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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:
Can a man that is married to a divorced woman be called to the ministry and if so are there limitations on his ministry, please provide scripture Thanks webb4God |
Bible Answer: Dear webb4God, Using the example of the situaton that you gave, I believe that the fact that the man's wife has been divorced before does not place any 'limitations' on the man's ministry at all. If you read 1 Timothy 3:2, you will see that it is the man that should be the 'husband of one wife'. Nothing is said about the wife and her past or moral implications except in verse 3:11, where they must be temperate and faithful in all things. The woman's past is not something that should be considered in the election of a man to a post of leadership according to 1 Timothy 3:2-12, since the man should be the 'manager' of the household (v. 4). However, there should be no violation of the marriage covenant or any trace of marital unfaithfulness between the man and his wife (3:2), which is a high standard that should be upheld as the man seeks leadership, and is indeed a standard that every Christian family must uphold as well. I do not know the circumstances behind the wife's divorce and remarriage, but that alone cannot in any way hinder or limit the husband from the ministry that they are called to accomplish. Blessings, Nolan |