{"id":82989,"date":"2011-12-20T00:49:52","date_gmt":"2011-12-19T22:49:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/moldovacrestina.md\/monasticism-celibacy-asceticism-what-the-bible-says"},"modified":"2017-06-11T17:50:38","modified_gmt":"2017-06-11T15:50:38","slug":"monasticism-celibacy-asceticism-what-the-bible-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moldovacrestina.md\/en\/monasticism-celibacy-asceticism-what-the-bible-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Asceticism, monasticism and celibacy – What does the Bible say?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Question:<\/p>\n

I would like to ask your position on several, recent incidences in Romania<\/a>. The first case is about a monk<\/a> in a monastery<\/a> who practiced exorcism<\/a> on a nun<\/a> with the help of another nun for about 5 years until they finally killed her. They were both put in prison and after 4 or 5 years they were released.\u00a0<\/em>The second case is more recent, a nun from the monastery in C\u0103l\u0103ra\u015fi<\/a> gave birth to twins, who were fathered by a monk from another monastery. Is this suitable behavior for people who are supposed to have dedicated their lives to worshipping and serving God? Are there passages in the Bible<\/a> that teach us to live alone in the wilderness without marrying and raising a family, the way that nuns and monks are supposed to do? What about Catholic priests<\/a>, who are not to marry or have sexual relations, what do we say about the alarming number of child abuse cases as well as the number of animal violations? Thank you very much and may the Lord help us!<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/h2>\n

There are always a few bad apples in every barrel \u2026<\/span><\/h2>\n

It is definitely sad to hear of such cases, especially among people who are supposed to be godly. We must remember that we cannot judge an entire denomination<\/a> or the practice of monasticism<\/a> based on a few individual, isolated cases. As it is said, \u201cthere are always going to be a few bad apples in every barrel<\/em>\u201d and that is true even among Christian denominations. There have always been people among the faithful who have sinned openly and brought shame to their respective denominations and to the Church of Jesus Christ<\/a> as well as to the Christian faith. I hope that these monks, nuns, and priests who were caught in the trappings of immorality were disciplined by their respective denominations according to the discipline that was practiced during the time of the Apostle Paul<\/a>, like the case of the man in the Corinthian<\/a> church who was openly practicing incest with his step-mother. Actually, if church discipline were correctly applied to all immoral people in the church, who pretend to be Christians, then all would view the consequences of sin very seriously. On the other hand, if cases of immorality are overlooked or tolerated, then the words of the Apostle Paul ring true, \u201ca little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough<\/em>\u201d, which means that a few people living openly in sin will end up affecting the entire body of believers and the high standards that God has set in the Bible will be lowered (by the people, not by God).<\/p>\n

Is monasticism a requirement for righteousness and salvation? <\/span><\/h2>\n

No way! The Bible does not teach that celibacy<\/a> or asceticism<\/a>, being isolated from the world, is a requirement for a person\u2019s salvation. It is true that the Apostle Paul was not married during the time of his Christian ministry and that he recommended that others, if they are able, to remain unmarried saying that he or she would have greater liberty and possibilities to serve in the ministry of the Gospel if unmarried. Having said that, Paul never writes that celibacy is a requirement for salvation or that a celibate is holier than the married person. In fact, the opposite is true. He condemns those who teach that type of doctrine. In I Timothy, Paul writes the following:<\/p>\n

But <\/a>the Spirit explicitly says that <\/a>in later times some will <\/a>fall away from the faith, paying attention to <\/a>deceitful spirits and <\/a>doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars <\/a>seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, men who <\/strong><\/a>forbid<\/strong> marriage<\/strong> and advocate <\/a>abstaining from foods which <\/a>God has created to be <\/a>gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. (I Timothy<\/a> 4:1-3)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

We also need to realize that the Orthodox Church<\/a> does not teach that monasticism is a requirement for salvation.<\/p>\n

What does the Bible teach? <\/span><\/h2>\n

Monasticism is not mentioned in the Bible. We do not find one single monk, nun, or monastery in the New Testament<\/a>. These terms and ideas appeared much later and were the ideas of people who wanted to dedicate themselves to God fully in a number of different services such as prayer or caring for the sick or copying holy books etc. It is sad to see in our modern times a distortion of this type of dedication. Some people, who have become disillusioned with life or disappointed by others, seek the isolation that a monastery has to offer. The Gospel<\/a> does not teach anything like that. The Gospel teaches that those who have believed in Jesus Christ are to go out among the people, being totally dedicated to God while serving the people around them with the Gospel. I believe that Mother Teresa<\/a> was a great example of living among the people and serving God by serving the people around her. She chose to live among those who were in the most need because of her love for Jesus Christ. She chose not to isolate herself but to live a selfless lifestyle serving the people around her. She was not preoccupied with herself, she lived and served the people around her as Jesus Christ did when He walked this earth.<\/p>\n

About priests who are not allowed to marry<\/span><\/h2>\n

If the Catholic denomination has decided that only unmarried men can be priests then that is their decision. This is not a teaching or command that we find in the Bible. The only criteria that we find in the Bible about who can be an overseer, pastor, or deacon is that they must be \u201chusbands of only one wife\u201d. For example:<\/p>\n

An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband<\/strong> of <\/strong>one<\/strong> wife<\/strong>, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach (I Timothy 3:2)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Deacons must be <\/a>husbands<\/strong> of only <\/strong>one<\/strong> wife<\/strong>, and <\/a><\/a>good managers of their children and their own households. (I Timothy 3:12)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you, namely, if any man is above reproach, the husband<\/strong> of <\/strong>one<\/strong> wife<\/strong>, having children who believe, not accused of dissipation or rebellion. (Titus<\/a> 1:5-6)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

We have to be careful not to move to the other extreme end of the spectrum claiming that if a person is not married then he cannot be ordained<\/a> as a deacon<\/a> or pastor<\/a> or an overseer<\/a>. The Apostle Paul was not married when he was ordained and we do not see anything about Timothy <\/a>being married when Paul ordained him. There are a few things that are clearly written about what an ordained man must be like. He must be temperate<\/a> and prudent<\/a>, able to control his sexual desires as well as any other desire that could enslave him.<\/p>\n

Translation by: Erik Brewer<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Question: I would like to ask your position on several, recent incidences in Romania. The first case is about a monk in a monastery who practiced exorcism on a nun with the help of another nun for about 5 years until they finally killed her. 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Din Aprilie 2007 am oferit r\u0103spunsuri din Biblie pe acest site la \u00eentreb\u0103ri adresate de cititori. Mai mult despre mine citi\u021bi\u00a0aici.","url":"https:\/\/moldovacrestina.md\/en\/author\/vasile-filat\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/moldovacrestina.md\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/moldovacrestina.md-monasticism-celibacy-asceticism-what-the-bible-says-02_0.jpg","video_meta":false,"featured_image":"https:\/\/moldovacrestina.md\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/moldovacrestina.md-monasticism-celibacy-asceticism-what-the-bible-says-02_0.jpg","wpml":{"language_code":"en","locale":"en_US","text_direction":false,"display_name":"English","native_name":"Englez\u0103","different_language":false},"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":83233,"url":"https:\/\/moldovacrestina.md\/en\/overcoming-sin-become-monk\/","url_meta":{"origin":82989,"position":0},"title":"Is becoming a monk the solution to overcoming sin?","author":"Vasile Filat","date":"May 31, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question:What is your opinion about a person (a woman) who has taken part in the ways of the world, committing the worst of sins and now she wants to retract from the world and live in a monastery as a nun. Is this the solution to her problems? What are\u2026","rel":"","context":"<span class=\"jp-relatedposts-post-author\">Vasile Filat<\/span>","block_context":{"text":"Answers from the Bible","link":"https:\/\/moldovacrestina.md\/en\/answer-from-the-bible\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":56247,"url":"https:\/\/moldovacrestina.md\/en\/is-it-a-sin-not-to-marry\/","url_meta":{"origin":82989,"position":1},"title":"Is it a sin not to marry?","author":"Vasile Filat","date":"October 10, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have read several of your articles and I have a question: Is it written somewhere in the Bible if it is a sin or not\u00a0to not marry? It is well known to anyone who has read the Scriptures, that God is the author of marriage. But in this\u2026","rel":"","context":"<span class=\"jp-relatedposts-post-author\">Vasile Filat<\/span>","block_context":{"text":"Answers from the Bible","link":"https:\/\/moldovacrestina.md\/en\/answer-from-the-bible\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":321990,"url":"https:\/\/moldovacrestina.md\/en\/the-journey-on-foot-from-lapusna-to-boghiceni\/","url_meta":{"origin":82989,"position":2},"title":"The journey on foot from L\u0103pu\u0219na to Boghiceni","author":"Vasile Filat","date":"January 7, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"For a long time I wanted to have a longer discussion with my uncle Alexandru, my father's younger brother, to ask him all the questions, to listen to the many stories he knows about my parents and grandparents and to be told details. I thought it would be best if\u2026","rel":"","context":"<span class=\"jp-relatedposts-post-author\">Vasile Filat<\/span>","block_context":{"text":"Family","link":"https:\/\/moldovacrestina.md\/en\/answer-from-the-bible\/family\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":123357,"url":"https:\/\/moldovacrestina.md\/en\/the-post-millennial-doctrine-true-or-false\/","url_meta":{"origin":82989,"position":3},"title":"The post-millennial doctrine: true or false?","author":"Anastasia Filat","date":"April 25, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: what do you think about the post-millennial doctrine, the eschatological doctrine, which sees that Christ will\u00a0come back to earth once it\u00a0will be transformed by the Gospel? In short, history will\u00a0get\u00a0better, when The Kingdom of Jesus Christ increases more and more (like dough, slowly but surely) in the hearts of\u2026","rel":"","context":"<span class=\"jp-relatedposts-post-author\">Anastasia Filat<\/span>","block_context":{"text":"Answers from the Bible","link":"https:\/\/moldovacrestina.md\/en\/answer-from-the-bible\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/moldovacrestina.md\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/imparatia-de-o-mie-de-ani.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/moldovacrestina.md\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/imparatia-de-o-mie-de-ani.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/moldovacrestina.md\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/imparatia-de-o-mie-de-ani.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/moldovacrestina.md\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/imparatia-de-o-mie-de-ani.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/moldovacrestina.md\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/imparatia-de-o-mie-de-ani.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":144981,"url":"https:\/\/moldovacrestina.md\/en\/application-questions-based-on-the-book-numbers-chapter-13-and-14\/","url_meta":{"origin":82989,"position":4},"title":"Application questions based on the book Numbers chapter 13 and 14","author":"Vitalie Marian","date":"February 10, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"We read in the book of Numbers, chapter 13, that Moses sent 12 leaders of Israel to Canaan to spy out the land according to God's commandment. \"\u00a0Then\u00a0the\u00a0Lord spoke to Moses saying,\u00a0\u201cSend out for yourself men so that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I am going\u2026","rel":"","context":"<span class=\"jp-relatedposts-post-author\">Vitalie Marian<\/span>","block_context":{"text":"Blogosphere","link":"https:\/\/moldovacrestina.md\/en\/education-en\/blogosphere\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/moldovacrestina.md\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/moldovacrestina.md-intrebari-de-aplicare-in-baza-cartii-numeri-13-si-14-jebel-mutamir.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/moldovacrestina.md\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/moldovacrestina.md-intrebari-de-aplicare-in-baza-cartii-numeri-13-si-14-jebel-mutamir.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/moldovacrestina.md\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/moldovacrestina.md-intrebari-de-aplicare-in-baza-cartii-numeri-13-si-14-jebel-mutamir.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/moldovacrestina.md\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/moldovacrestina.md-intrebari-de-aplicare-in-baza-cartii-numeri-13-si-14-jebel-mutamir.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/moldovacrestina.md\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/moldovacrestina.md-intrebari-de-aplicare-in-baza-cartii-numeri-13-si-14-jebel-mutamir.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":56099,"url":"https:\/\/moldovacrestina.md\/en\/about-monachism-and-marriage\/","url_meta":{"origin":82989,"position":5},"title":"About monachism and marriage","author":"Vasile Filat","date":"June 1, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: The girlfriend\u00a0of my brother went and spent a month at the monastery.\u00a0She was upset and said she went into a nunnery. I don\u2019t condemn her, but I think it\u2019s not okay for someone to do this on offense, even if you think that you have wanted this since you\u2026","rel":"","context":"<span class=\"jp-relatedposts-post-author\">Vasile Filat<\/span>","block_context":{"text":"Answers from the Bible","link":"https:\/\/moldovacrestina.md\/en\/answer-from-the-bible\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/moldovacrestina.md\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/biserica-nu-o-accepta-pe-calugarita-luciu-1-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/moldovacrestina.md\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/biserica-nu-o-accepta-pe-calugarita-luciu-1-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/moldovacrestina.md\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/biserica-nu-o-accepta-pe-calugarita-luciu-1-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/moldovacrestina.md\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82989","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/moldovacrestina.md\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/moldovacrestina.md\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moldovacrestina.md\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/46"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moldovacrestina.md\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82989"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/moldovacrestina.md\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82989\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moldovacrestina.md\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/128877"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/moldovacrestina.md\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82989"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moldovacrestina.md\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82989"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moldovacrestina.md\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82989"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}