About the year 55 A.D. one of early Christianity's most articulate spokesmen received an inquiring letter from some new adherents living in the Greek city of Corinth. This letter is lost, but it must have raised questions on the Christian attitude toward marriage because we do have a copy of its reply, written by Paul of Tarsus. His answer, which forms the first Epistle to the Corinthians, includes the longest discussion of marriage left us by an early apostle.See I Cor., Chap. 7;
Paul states his opinion (he says he has no orders from the Lord on the subject) that it is better to remain unmarried so that one may devote more attention to the Lord's affairs. However, he stresses that if one feels he needs marriage it is well to marry. He seems to say that there is nothing wrong in being married even if one has chosen celibacy but cannot maintain his choice; still, he who does not marry "doeth better."I Cor. 7:38 (or perhaps Paul refers to a father's decision whether or not to arrange a marriage for his daughter) From this reply to the Corinthians the deliberate practice of celibacy among certain Christians has probably arisen, even though Paul specifically stated that there is no sin in marriage.
One may naturally conclude from Paul's Epistle that the man or woman who marries is a little less good than the one who is celibate, that there is a smattering of sin in conjugal relations. "Ridiculous," most may reply. But haven't centuries of Christian practice been based on the assumption that Jesus and Paul preferred celibacy for themselves and others and that, therefore, the serious Christian must emulate their example? More than a residue of this belief still exists in human thinking, even though marriage today is considered a perfectly moral institution that needs to be protected from the danger of disintegration. Moral as marriage may be, doesn't the thought often come that it would be better to demonstrate one's God-bestowed completeness alone?
