“A bishop then must
be…the husband of one wife…” (1 Timothy 3:2 NKJV)
While we have previously stated that a man must be faithful
to his wife if he is to be a leader in the church, several questions arise. Would this require that a man be married if
he is to serve as a pastor? Does this
mean that if a man is divorced that that he could never serve?
The sense of the Greek language is that the pastor must be a
one woman kind of man.
The literal translation is, “a man
of one woman.” The words, when used of
the marriage relation come to mean, “a husband of one wife.” The two nouns are without the definite
article, which construction emphasizes character or nature. The entire context is one in which the
character of the bishop is being discussed. Thus, one can translate, “a one-wife sort of a
husband,” or “a one-woman sort of a man.” We speak of the Airedale as a one-man dog. We mean by that, that it is his nature to
become attached to only one man, his master. Since character is emphasized by the Greek
construction, the bishop should be a man who loves only one woman as his wife.[1]
Think of the home as a laboratory where character is
developed. While there is much to learn
in marriage, it does not require that a man be married to build such
character. A single man may build strong character, just
in different ways. To say that a man
must be married to be a pastor would mean that neither Jesus nor Paul would
have qualified—and that is unthinkable! Of course, the nonsense that service to God demands celibacy as Rome teaches is contradicted here. It is plain that most church
leaders would be married, though not mandated that they be.
This would not necessarily preclude a man who was lawfully
divorced and remarried—or widowed and remarried even—from being a pastor, if
the other qualifications are met—providing he is demonstrably a “one woman kind
of man.” In the impetuosity of youth
some made rash choices of a mate who proved unfaithful. It might be that the man and his wife were
both unconverted at the time. Later,
after the marriage ends, circumstances change—and particularly if a man is
regenerated and senses God calling him to preach, then with an added level of
scrutiny, it may be that he becomes a legitimate candidate for the position if
he is exhibiting faithfulness at home in this marriage.
A PRAYER
Faithful God,
You have ever shown faithfulness to us, even when we have
been unfaithful to You. Thank You for
being such a patient and loving God. May
we be molded likewise, and may our marriage be a microcosm of Your devotion to
us displayed in our devotion to our spouse.
In the name of Our Lord Jesus,
Amen.
[1] Wuest, K.
S. (1997). Wuest’s word studies from the
Greek New Testament: for the English reader (1 Ti 3:2 ). Grand Rapids : Eerdmans.
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