LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2023, Page 213

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THEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTS­­—COMMISSION ON THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS
a period where one spouse must be away from the other, because of prolonged infirmities, due to disparities in the
physical effects of aging, and so forth. There will also be times when a spouse withholds himself or herself intentionally. Whether this is for understandable or necessary reasons or not, the other spouse is not free to take this as an
excuse for sexual immorality. It is simply a reality of a fallen world that marriages will experience periods — even
long periods — during which sexual activity between spouses does not occur. All of this is part of the challenge of
chastity for the married.
b. Chastity for the unmarried

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community that has a clear sense of itself and its mission and the place of family within that mission.”157
Even if Christians were to adopt a more thoughtful and biblical way of approaching marriage, there will still be
the reality of many unmarried believers who have an unfulfilled longing for marriage but are required to exercise
the discipline of a celibate lifestyle nonetheless. There is no avoiding the difficulty this entails. For too many, their
unfulfilled desires will result in willingness to engage in sexual liaisons apart from marriage. For others, lusts will
push them toward pornography and masturbatory behavior. For still others, their unsatisfied longing for a spouse will
result in loneliness, despair, and depression.

Even if every Christian were to marry, none would be married throughout life. Marriage may be delayed for those
who will marry (as it is increasingly today). And every married couple eventually will be separated from one another
by death. And, of course, many people will not marry, some by choice and others by circumstance. In our broken,
fallen world, marriage will too often end because of divorce.

A chaste and decent life in a highly sexualized world is challenging to everyone, and especially to those who long
for a spouse. Recognition of the needs of the single person is critical. Many single Christians have said that their
church is so focused on families that they feel out of place. Others may fall into the trap of letting their sinful behavior
alienate them from the communion of confessing sinners and forgiven saints. At a minimum, therefore, this calls for
honest conversations and for exploring settings for fellowship and support for the unmarried.

For the unmarried, chastity is still required. And without the outlet of sexual relations in marriage, chastity will
be a matter of self-control — that is, abstaining from sexual relationships and acts. For some, self-control is a gift — a
charism (1 COR. 7:7) to echo Paul. For such persons, like Paul, 155 to be unmarried will not be a sacrifice. Rather, they will
be freed from a whole realm of familial duty and responsibility that demands time and attention, to dedicate far more
of themselves to serving Christ and His church.156 This is the great strength and promise of celibate chastity.

These are challenges for responsible pastoral care. A combination of compassion and fidelity to the high standards
of God’s Word is called for from pastors who hear the confessions of those who are caught in sinful behavior brought
on by loneliness and lust. Additional counseling and support groups may also be available for recommendation. It is
worth noting that resources are available to encourage unmarried chastity for Christians with same-sex attraction.158
Similar resources are available for heterosexual Christians.159

For others who are unmarried, however, sexual self-control is not given as a gift. Rather, they face an ongoing
desire for sexual relations and a sexual relationship (they “burn,” to quote Paul). To them, as noted before, Paul
counsels marriage in 1 Corinthians 7. He does so rather matter-of-factly, seeming to see the decision to marry as
something easily accomplished. In part this is because he is addressing some believers who are betrothed or have
otherwise made marriage plans. But to counsel marriage today is somewhat different. We have earlier noted that
a growing number of adults in North America are unmarried. Many — especially many Christians — want to be
married but are not. Moreover, they want to marry in the Christian faith to a husband or wife who shares their beliefs
and who is committed to a biblical understanding of marriage, to the gift of children, and to the responsibility to
nurture those children in faith.

Such considerations may appear to make life for the unmarried Christian nothing more than a grim acceptance
of a burden. In our Lord’s teaching about the permanence of marriage, however, another thought emerges. To be
sure, Christ is not averse to blunt teaching about the demands of the Christian life. Indeed, because He emphatically
forbids divorce the disciples say that “it is better not to marry” (MATT. 19:10). His response acknowledges a certain truth
in that assertion:

The church’s response to those who experience an unfulfilled desire for marriage must begin with a recognition of
the problem. A chaste and decent life in a highly sexualized world is challenging to everyone, and especially to those
without the gift of celibacy who long for a spouse. To recognize the needs of the single person is critical.
Church preaching and teaching can be of some benefit. One basic truth is worthy of note: Scripture is more
inclined to address individual Christians as “brothers” (with “sisters” implied) than it is to speak to individual spouses
or families. This at least suggests that we take more seriously this fact: all of us are brothers and sisters in Christ —
that is our highest Christian identity, even higher than that we may be a Christian husband or wife, as significant as
that is.
The church may also be able to help diminish unrealistic expectations about marriage. In light of the heavily
romanticized views of marriage today, there is a tendency to expect that marriage demands the discovery of some
sort of “soul mate.” Church teaching can counter this with the reminder that the foundation for marriage is not
primarily an emotional connection or some kind of love-at-first-sight bolt out of the blue, but a commitment to
life-long fidelity according to the Word of God. In light of that, a more down-to-earth view of seeking a spouse could
result. Romanticized distortions of marriage, writes Stanley Hauerwas, should “remind us that if we are to sustain
marriage as a Christian institution, we will not do it by concentrating on marriage itself. Rather, it will require a

But he said to them, “Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. For 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. Let the one who is able
to receive this receive it.” (MATT. 19:11–12)160
“Eunuch” is seldom used today, but in the biblical world eunuchs were fairly common. Eunuchs were men who
were sexually unable to marry either because of a lifelong condition or because of castration.161 Jesus refers to such
men as the first two examples of eunuchs. Then He adds a third kind of eunuch: “eunuchs who have made themselves
eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.”
Jesus is obviously not commending self-castration. So what is He saying? At the very least, He says this much.
Eunuchs — people who are not sexually active — have the opportunity to devote themselves to God’s kingdom. To
do so is commended by our Lord, even though other Jewish teachers at that time viewed marriage as required for all
people so that the command to be fruitful and multiply would be fulfilled. But Jesus here teaches that to be unmarried
and chaste is not only godly, but is, indeed, a way of life that ought to be “received” if that is possible.162
157
Stanley Hauerwas, A Community of Character: Toward a Constructive Christian Social Ethic (Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1981), 174,
but see also 155–66.
158

See the resources noted above in fn. 150.

159
See, e.g., Adriane Dorr Heins, Hello, My Name Is Single (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2014); and Joshua Cintron, His Secret Addiction: Every Man’s Struggle
(Sayspire, 2012).
160
Jesus’ words in Matt. 19:11–12 are challenging. As Jeffrey Gibbs has noted, the referent of the phrase “this saying” is debated. Does it refer to Jesus’ teaching about
divorce being contrary to the will of God from the beginning, or does it refer to the disciples’ assumption that in light of that teaching it is better not to marry?
Jeffrey A. Gibbs, Matthew 11:2–20:34, ConcC (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2010), 953–56.

155
In 1 Cor. 7, Paul refers to the unmarried as being in the same circumstance as he is. Whether Paul was himself a widower or had never married cannot be determined
conclusively. Luther believed him a widower. Lockwood, with Luther, argues that rather than translating the phrase “to the unmarried and the widows,”
it would be better to read “to the widowers and the widows.” See 1 Corinthians, 234–36.
156

Paul refers to “worldly troubles” (1 COR. 7:28), anxiety about pleasing one’s spouse, and divided interests (1 COR. 7:28, 32–34).

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Given such teaching from our Lord and Paul’s similar counsel in 1 Corinthians 7 to the unmarried, the church
ought to emphasize the positive dimension of unmarried, celibate life. The unmarried have a special opportunity
for service to the Lord. To embrace this is in keeping with the apostle’s reminder that “the present form of this world
is passing away” (1 COR. 7:31) and this manner of “undivided devotion to the Lord” (1 COR. 7:35). The church ought to
recognize the importance of this teaching and not be hesitant about asking unmarried Christian men and women to
assume responsibilities and utilize their individual gifts and abilities.163
Such high regard for celibate chastity gets scant attention in the church today. To all the unmarried, whether
celibacy is received as a gift or embraced out of obedience, this is a reminder of the meaning and high purpose of the
single life for believers. While the Reformation rightly warned against the dangers and abusive results of enforced
celibacy, the church today can benefit greatly from a reminder of the great potential and value when unmarried
Christians devote themselves wholeheartedly to the Kingdom and its work. As Luther himself says in his 1522 treatise
on marriage:
One should not regard any estate as better in the sight of God than the estate of marriage. In a worldly sense
celibacy is probably better, since it has fewer cares and anxieties. This is true, however, not for its own sake but
in order that the celibate may better be able to preach and care for God’s word, as St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians
7[:32–34]. It is God’s word and the preaching which make celibacy—such as that of Christ and of Paul—better
than the estate of marriage.164

Such a witness also points to the future hope of the Christian faith. We obviously know life in the new creation
only in part, but among the glimpses of that new world where we are still embodied, we see a form that is far beyond
our earthly bodies, imperishable, glorious and spiritual (1 COR. 15:42–44). In this new creation of the resurrection, we
“neither marry nor are given in marriage” (MATT. 22:30). Despite the mystery in such words, we are led to expect something beyond the sexual and marital existence we now know. To live toward such a reality in the present age is not to
despise any earthly blessing and pleasure of the present-time, but it is to see even something as precious as marriage
to be only a passing gift.
Life for the Christian in this present age, despite all its seemingly “new” challenges, is ultimately no different than
life for every earlier generation of the church. The God who has graciously redeemed us in the incarnation, death,
resurrection, and ascension of His Son calls us to faith active in love (GAL. 5:6). Love for God sees Him as our supreme
good and His Word as the one unshakeable truth. It rejoices in being His creatures and delights in His commands. It
An example of this may be the encouragement of unmarried men to accept calls to serve in ministries where families with children might be reluctant to serve.
LW 45:46–47.
LC I/6, 211; KW, 414–15.

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Note this significant footnote (#4) from HS 1981 on page 6:
This Scriptural assertion implies that the subject of human sexuality includes much more than the male/female relationship in marriage. While it has
been necessary to limit this study to a basic discussion of the male/female duality as it pertains to marriage and certain other problems, such as homosexuality, the Commission recognizes that more could and needs to be said about how our creation as sexual beings affects a whole variety of relationships
such as between parents and children, friends of the same sex as well as friends of the opposite sex, male and female colleagues, employers and employees, and many other personal encounters between the sexes.

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blossoms and bears fruit in love for the neighbor.
Faith active in love is seen in every realm of life, including sexuality and marriage. Valuing God above all else, the
Christian life sees our creation as male and female as gift and seeks to glorify God with the body He has given to each
of us. It heeds the call to chastity in every circumstance. Christians view marriage as the typical vocation for most
men and women and seek to honor Christ within it when that gift is given. Christians delight in the way God provides
both relational and procreative blessings within marriage. Christians delight in the otherness of male and female, the
help they give one another in joy and adversity, and the fact of a one-flesh union within which God grants the gift of
children. Knowing God is the author of life by procreation, believers will welcome children and give thanks for them.
In the face of sin’s present power, we see God’s love in the way wives and husbands help to restrain sin in each
other as their closest neighbor in Christ. We also see the importance of virtuous single men and women who at every
stage of life and for whatever reason they are single embrace a life of sexual self-restraint either permanently or until
such time as God gives them a spouse.

CONCLUSION

The chaste and decent life is an important witness to the world. In a life of chastity others will see individuals whose
life and values stand in sharp contrast from the heavily sexualized lifestyle of American media and culture. Rather
than the pursuit of sexual pleasure for its own sake, they will see people with a higher meaning and purpose — men
and women whose joy is not a kind of bitter self-denial, but one of fruitful service that honors God and values other
persons as His creatures, not objects for the pursuit of personal pleasure.166 In chaste unmarried believers, this witness
can be uniquely powerful (JER. 16:9).

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In brief, the Christian view of human sexuality is love for God overflowing in love for the neighbor.

c. Chastity as witness

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See Instone-Brewer, Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible, 148.

We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does
not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have
from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. (1 JOHN 4:19–21)

He adds elsewhere, “To be sure, there are some (albeit rare) exceptions whom God has especially exempted,
in that some are unsuited for married life, or others God has released by a high, supernatural gift so that they can
maintain chastity outside of marriage.”165

163

161
In some pagan religions, castration was viewed as the highest offering one could make to the gods. This was obviously contrary to biblical teaching and both the OT
and later Judaism therefore strongly condemned any such practice so vehemently that the Law forbade eunuchs from even entering the temple courts (DEUT. 23:1). Jesus
refers first to lifelong eunuchs (“from birth,” literally, “from the mother’s womb,” eisin gar eunouchoi hoitines ek koilias mētros egennēthēsan houtōs), then to the castrated
(kai eisin eunouchoi hoitines eunouchisthēsan hupo tōn anthrōpōn).

God’s intention for human sexuality does not change. It does not evolve with time, nor does it adapt to cultural, social,
legal, political or medical-scientific views of it. Perceptions of human sexuality may change, but God’s design for it
does not. Christians, however, bear witness to the truth of God’s revelation about how this sovereign Creator God
has made us, redeemed us, and sanctifies us. God has given us our bodies. He has redeemed us from the sin that has
complicated how we view our bodies. He seeks to renew our hearts and minds so that we live in accordance with how
He has made us.
In responding to resolutions from recent Synod conventions to update Human Sexuality 1981, the Commission
has ultimately found nothing wrong or demanding correction. It has, rather, sought to do just what the resolutions
requested: bring the teachings of that report into conversation with a vast array of new challenges to traditional
Christian understandings of marriage and sexuality. Attitudes toward gender identity and dysphoria, homosexuality
and homosexual marriage, and societal pressures regarding sexuality, among others, have changed markedly in the
last four decades. While we categorically affirm the teachings of Human Sexuality 1981, we also must acknowledge the
manifold differences that exist today and will face our children in the decades to come.
What this report puts forward, however, places its emphasis upon countering these current movements with the
one thing that provides a firm basis for faithful Christian morality and sexual ethics: theology. We offer a biblical theology of human sexuality that revolves around a creedal, Trinitarian framework and presents our sexual identity, our
sexual activities, and our sexual thoughts in light of the God who has created us, the God who redeems us from sin,
and the God who sanctifies us as His people who live according to His Word. No other foundation will do. It will, as
St. Paul says, “become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire” (1 COR. 3:13). Any foundation other than God’s Word — “gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw” will ultimately fail. God’s Word, will
not. “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word
of the Lord remains forever” (1 PETER 1:24–25).
Likewise, in keeping with the venerable tradition of Luther’s catechism, the Commission urges the Christian ethic
of “a chaste and decent life” as a model for how Christians should live in a culture that denies its basic moral foundations. All Christians — male and female, married and single, adult and youth, widowed and divorced — should value
chastity in all their sexual dealings. Chastity should govern how we view our sexual identity and sexual activity, our
sexual thoughts and sexual behaviors, our relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ, with husbands and wives
in the flesh. Above all, it finds in Jesus Christ — the incarnate, crucified, and risen Lord, the Savior of sinners and all

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