Evangelical Counsels

Definition and Meaning

The term evangelical counsels (Latin consilia evangelica) is used in Catholic theology. Distinguished from the commandments, which are obligatory for all believers, the counsels are a way of life recommended for voluntary adoption by those who wish to follow Christ more closely. They are commonly summarized as three:

• Poverty: living in poverty without owning personal property
• Chastity: living unmarried in celibacy
• Obedience: submitting to the rule of the community and to one's superiors (those in authority within a religious order)

Catholic religious profess these three as vows (solemn promises made to God).

Biblical and Historical Background

The Catholic Church cites the following passages in support:

• Poverty: Jesus' words to the rich young man, "If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor" (Matthew 19:21; Matthew 19:16–26)
• Chastity: Matthew 19:12, which speaks of those who forgo marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven, and 1 Corinthians 7:32–35, which says that the unmarried are better able to devote themselves to the things of the Lord
• Obedience: the call to deny oneself and take up the cross (Luke 9:23) and the example of Christ, who was obedient unto death (Philippians 2:8)

The distinction between commandments and counsels appeared as early as the patristic era and developed alongside the monastic movement. In medieval Scholastic theology, Thomas Aquinas is known to have given it systematic formulation.

During the Reformation, Protestants criticized this distinction. Martin Luther wrote a treatise criticizing monastic vows, and the Augsburg Confession, in its article on monastic vows, rejects the view that the monastic life is a path to a higher perfection. John Calvin likewise criticized the distinction between commandments and counsels. Chapter 22 of the Westminster Confession of Faith states that monastic vows of perpetual single life, professed poverty, and regular obedience are not degrees of higher perfection but superstitious snares. Protestants held that the distinction divides believers into two classes and leads to a theology of merit (acts that contribute toward obtaining salvation); instead, they emphasized the priesthood of all believers and the vocation of everyday life.

Practice in the Korean Church

Korean Protestants rarely use the term, which appears mainly in descriptions of or comparisons with Catholicism. When preaching on the passage about the rich young man, Presbyterians and others in the Reformed tradition do not regard Jesus' words as a counsel given only to a few. They often read the passage as exposing the young man's bondage to wealth and showing that no one can be saved by the law. Methodists and others in the Wesleyan tradition teach Christian perfection as the goal of all believers rather than of a particular class (Wesleyan theology).

The Anglican Church of Korea has religious communities, such as sisterhoods, whose members take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. There are also interdenominational communities that practice voluntary simplicity and common life, such as Jesus Abbey, founded in 1965 by Father Archer Torrey (Dae Cheon-deok) in Taebaek, Gangwon Province. Protestant communities, however, tend not to regard such a life as a higher grade of faith, understanding it instead as an individual calling.