one. OK, let me show a few things: Jesus said there is only one Father, that is God, One Teacher, One Leader, and these positions should be not used for men.(Matthew 23:8 to 10) But Paul defines them ignorant of the preaching of Jesus(Ephesians 4:11; 1 Corinthians 4:15)

Paul was to the gentiles as Moses was to the Israelites. Moses delivered the Israelites out of physical labor. Paul delivered the Gentiles out of the spiritual labor of law. Paul's gospel brought in the salvation of grace. The Bible says, the law was nailed to Christ's cross. The cross abolish the law, though many still want to hang on to it. Also says by the deeds of the law no flesh can be saved. The law never had power to completely save an individual. Paradise was as close as they could get to heaven. Christ died and went to paradise and took them to heaven. Even today no man can be saved unless it by simple faith, just as Abraham had, when God accredited righteousness to him when he believed God. Grace by faith is a free gift of Christ. There was and is some different between what Jesus and the disciples taught. It was from law to grace. Remember, Peter at Cornelius's house. He told him, it was unlawful for me to be in his house (a gentile). When he got to the Jerusalem council they contended with him over the matter, but he explain it to them how God had sent him there. Ro m. 15:8 states that Christ was the minister to the Jews, 15:16 says paul was the minister to the gentiles. Paul was definitely the main character(after Christ) in the new testament. Peter verified that in 2cd Peter 3:15-16. he is given credit for over half of the new testament. You, can't take nothing from Paul's gospel. He was bringing in the mystery of grace vs. law. This was a mystery given to Paul only. Eph. chapter 3. The Bible says we will be judges by Paul's gospel. Why didn't Paul just go to the Jerusalem Council and learn from them. Gal. chp. 1 states Christ spent three years with Paul in Arabia. Paul said, follow me as I follow Christ. Mystery was not given to Paul only! When it comes to the Gospel, nothing is held in secret!(Matthew 5:14-15) In Ephesians 3:5, Paul admitted it was made known to apostles and prophets. He was nothing with his ministry immediately after his conversion till he learnt from Peter! We have mediator Jesus before God. Paul cannot interfere there! We should follow Christ not Paul, Peter, Apollos et al!(1 Corinthians 3:4)

Scripture at that time referred to the OT. The previous verse referred to the OT "And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.The verse I quoted says ALL scripture. John 5:39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; Paul was referring to the above mentioned verse writing to Timothy. If he is declaring his epistle as a part of the Scripture, it would have been a tall order! John 7:52 They answered him, "You are not also from Galilee, are you? Search, and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee." The above mentioned verse indicates that those who are blind and deaf cannot understand what the Spirit is saying! It is the Holy Spirit who took over the letter from Pentecost onwards.

The Apostle Paul warned in the strongest possible terms about the attitude of God toward those who would pervert the gospel of Jesus Christ. We can understand this, as it cost God his only son, and Jesus a horrible death by crucifixion. He stated: "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." Galatians 1:8, 9 But he had limited exposure to the Gospel. Peter,probably, would not have told all the things that happened in the ministry of Jesus. There are things that Paul preached that do not conform to the Gospel. Like calling himself as a father or defining someone as teacher, etc. Paul received the full gospel, as taught by Jesus Himself. The bible also states he was taught for 3 yrs after he converted to Christianity (verse 17). Galatians 1 11 And, brothers, I make known to you the gospel which was preached by me, that it is not according to man. 12 For I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it except by a revelation of Jesus Christ. That is his self-claim. How is that not a single statement of Jesus is found in his epistles? Why is that his three years of ministry before coming to Jerusalem finds no recognition? Peter was a chosen 'apostle' and Paul a chosen 'instrument'. The role and status cannot be equated using grammer. Spiritual reckoning and status are different. Since Paul was not in the Jesus' ministry, he has failed to recognize this!

The Apostle Paul warned in the strongest possible terms about the attitude of God toward those who would pervert the gospel of Jesus Christ. We can understand this, as it cost God his only son, and Jesus a horrible death by crucifixion. He stated: "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." Galatians 1:8, 9 But he had limited exposure to the Gospel. Peter,probably, would not have told all the things that happened in the ministry of Jesus. There are things that Paul preached that do not conform to the Gospel. Like calling himself as a father or defining someone as teacher, etc. Paul received the full gospel, as taught by Jesus Himself. The bible also states he was taught for 3 yrs after he converted to Christianity (verse 17). Galatians 1 11 And, brothers, I make known to you the gospel which was preached by me, that it is not according to man. 12 For I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it except by a revelation of Jesus Christ. That is his self-claim. How is that not a single statement of Jesus is found in his epistles? Why is that his three years of ministry before coming to Jerusalem finds no recognition?

It has to be understood through the leading of the Holy Spirit. It is not according the letter, but by the Spirit. Otherwise, it is no different from the OT leading to same misunderstood concepts. But if you claim paul didnt teach the gospel, you are saying his letters in the bible are not the word of God. Therefore inaccurate. My belief is that Paul knew only a part of the ministry of Jesus as told by Peter. Therefore, when his words do not conform to the Gospel, not much importance can be given to them.

Im going to add to that. The verses below show that the apostles considered paul's letters on the same level as scripture. 2 Peter 3 15 And think of the long-suffering of our Lord as salvation (as our beloved brother Paul also has written to you according to the wisdom given to him 16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which the unlearned and unstable pervert, as also they do the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction). Experts in logic say that it could be argued that epistles of Paul do not form the part of the Scripture as misunderstood of the verse you have quoted! At that time Scripture meant only OT. It is also argued that 2 Peter was not written by Peter but some one of Paul's disciples.

Paul was to the gentiles as Moses was to the Israelites. Moses delivered the Israelites out of physical labor. Paul delivered the Gentiles out of the spiritual labor of law. Paul's gospel brought in the salvation of grace. The Bible says, the law was nailed to Christ's cross. The cross abolish the law, though many still want to hang on to it. Also says by the deeds of the law no flesh can be saved. The law never had power to completely save an individual. Paradise was as close as they could get to heaven. Christ died and went to paradise and took them to heaven. Even today no man can be saved unless it by simple faith, just as Abraham had, when God accredited righteousness to him when he believed God. Grace by faith is a free gift of Christ. There was and is some different between what Jesus and the disciples taught. It was from law to grace. Remember, Peter at Cornelius's house. He told him, it was unlawful for me to be in his house (a gentile). When he got to the Jerusalem council they contended with him over the matter, but he explain it to them how God had sent him there. Ro m. 15:8 states that Christ was the minister to the Jews, 15:16 says paul was the minister to the gentiles. Paul was definitely the main character(after Christ) in the new testament. Peter verified that in 2cd Peter 3:15-16. he is given credit for over half of the new testament. Relationship between Moses and Israelites and Paul and Gentiles are different. Moses belonged to Israelites, not Paul to Gentiles. The Law was not nailed to the cross. God did not give something to be wasted. The Law was fulfilled in Christ because it was incomplete. As you say, salvation is a simple faith in abiding with the law of Christ, not trying to come up a convenient commentary of complicated Paul's writings that were written to refute complex philosophy of Greeks. The context cannot be superimposed now.

Scripture at that time referred to the OT.

Paul's Gospel was the same exact Gospel that every Apostle taught. No difference. He preached Jesus, as God Himself in human form crucified and resurrected for the substitutional sacrifice for our sins. That is Paul's Gospel. Same as Matthew's. Same as Mark's. Same as Luke's. Same as John's. Same as Peter's. No difference in any of their Gospels. They all preached and taught the same thing. Only the audiences they preached that Gospel to were different in some cases The Gospel "we all know now" was the result of Paul being directed by Christ to spread that Gospel predominantly to the Gentiles instead of the Jews so that that Gospel would eventually reach the world. What would the motivation be for discrediting Paul? 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly--mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? 4 For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not mere men? 5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe--as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9 For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. Paul would not have considered "his" Gospel as any different than that of any other Apostle or fellow worker who was preaching Christ crucified. Nor would he have considered it "his" in a possessive or different sense. I do not think it is right to assume that Paul taught identically the same Gospel written by Matthew, Mark, John and Luke. We see different versions and statements within the four gospels. What statements did Paul's gospel contain? We do not know because Paul has never quoted anything from the four books!

Typically when people attempt to negate the Biblical teachings of Paul the end goal is to negate the miracles performed by Jesus and ultimately the divinity of Jesus Christ Himself. What exactly are you trying to accomplish with such a thread? God bless, GE My intention is to recognize the limitations of Paul based on the Gospel. His concepts should conform to the four books of the Gospel and other NT books of the apostles and others. I think, Thomas Jefferson had cut out miracles of Jesus from his copy of the Bible.

Unfortunately, his preaching in many cases deviate from the Gospel we know of now.

And Nehemiah spoke of his God. And He is my God, and it is my Gospel. Jesus is our personal Savior too. Apostle Thomas cried out, "My Lord and my God!" Gospel can only be referred to as our Gospel. Because it was meant for all!

The apostles accepted Paul as a chosen instrument called by Jesus, not as another apostle since they had already replaced Judas Iscariot.

Like what? Please share. Examples: Claiming as an apostle, speaking in unknown tongues, establishing communion in tone with OT Passover, claiming as a father, calling someone as a teacher, bringing division in Jerusalem Church, ridiculing Peter openly, claiming as a pharisee even after conversion, etc.

The Apostle Paul warned in the strongest possible terms about the attitude of God toward those who would pervert the gospel of Jesus Christ. We can understand this, as it cost God his only son, and Jesus a horrible death by crucifixion. He stated: "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." Galatians 1:8, 9 But he had limited exposure to the Gospel. Peter,probably, would not have told all the things that happened in the ministry of Jesus. There are things that Paul preached that do not conform to the Gospel. Like calling himself as a father or defining someone as teacher, etc.

Paul was not entirely wrong. He only adopted an approach that suited the philosophy of Greeks to win them over. Staying put in the same slot now by spiritually grown believers may only make them complacent and stagnant spiritually.

So I'm going with No. Paul did not preach his personal gospel or a different gospel. There are so many points to discussed to bring home the point that Paul missed out some important concepts preached by Jesus. At the outset, let us confine to his claim of apostleship. I believe, it is a self-claim unsupported by Jesus and other apostles.

It has to be understood through the leading of the Holy Spirit. It is not according the letter, but by the Spirit. Otherwise, it is no different from the OT leading to same misunderstood concepts.

Paul spoke of his gospel! (Romans 2:16, 16:25, and 2 Timothy 2:8) Paul was not a part of Jesus' earthly ministry. He appears to have missed out some important fundemental concepts of Christianity preached by Jesus! As a pharisee, it looks like he brought in some OT concepts that do not conform to the Gospel we all know now.

I believe that the word of God is what is heard. Scripture is what is written inspired by the Holy Spirit. Luke 8:21 But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it." 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness Word of God when spoken with utterances given by the Holy Spirit is more authentic and authoritative compared to the Scripture that may depend on the person penning it, and also it may get altered in translation, in copying, etc. Furthermore, word of God will accomplish its purpose and will not go as a waste. It is extremely important to understand the subtle and profound differences between the two to understand the ways of God for our spiritual growth.

Excerpts from published book "Can A Christian Marry, Divorce and Remarry?"Celibacy is one the strong pillars of Christianity. MARRIAGE Marriage basically represents the bonding of two entities that were one before bifurcation was done by God. So to begin with we have this verse: “And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man” (Genesis 2:22). The reason for bringing woman to man was to provide him a helper to rule the world together and also to become fruitful and multiply. It is interesting to observe that the word ‘marriage’ appears later well after Adam and Eve came together to bear children. That is, during the period of Moses! (“If he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish”--Exodus 21:10). After the fall of Adam and Eve, God cursed them and gave them over to carnal desire: “Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee"(Genesis 3:16). The carnal desire and routine work were made part of all living organisms and life on earth for increasing their numbers. Man being created in the image of God, naturally, came up with an honorable societal arrangement known as ‘marriage’ to differentiate himself from the animals. Bible never defines marriage as holy anywhere! It is a misleading concept propagated by Christendom! Of course, marriage is honorable: “Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge” (Hebrews 13:4). If marriage had been holy, it would mean then, starting from John the Baptist, followed by Jesus Christ and many others, had lived unholy lives for practicing celibacy! God forbid such a thought! Men who practiced celibacy right from the beginning have a special status in heaven as revealed in the book of Revelation: “These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb” (Revelation 14:4). What is extremely important to recognize is that what was a primary requirement in the OT became a secondary preference in the NT! It follows that the ministry of Jesus required celibacy to preach the news on the kingdom of God. Right from the very beginning, we notice men who were celibates heralding the Gospel. Jesus did not marry. He proclaimed, “For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it” (Matthew 19:12) Many of His apostles were not married; even the married gave up their families to follow Jesus all the way! Apostle Thomas who came to India to preach the Gospel did not come with his wife, if at all he had been married. He proclaims that he remained unmarried. That is what we read in the ‘Acts of Thomas’. Paul did not recommend marriage for discipleship: “Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman” (1 Corinthians 7:1). He continued, “For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that. I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I” (v. 7 & 8). However, for the weak he recommends, “But if they do not have self-control, let them marry; for it is better to marry than to burn with passion”( v. 9). Paul also says that withholding is better than giving in marriage: “So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better” (1 Corinthians 7:38). We see before the flood, people having fun with celebration of marriages. If marriages were holy why then the people were destroyed in spite of so called holy activities? “They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:27) Therefore, it is the celibacy that is holy that qualifies a man for the ministry of preaching, besides other factors, not marriage! A carnal relationship of a sinful man with a sinful woman yields a sinful child. If it had been holy, then children would have been holy from birth. Jesus remained holy despite His birth through Mary because of the conception through the Holy Spirit. Agape love is exclusive. Christendom is mixing up carnal love with agape love. Celibacy is meant for experiencing and practicing agape love. The first and foremost commandment is to love God with reverence as revealed in verse 5 of Deuteronomy chapter 6: “thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” was generally not fully fulfilled in the OT times as was the case with the letter of the Law. Marriages are not made in heaven! Jesus answered and said unto them, “Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven” (Matthew 22:29-30). There is only one spiritual marriage and that will be in heaven, and that is with the Lamb: “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready” (Revelation 19:7). Therefore, it is the will of God that one should remain celibate to love and serve Him in totality. But for those who are not strong enough to practice celibacy, they can marry as advised by Paul. Yet, their aim in life should be to give importance in becoming disciples or followers of Jesus instead of simply believers. That was exactly the call of Jesus, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14: 26-27). Furthermore, He clarifies, “So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple” (v.33) Therefore, it follows that fuller edification is not possible with a marital relationship and responsibilities because it means divided love between God and one’s family. Paul says, “But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none” (1 Corinthians 7:29). He follows this with, “But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife” (v.33). It follows that Christendom is simply making a spiritual mountain out of a molehill of a carnal bondage! It is interesting to notice that neither Jesus nor His apostles performed marriages at any time in their ministry. This is a clear indication that their ministry never gave importance to marriage when it comes to spiritual growth and salvation. Whereas priests, pastors non-believers and the world give so much importance to that with their extravagant expenditure and arrangements! One can be certain that Christendom has never received any authority from the Son of God to perform marriages! It is simply an honorable societal norm that is recognized, but wrongly given spiritual color to practically a secular agreement. If matrimony is really considered holy, look at the way God asked Hosea, the prophet, to marry a harlot: “The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD” (Hosea 1:2). I see that you are also quoting from spurious gospels such as Thomas, written by gnostics who believed that everything of flesh is evil therefore women are evil, and these were completely rejected by the early church fathers as not being authentic. They wrote them and then forged another person's name on them. It was common practice to wait till the person died and his friends, and then write some fiction forging an apostles name to it. NOW THE SPIRIT EXPRESSLY SAYS THAT IN LATTER TIMES SOME WILL DEPART FROM THE FAITH, GIVING HEED TO DECEIVING SPIRITS AND DOCTRINES OF DEMONS,, SPEAKING LIES IN HYPOCRICY, HAVING THEIR OWN CONSCIENCE SEERED WITHA HOT IRON, FORBIDDING TO MARRY,-- 1 Timothy 4: 1-3a NKJV Therefore I desire that the younger widows marry, bear children, manage the house, 1 Tim 5: 14 NKJV MARRIAGE IS HONORABLE AMONG ALL, AND THE BED UNDEFILED; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge. Hebrews 13:4 Please do not spread lies and false doctrine here. Many are weak, and,therefore, even the word 'celibacy' is harsh on their ears! Consequently, they will be looking for 'ear tickling' theories. I have only given excerpts from the book. It would be fair enough, if the comment was made at the end(indicated above in bold letters) could have been done to express an individual opinion after reading the entire book! This is a typical attempt of building theology with piece-wise verses that is so common in Protestant groups. The best answer to this is that we should follow in the footsteps of Jesus. He was unmarried. So also John the Baptist, apostles Thomas, John, Paul, Clement of Rome, Popes, et al. Book of Revelation has given special status to people who were not defiled with women! Apocryphal books cannot be discarded. Jude quotes from such a book! Just because people called Jesus a Rabbi does not mean he was married. In fact, He was called and accused by different names by the unbelieving people!

I think you have been given the right feedback. The major misunderstanding with Pentecostal people is that they are relating what happened in the book of Acts with what was happening in Corinth. It was the utterance of the Holy Spirit in the former and persons' spirits later in Corinth. That is why Paul introduced the role of an interpreter there.

I have noticed in Pentecostal churches, people making animal sounds, rolling on the floor and jumping up and down-- a kind of a free for all! After a little while, the pastor raises his hand (may be to indicate enough is enough) all become quiet and normal. When I narrated this to a Pentecostal believer, she told me that all the spirits of those people are under control of the spirit of the pastor, meaning no involvement of the Holy Spirit in the chaos!

Excerpts from published book "Can A Christian Marry, Divorce and Remarry?" Celibacy is one the strong pillars of Christianity. MARRIAGE Marriage basically represents the bonding of two entities that were one before bifurcation was done by God. So to begin with we have this verse: “And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man” (Genesis 2:22). The reason for bringing woman to man was to provide him a helper to rule the world together and also to become fruitful and multiply. It is interesting to observe that the word ‘marriage’ appears later well after Adam and Eve came together to bear children. That is, during the period of Moses! (“If he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish”--Exodus 21:10). After the fall of Adam and Eve, God cursed them and gave them over to carnal desire: “Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee"(Genesis 3:16). The carnal desire and routine work were made part of all living organisms and life on earth for increasing their numbers. Man being created in the image of God, naturally, came up with an honorable societal arrangement known as ‘marriage’ to differentiate himself from the animals. Bible never defines marriage as holy anywhere! It is a misleading concept propagated by Christendom! Of course, marriage is honorable: “Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge” (Hebrews 13:4). If marriage had been holy, it would mean then, starting from John the Baptist, followed by Jesus Christ and many others, had lived unholy lives for practicing celibacy! God forbid such a thought! Men who practiced celibacy right from the beginning have a special status in heaven as revealed in the book of Revelation: “These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb” (Revelation 14:4). What is extremely important to recognize is that what was a primary requirement in the OT became a secondary preference in the NT! It follows that the ministry of Jesus required celibacy to preach the news on the kingdom of God. Right from the very beginning, we notice men who were celibates heralding the Gospel. Jesus did not marry. He proclaimed, “For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it” (Matthew 19:12) Many of His apostles were not married; even the married gave up their families to follow Jesus all the way! Apostle Thomas who came to India to preach the Gospel did not come with his wife, if at all he had been married. He proclaims that he remained unmarried. That is what we read in the ‘Acts of Thomas’. Paul did not recommend marriage for discipleship: “Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman” (1 Corinthians 7:1). He continued, “For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that. I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I” (v. 7 & 8). However, for the weak he recommends, “But if they do not have self-control, let them marry; for it is better to marry than to burn with passion”( v. 9). Paul also says that withholding is better than giving in marriage: “So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better” (1 Corinthians 7:38). We see before the flood, people having fun with celebration of marriages. If marriages were holy why then the people were destroyed in spite of so called holy activities? “They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:27) Therefore, it is the celibacy that is holy that qualifies a man for the ministry of preaching, besides other factors, not marriage! A carnal relationship of a sinful man with a sinful woman yields a sinful child. If it had been holy, then children would have been holy from birth. Jesus remained holy despite His birth through Mary because of the conception through the Holy Spirit. Agape love is exclusive. Christendom is mixing up carnal love with agape love. Celibacy is meant for experiencing and practicing agape love. The first and foremost commandment is to love God with reverence as revealed in verse 5 of Deuteronomy chapter 6: “thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” was generally not fully fulfilled in the OT times as was the case with the letter of the Law. Marriages are not made in heaven! Jesus answered and said unto them, “Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven” (Matthew 22:29-30). There is only one spiritual marriage and that will be in heaven, and that is with the Lamb: “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready” (Revelation 19:7). Therefore, it is the will of God that one should remain celibate to love and serve Him in totality. But for those who are not strong enough to practice celibacy, they can marry as advised by Paul. Yet, their aim in life should be to give importance in becoming disciples or followers of Jesus instead of simply believers. That was exactly the call of Jesus, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14: 26-27). Furthermore, He clarifies, “So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple” (v.33) Therefore, it follows that fuller edification is not possible with a marital relationship and responsibilities because it means divided love between God and one’s family. Paul says, “But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none” (1 Corinthians 7:29). He follows this with, “But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife” (v.33). It follows that Christendom is simply making a spiritual mountain out of a molehill of a carnal bondage! It is interesting to notice that neither Jesus nor His apostles performed marriages at any time in their ministry. This is a clear indication that their ministry never gave importance to marriage when it comes to spiritual growth and salvation. Whereas priests, pastors non-believers and the world give so much importance to that with their extravagant expenditure and arrangements! One can be certain that Christendom has never received any authority from the Son of God to perform marriages! It is simply an honorable societal norm that is recognized, but wrongly given spiritual color to practically a secular agreement. If matrimony is really considered holy, look at the way God asked Hosea, the prophet, to marry a harlot: “The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD” (Hosea 1:2).