"But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her." (Mark 1:30)

There is a spurious influence of Rome on the mind of Christians. The notion that the ministers of the word of God should not be married can be found no where in Scripture. In fact, Peter, who was supposedly their first pope, obviously had to have had a wife!

So why do they teach this idea?

Quite simply, they are ignoring the word of God! And Paul warned us that people like this would come along:

"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth." (1st Timothy 4:1-3)

Earlier, in the same letter, Paul gives instructions for the character of preachers:

"A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife..."(1st Timothy 3:2)

In this text, Paul is not requiring that a man be married. He is simply stating that he can only be married to one woman.

If the Bible gives provision, then man should not forbid it! Perhaps it is this practice of celibacy that has brought on so many occasions of fornication and impropriety among supposed men of God?

"Marriage is honourable in all" (Hebrews 13:4a)