1Tim 4:3 Forbidding Marriage

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Forbidding Marriage

1Tim 4:3  forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.

Many false teachings can be characterized as forbidding things things of which we have freedom in Christ, or allowing things of which we are forbidden in Christ. That is, many false teachings fall into the categories of either legalism or licentiousness. Both deviate from the path - falling either to the right or to the left of it.

Marriage is optional in the Christian life. One has the freedom to marry or to stay single. But one does not have the freedom to commit adultery or fornication. As an example of the violation of the principle of freedom, take Catholicism. Catholicism restricts the freedom to marry. To serve as a priest in the church one must be single. But then again there are Protestant sects that equally guilty of violating this principle of freedom. For seemingly in reaction against Catholicism there are Christians who reckon singleness with contempt. In fact even in the times of the Protestant reformation there is at least one example where Calvinists had a man put to death, one of the charges being that he was single for too long. But even today single people are often treated as second class citizens in the church. For there are churches which don't allow unmarried Christians to serve in positions of leadership simply because they are unmarried. (Just like Catholicism) To forbid marriage or forbid singleness among Christians is an example of a doctrine of demons.

Another doctrine of demons is the placing of restrictions upon the foods one eats - of which we were given freedom in Christ. Yes, God had given restrictions to Jews under the law of Moses, but freedom was given under Christ. God lifted the ban on forbidden foods in Acts 10, as it is written, "What God has cleansed you must not call common." Acts 10:14 Thus as Paul says, "the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." Rom 14:17 Does your fellowship group make the kingdom of God a matter of eating and drinking?

Rom 14:6 "He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks."

The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources

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