For Freedom

The Reformation Project says it up front: “Celibacy is a gift, not a mandate.” So runs the common position among “affirming” ministries on the question of sexual abstinence and its practice by same-sex-attracted (SSA) individuals. It is unfair, they argue, and contrary to Christian teaching, to impose abstinence on SSA folks as a spiritual salve for their SSA. In this article, we unpack this claim in light of what scripture tells us about human freedom and the ways that God guides this freedom to fulfill His purposes. It will be shown that our proper response to God’s calling is always mediated by our freedom in Christ, and that a proper understanding of the call to abstinence depends crucially on a proper understanding of freedom.

Celibacy as a life choice?

Celibacy is not a cornerstone of the Christian faith, but nevertheless has a long tradition within the Church, both as a clerical vocation (as practiced in the Catholic priesthood since 1139 AD) and as an individual’s voluntary devotion to God. In this article, we will be concerned solely with the voluntary variety of celibacy, such as it is practiced by everyday people.

Let’s begin by exploring the Reformation Project’s claim that celibacy is not a mandate.

Merriam-Webster defines freedom as “the state of being free, or the absence of coercion, constraint, or necessity in action or choice.” This is a perfectly good definition of freedom as a civil entitlement in a free society. It is the definition that citizens of such societies are likeliest to be steeped in. This definition does not align with scripture, however. Scripture outlines a purpose for human freedom that reaches beyond “absence of coercion, constraint, or necessity in action or choice.” As the Bible tells it, we are not, in fact, born free, and this lack of freedom is destructive to our souls. The Fall in Eden left humans in a state of transgenerational bondage to sin, separating us from God (Isaiah 59: 2) and preventing us from doing good (Psalm 3: 10–12; 14: 1–3; 53: 1–3; Luke 18: 19). Indeed, we are inclined to evil from our earliest moment of life:

The Lord … said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood” (Genesis 8: 21).

An inescapable truth of humankind’s innate condition is that we actually lack the freedom to choose good. The freedom to choose good originates with God Himself, through Christ:

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8: 36).

In other words, the freedom given by Him far exceeds any earthly freedom we might claim: His is a freedom that lasts, but one that can elude us, even now, as Paul declares:

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Corinthians 3: 17).

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery (Galatians 5: 1).

It is apparent that the kind of freedom at issue here is not the “freedom from compulsion or necessity” that Merriam-Webster describes. Our civil freedoms grant us tremendous range of movement and even allow us certain missteps and indiscretions as long as we don’t (overly?) hurt others. We have, after all, the freedom to be stupid and even, to some extent, to be evil. But God’s Kingdom does not grant freedom in that way. The freedom given to us as believers—the freedom that “makes us free indeed”—is not freedom from compulsion or necessity but rather the freedom to choose what is right. Paul makes this point clear in an oft-quoted statement in Romans 6:

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?  By no means! (Romans 6: 1–2)

In other words, the freedom of Christ allows us tremendous range of motion, but the freedom to act unrighteously is not something Christ has given. The whole point of our freedom in Christ is not so we can bask in limitless opportunities, but rather to direct us toward the tasks “prepared in advance” for us to do (Ephesians 2: 10). In other words, to empower us to respond to our unique calling.

This distinction is essential, since it has consequences for our perception of that calling. God’s calling increases our freedom to do good, but does not increase our freedom from compulsion or necessity. When we look at Church history, in fact, we find that God’s calling most often does the opposite.

Freedom to do what?

Jeremiah was instructed by God not to marry or have children (16: 1). The reason was to spare a wife and children of the coming hardship (see v. 3–4). The fact that any woman in Judah would endure hardship regardless of being married to Jeremiah points us to a deeper symbolism, perhaps similar to Hosea’s (1: 2) instruction to take a prostitute as a bride. Whatever the case, Jeremiah’s fulfillment of God’s calling was a choice. At the same time, this calling did not free Jeremiah from compulsion or necessity. Jeremiah’s circumstances are not unusual. What we find, in fact, is that nearly every biblical figure who experienced a special dispensation of God’s grace was also asked to give up some degree of freedom. In some cases, it was taken forcibly:

• Joseph – was given by his brothers to slavery in Egypt and redeemed from it, bringing glory to God.
• Esther – her calling required her to risk her life as well as that of her people, but God used her humility to bring justice.
• Daniel – taken captive by Babylonians but by his obedience to God won the favor of King Nebuchadnezzar.
• John – exiled to the island of Patmos, where Jesus revealed the end times to him in visions.

The right response to God’s calling did not require literal enslavement or captivity, however. Perhaps in most cases, it necessitated a dramatic change in one’s way of life, from comfortable to uncomfortable, from secure to insecure, from known to unknown, and possibly even all three:

• Abraham – left the comfort and familiarity of his home city for the danger and uncertainty of the Promised Land.
• Moses – left behind his easy life as a prince in Egypt and later his life as a shepherd in Midian. After leading the Israelites from captivity, he bore the full responsibility for interceding between them and God.
• David – as anointed king, he was subject to constrant threats, battles, and conflicts.
• Naomi – her life was marked by tragedy and loss, but through her faith she found a new sense of belonging.
• Jeremiah – instructed never to marry or have children, faced opposition and imprisonment for his ministry.
• Hosea – instructed by God to marry a prostitute and have children with her to serve as a living illustration of God’s relationship with Israel.
• Amos – surrendered a simple life as a shepherd for one that set him up against the powerful and wealthy of his day.
• Mary – presumably suffered social stigma and judgment throughout her life.
• John the Baptist – dedicated his ministry to preparing the way for the Messiah, then allowed himself to fade from the scene when Jesus was revealed.
• Jesus – lived his entire life exclusively in the service of God, without marrying or having children; accepted death in the prime of his life.
• Paul – relinquished his high standing to preach the increasingly contentious gospel of Christ.
• and plenty of others…

There is a reason Paul proclaims that “death is at work” in those who wish to show the life of Jesus in their walk (2 Corithians 4: 11–12). It must not surprise us that Peter urges us to “live as God’s slaves” (1 Peter 2: 16). These pronouncements are to be taken literally. Living in fulfilment of our calling means yielding not only to a new master but also to the circumstances of our new service. These circumstances limit or even erase our earthly freedom altogether. Paul states:

As a prisoner of the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received (Ephesians 4: 1).

The call to sexual abstinence for SSA people is not a harsh hobbling of the soul, but rather an invigoration of the life in us. It is God’s Spirit at work! We must not be stymied by the fact that our freedom in Christ encircles us, not like an enemy army hemming us in and canceling our identity, but rather as a perfectly loving embrace that secures us for greater, higher, and truer purposes, just as it did for the heroes and heroines of the past.

Our freedom in Christ is not freedom from compulsion or necessity but rather the freedom to choose what is right.

Conclusion

Jesus sets us free, but our freedom in Him is not like the freedom given to us by worldly authorities. The freedom of Christ is freedom to say yes to His call, which we couldn’t answer—let alone act upon—while we were still dead in our sin. That being so, we accept that the Holy Spirit will give us strength and wisdom to fulfill the tasks prepared for us, even while providing boundaries that turn our dependence away from ourselves and onto God—for His glory.

—by Rick E.