Answer
The terms chastity and celibacy are sometimes used interchangeably, but they have different meanings and involve different commitments. Chastity is the state of being innocent regarding sexual sin. The word chastity, with its adjective form, chaste, also carries the connotation of moral purity and cleanness. Regardless of marital status, believers should be chaste. Our sexuality should be aligned with biblical principles. Chastity requires more than abstaining from sexual activity; it also includes maintaining purity of mind, thought, and action. In 1 Thessalonians 4:3–4, Paul promotes a chaste lifestyle: “This is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality, that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor” (ESV). Self-control and holiness are essential to chastity.
For unmarried Christians, chastity involves abstinence from all sexual activity until marriage. For married Christians, chastity is found in being faithful to their spouses and honoring their marriage vows: “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous” (Hebrews 13:4, ESV). Whether married or unmarried, Christians should express their sexuality in a biblically appropriate way.
Celibacy is related to chastity but requires a commitment to abstain from both marriage and all sexual activity. Some who take holy orders, such as priests, monks, and nuns, take a vow of celibacy to serve the church and fully dedicate themselves to God. The practice of voluntary celibacy is supported by passages like 1 Corinthians 7:32–34, which says, “I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband” (ESV). According to Paul, the benefit of celibacy is undivided devotion to “the things of the Lord.”
For the Christian, celibacy is not only about remaining unmarried and abstaining from sexual activity; it also involves wholehearted commitment to personal sanctification. Believers who choose a celibate lifestyle make a significant sacrifice. Jesus spoke of “those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it” (Matthew 19:12). By sacrificing marriage and sex, celibate believers can serve God without the distractions that come with maintaining a family.
The key differences between chastity and celibacy are as follows:
• Scope and Application: Chastity is a universal virtue that all Christians should practice, whereas celibacy is a choice. Some believers choose to live celibate, although if someone chooses to marry, “he is not sinning” (1 Corinthians 7:36).
• Biblical Support: Chastity is required of believers, and it is discussed in passages that call for self-control and purity, such as 1 Thessalonians 4:3–4 and 1 Corinthians 6:18–20. Celibacy is recommended by Paul “because of the present crisis” (1 Corinthians 7:26) and for the practical reason of serving the Lord without distraction.
• Personal Commitment: Chastity is a lifelong commitment, with single Christians remaining abstinent and married Christians being faithful in marriage. Celibacy may or may not be a lifelong commitment to remain unmarried and abstain from sexual activity.
Christians are to sanctify their minds and bodies to the Lord. Whether or not that involves a lifelong vow of celibacy, all Christians are called to be chaste.• Biblical Support: Chastity is required of believers, and it is discussed in passages that call for self-control and purity, such as 1 Thessalonians 4:3–4 and 1 Corinthians 6:18–20. Celibacy is recommended by Paul “because of the present crisis” (1 Corinthians 7:26) and for the practical reason of serving the Lord without distraction.
• Personal Commitment: Chastity is a lifelong commitment, with single Christians remaining abstinent and married Christians being faithful in marriage. Celibacy may or may not be a lifelong commitment to remain unmarried and abstain from sexual activity.
