How to understand St. Paul's teaching on marriage relative to God's command to be fruitful?

[in_servitude]

I have an extended family member that is having a bit of a crisis, I think. They are asking me to explain how it is that Paul’s teachings on marriage can be considered sacred text while some aspects teach in opposition to God’s command to be fruitful and multiply. Also, in Genesis, God says that “it is not good for man to be alone.” How can it be valid for St. Paul to teach against that?

I look at Gen 2:18 where it says that God said it’s not good for man to be alone. But, I think that a better translation for “man” in that sentence is “mankind” and not “male human.” Agree?? That changes the meaning dramatically.

Are there other aspects to consider in my response?

Also, I can’t point this person to Catholic sources as they are strongly opposed to the Church.

Thanks!!

 

[ngill09]

Paul’s teachings on marriage are informed by his apparent belief that the coming of Christ was imminent during his time.

From 1 Corinthians 7:

"25 Now concerning virgins, I have no command of the Lord, but I give my opinion as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. 26 I think that, in view of the impending[e] crisis, it is well for you to remain as you are. 27 Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife. 28 But if you marry, you do not sin, and if a virgin marries, she does not sin. Yet those who marry will experience distress in this life,[f] and I would spare you that. 29 I mean, brothers and sisters,[g] the appointed time has grown short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as though they had none, 30 and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no possessions, 31 and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.

32 I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord; 33 but the married man is anxious about the affairs of the world, how to please his wife, 34 and his interests are divided. And the unmarried woman and the virgin are anxious about the affairs of the Lord, so that they may be holy in body and spirit; but the married woman is anxious about the affairs of the world, how to please her husband. 35 I say this for your own benefit, not to put any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and unhindered devotion to the Lord."

 

[in_servitude]

I’ve heard that line of thinking before. It makes me a little nervous because it can start us down a path where we can discard whatever we don’t like to hear.

Since St. Paul was thinking that Christ was returning so soon, does that means that we should discount what St. Paul taught in regards to marriage? If we can do that in the case of marriage, why not do that in other areas too?

 

[ngill09]

I think that the teachings of the Church at the time would be superseded by the teachings of the Church today. Which of Paul’s teachings about marriage do you think should be applied today?

 

[White_Tree]

I’ve heard that line of thinking before. It makes me a little nervous because it can start us down a path where we can discard whatever we don’t like to hear.

Since St. Paul was thinking that Christ was returning so soon, does that means that we should discount what St. Paul taught in regards to marriage? If we can do that in the case of marriage, why not do that in other areas too?

Not necessarily. Remember that his admonishments regarding the material world are still true. The present form of the world is passing away. Even if earth remains, the forms and impressions that make up our experience of this world exist only for a short time. Then with death they pass away.

Also, regarding Paul, remember who he was writing to:

I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I. But if they cannot contain [their sexual energy, i.e. if they are polluted by desire], let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.

• 1 Corinthians 7:8-9

Therefore, if a person is still afflicted by desire, and is not handling the sexual energy in the proper way, then they do not fall into the category of people Paul is telling to remain celibate. So there is no contradiction here.

 

[CaliLobo]

I have an extended family member that is having a bit of a crisis, I think. They are asking me to explain how it is that Paul’s teachings on marriage can be considered sacred text while some aspects teach in opposition to God’s command to be fruitful and multiply. Also, in Genesis, God says that “it is not good for man to be alone.” How can it be valid for St. Paul to teach against that?

I look at Gen 2:18 where it says that God said it’s not good for man to be alone. But, I think that a better translation for “man” in that sentence is “mankind” and not “male human.” Agree?? That changes the meaning dramatically.

Are there other aspects to consider in my response?

Also, I can’t point this person to Catholic sources as they are strongly opposed to the Church.

Thanks!!

In Protestantism, God never commanded us to be fruitful. Rather, that verse is a blessing. Even Douay-Rheims, Genesis 1:28 says: “And God blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and all living creatures that move upon the earth.”

So yes, this is perfectly reconcilable with Paul’s teaching that it is better not to marry.

 

[in_servitude]

In Protestantism, God never commanded us to be fruitful. Rather, that verse is a blessing. Even Douay-Rheims, Genesis 1:28 says: “And God blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and all living creatures that move upon the earth.”

So yes, this is perfectly reconcilable with Paul’s teaching that it is better not to marry.

The question from this extended family member was around the saying, “It is not good for man to be alone.” If God says it’s not good, then how can St. Paul be correct?