tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29472599.post2258214044555977220..comments2023-09-23T06:32:35.421-07:00Comments on Thoughts from the Reformed Perspective: PuritanCalvinisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03285973808564103125noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29472599.post-47717246088587312792007-10-03T13:31:00.000-07:002007-10-03T13:31:00.000-07:00njartist,I think that, what you have to do in your...njartist,<BR/><BR/>I think that, what you have to do in your case, is still fight against the sin that is inside of you, keep looking, and trust in God that he will supply all of your needs. <BR/><BR/>Just by way of testimony and encouragement, I was in the same place you were for many years, and God has brought a wonderful woman into my life, and we are planning to marry at the end of next school year. Thus, I would say that you should keep looking, and just trust in God to meet your needs, whatever they might be. Indeed, if you are searching for a spouse, and God keeps saying "no," then you likely do not need one. However, just because God has said "no" in the past does not mean he will continue to do so. Whatever God decides, trust in him that he will keep his promise to complete the good work that he has started in you [Philippians 1:6].<BR/><BR/>God Bless,<BR/>PuritanCalvinistPuritanCalvinisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03285973808564103125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29472599.post-62328088810620602072007-10-01T19:33:00.000-07:002007-10-01T19:33:00.000-07:00"There are eunuchs who have been so from birth, an...<I>"There are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven." Apart from these three groups, let no man presume to be without a spouse. And whoever does not fall within one of these three categories should not consider anything except the estate of marriage. Otherwise it is simply impossible for you to remain righteous.</I><BR/><BR/>And there you have a kicker: those of us who do not fall in any of the "eunuch" categories, seeking marriage, yet finding none in the church. The "be fruitful and multiply" principle still active within us but unsatisfied. It is a terrible thing when this drive, this goad (this good) within one, picks you up and carries you a distance you did not want to go.<BR/><BR/>Do the marriage mandators assume that we should simply settle for the first pliant woman we find in order to satisfy this drive? I say "pliant"; for, what sort of woman would be willing to be used as a mere vessel (vassal) to satisfy visceral cravings? Not even the bible supports that. <BR/><BR/>Do these mandators even understand the hell of a settled marriage? Or do they gloss that over with pious bromides?<BR/><BR/>And what then is the responsibility of the church when it fails to generate suitable helpmates?dienwhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16878081733638742366noreply@blogger.com