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NASB | 1 Timothy 3:2 An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 Timothy 3:2 Now an overseer must be blameless and beyond reproach, the husband of one wife, self-controlled, sensible, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, |
Bible Question: What does this verse (1 Tim. 3:2) mean when it says an elder of the church must be 'the husband of but one wife'? Does it mean that the elder must be married only once (no marriage is allowed even if the wife dies), or that the elder must be married to one wife at a time (polygamy is forbidden), a single person cannot be an elder in the church, or the elder must prove to be faithful to his wife, being a 'one-woman man' ? |
Bible Answer: How about "none of the above", I have always taken this verse to mean that he should not be divorced. That being divorced would indicate that he could not manage his own affairs, and if he can't handle his own affairs, how can he handle God's affairs? Don't you think someone in the church body would have a hard time looking to this individual for counseling, guidence, etc, if he presents a picture of chaos in his own life? |