Marriage is a solemn institution that was created by God in the book of Genesis. God ordained the first marriage in the Garden of Eden by bringing Adam and Eve together (Oftestad, 2019). The subject of marriage has been covered in different verses in the bible, explaining how husbands and wives should relate and interact. Particularly, Apostle Paul touched on the subject of marriage and related areas such as divorce, and remarriage in the epistles. Paul wrote many books in the New Testament to spread the gospel and explain diverse social issues (Chow, 2021). Celibacy, marriage, divorce, and remarriage were among the subjects touched by Paul in his letters to different churches. The subject of marriage has continued to change over the years because of the new definitions made through the law to incorporate contemporary marriages such as same-sex marriage. According to Chow (2021), the institution of marriage was traditionally guided by social institutions and the overall teaching of the bible. The church has played a critical role in shaping laws on various aspects related to marriage and divorce. This discussion examines the issues related to marriage as examined by Apostle Paul. The paper discusses the teaching of Paul on marriage, celibacy, and divorce, and the various changes that have happened over time.

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Celibacy
          Celibacy is covered by Apostle Paul in the 7th chapter of his first letter to Corinthians, whereby he argued that people had an option to get married and stay without getting married. Paul noted that voluntary celibacy was a personal choice and that people should not feel obliged to marry when they think that they do not have grace (Ademiluka, 2021). Paul was unmarried and wished that the church of Corinth could embrace the same practice. However, he stated that it is not for everyone, but rather for people with high self-control. Based on the life of Paul, practicing celibacy is an opportunity for people to stay dedicated and committed to serving God. Celibacy is termed abstinence from sexual relations. A person can choose to remain single for various reasons such as to pursue personal purity and stay committed to serving God. However, Paul argued that celibacy was a personal decision and should be based on the ability to remain unmarried. In 1 Corinthians 7:7, Paul stated that believers that choose to lead a celibate life should have a high level of self-control to avoid falling into sexual temptations (Ademiluka, 2021). In line with the teachings of the bible, the Roman Catholic Church has strongly upheld celibacy as a mandatory practice for priests. As explained in the bible, catholic priests are required to practice celibacy and dedicate their lives to serving God.
          In modern society, celibacy is majorly practiced by the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church is the only church that prohibits its priests from marrying and dedicating their lives to the services of God. In the argument by Ademiluka (2021), Priests of the Catholic Church are required to dedicate their lives to serving God. The doctrine of celibacy among Catholic Priests aligns with the life of Jesus and Paul who dedicated their lives to serving God. As argued above, Paul urged choose celibacy to dedicate his life to apostolic duties. The proponent of celibacy, Benedict XVI argued that it aligned with the practice of the traditional priests, who chose sexual abstinence when they were ministering. Celibacy is a voluntary decision that should be based on personal conviction, rather than being compelled by religion or doctrine (Ballano, 2021). Based on the teachings presented by Paul, celibacy is not bounded to catholic priests, but can also be embraced by believers that choose to voluntarily not to marry.
          In modern society, people have continued to embrace celibacy through personal decisions. However, the modern church, particularly Catholic Church, has continued to debate the subject of celibacy. The extensive debate on celibacy has attracted world attention because of the emergence of the problem of molestation of young boys in the parish. Celibacy was blamed by some factions as the reason for the high increase in the case of homosexual molesting of young children serving in the Church. Celibacy has remained a topic in the Catholic Church because the protestant churches rarely practice celibacy.
Marriage
          The establishment of the institution of marriage in the Garden of Eden by God created good precedence that has guided the institution over the years. Although much has changed in the current setting of the church, and through new interpretations and doctrines, the bible has retained its instructions on how marriage should be conducted in the Christian setting. According to Oftestad (2019), the first marriage between Adam and Eve showed the importance of marriage in actualizing the objective of God of procreation and filling the world (Razafiariony. 2017). The book of Genesis 1:26-27 laid the foundation of marriage when God instructed men and women to leave their fathers and mothers and start a family and bring forth children. In line with the teachings of the Bible in the Old Testament, Jesus affirmed marriage in the New Testament in various verses. In the book of Matt 19, Jesus argued that marriage is a holy union and that both men and women should be committed to each other. Jesus argued that marriage is solemn, and a man should not divorce his wife lest he commits adultery by marrying another wife. In various verses in Gospel books, such as Mark 10:11-12, Jesus argued that people should engage in sexual immorality and embrace the teachings of the bible.

          In line with the teaching of Jesus, Paul supported a marriage setting that incorporated both believers and nonbelievers. In the teaching of Jesus, marriage was largely on the concept of believers. However, Paul brought a different concept by acknowledging the marriage between a believer and a nonbeliever. Although Jesus could not object to the marriage between a gentile and a believer, Paul put it plainly in his letter to the Corinthian that believers and gentiles would enter into a marriage that should continue even when one spouse turns into a believer. In the argument by Chow (2021), Paul took a different path in his analysis of marriage, which was contrary to traditional Roman practices. In the traditional Roman Empire, wives were required to align with the religious beliefs of their husbands. However, Paul went against the teachings of the traditional ritual by agreeing that believers and gentiles can enter into a marriage engagement. Razafiariony (2017) argues that Paul objected to divorce between a believer and a non-believer despite their differences in religious beliefs. Paul put precedence to the marriage between believers and nonbelievers. Unlike in the past, Paul rejected the worry that marrying a nonbeliever was likely to defile a believer, noting a believer still had an opportunity to influence the unbelieving spouse to become a believer.
          The institution of marriage has undergone a considerable transformation from the time of Roman society. Cristellon(2018) notes that marriage in the traditional Roman Empire was guided by cultural practices, whereby marriage was arranged by families through a family agreement. The family decided how and when their children were going to enter into a marriage agreement. At the time, both men and women married young, whereby young men married in their early twenties, while women were married off in their early teenage years. In a research study by Cristellon (2018), Roman society did not have a legal obligation to the marriage process. This meant that marriage was solely an agreement between two people, and so was divorce. This approach to marriage by the traditional Roman Empire is different from the changes that have taken place in the current setting of society. ...............................
          In modern society, marriage has considerably changed to incorporate both religious and secular ideas. Unlike in the past, Romantic marriages are governed by the law, which outlines the laws that guide marital union between two people. In most countries across the world, the institution of marriage is guided by comprehensive laws that guide the entire process from agreement to the dissolution of marriage. In the U.S, marriage is termed as a union between people that are above 18 years. However, the subject of marriage has shifted from the traditional structure of marriage defined in the bible and traditional practices. Unlike in the bible, the laws in different countries have continued to legalize the aspect of same-sex marriages. In the U.S for instance, the U.S has legalized marriage in approximately all 50 states, whereby men are allowed to marry men and women are allowed to marry women (Masci, Brown & Kiley, 2019). Although the practice is against the teachings of the bible and opposed by many churches, some churches have chosen to embrace same-sex marriages. Marriage has remained a solemn union as defined in the bible and in the law, but new approaches have been introduced to guide aspects such as divorce. Divorce
          Paul took a different position on divorce compared to the absolute position that was presented by Jesus. In the book of Corinthians, Paul presented reasons that believers can use to engage in a divorce. In the book of Matthew 19:3, Jesus was asked about divorce, whereby he quoted the book of Genesis 2:24 to emphasize the permanence of marriage. Jesus argued that marriage was ordained by God and that two people should remain together after marriage. His argument was against divorce, noting that a man and woman should not divorce after taking their vows. Jesus took an absolute position on marriage, and against divorce. This was however redefined by Paul, who supported marriage, but argued that there was some ground that believers can use to justify divorce. In the book of 1 Corinthians 7:12–13, Paul started by upholding the absolute prohibition of divorce among believers. He argued that believers should not divorce their spouses that are not believers. This means that in a marriage of two unbelievers, one should not divorce the other after becoming a believer if the unbelieving spouse is ready to continue with the marriage. However, Paul continued to lay some grounds that believers can use as the basis of divorce. Firstly, Paul instructed the Corinthians 7:15 that they can only divorce when the non-believing spouse decides to end their marriage. Paul was strongly against unfaithfulness in marriage, and therefore required believers to avoid any form of immorality.