Thursday, February 03, 2005

Claims that Apostles were unmarried and didn't own homes



Certain individuals within the 2x2 religion make the claim that the workers are the only true representatives of the apostles living today. They claim that celebacy, itinerancy, and going from house to house are proof that the 2x2 religion is the "closest to the Christian Church today."

When confronted with the biblical verses that state that certain apostles had wives, the argument is made by 2x2's that they may have been married and owned homes before they started in the ministry but they had abandoned all. They use as their defence the verses from Mark 10:28-31.(NIV)

"28Peter said to him, “We have left everything to follow you!”
29“I tell you the truth,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel
30will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields–and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life.
31But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Furthermore, they go on to claim that there is no mention of wives or homes in Acts and that therefore, this is proof that the apostles had indeed become "just like the workers."

The problem with this argument is that one has only to look at Corinthians chapter 9 for a refutation that is foolproof.

I Corinthians 9:3-6 (NIV)
3This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me. 4Don't we have the right to food and drink? 5Don't we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Cephas[a]? 6Or is it only I and Barnabas who must work for a living?

The question arises as to WHEN I Corinthians was written. How many years after Christ's ascension? From a careful study and comparison of verses in I Corinthians, Acts and Ephesians we can see that Paul wrote this letter circa 56-57 AD...approximately 20+ years after Christ ascended to heaven. Thus, we see that many of the apostles DID have wives many, many years after Christianity began.

This brings up another question. Did the Apostles maintain homes from which they used as bases for their outreaches?