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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/Should a pastor whose wife left and then divorced him remain in the ministry? |
Bible Answer: In 1 Timothy 3:2 IS "husband of one wife" very clear? The meaning of 1 Timothy 3:2 has already been debated to death on this forum. However, it appears that some people can't resist dredging up the issue all over again. That being so, for the sake of balance, I quote here previous postings of mine on the meaning of the verse. 'one-woman man' (lit. Gr.) 1 Tim 3:2 *the husband of one wife.* "Lit. in Greek a 'one-woman man.' This says nothing about marriage or divorce. The issue is not the elder's marital status, but his moral and sexual purity. This qualification heads the list, because it is in this area that leaders are most prone to fail. (...) "A 'one-woman man' is one totally devoted to his wife, maintaining singular devotion, affection and sexual purity in both thought and deed. To violate this is to forfeit blamelessness and no longer be 'above reproach'" (p. 1864, MacArthur Study Bible, Word, 1997). *************************** Some think that this requirement excludes single men. 1 Tim 3:2 An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, The Husband of One Wife "Lit. in Greek a "one-woman man." This says nothing about marriage or divorce. The issue is not the elder's marital status, but his moral and sexual purity. This qualification heads the list, because it is in this area that leaders are most prone to fail. "Various interpretations of this qualification have been offered. Some see it as a prohibition against polygamy -- an unnecessary injunction since polygamy was not common in Roman society and clearly forbidden by Scripture (Gen 2:24), the teaching of Jesus (Matt 19:5,6; Mark 10:6-9), and Paul (Eph 5:31). A polygamist could not even have been a church member, let alone a church leader. "Others see this requirement as barring those who remarried after the death of their wives. But, as already noted, the issue is sexual purity, not marital status. Further the Bible encourages remarriage after widowhood (5:14; 1 Cor 7:39). "Some believe that Paul here excludes divorced men from church leadership. That again ignores the fact that this qualification does not deal with marital status. Nor does the Bible prohibit all remarriage after divorce (Matt 5:31,32; 19:9; 1 Cor 7:15). "Finally, some think that this requirement excludes single men from church leadership. But if that were Paul's intent, he would have disqualified himself (1 Cor 7:8). "A 'one-woman man' is one totally devoted to his wife, maintaining singular devotion, affection and sexual purity in both thought and deed. To violate this is to forfeit blamelessness and no longer be 'above reproach' (Titus 1:6,7) Compare Prov 6:32,33" (p. 1864, MacArthur Study Bible, Word, 1997). *************************** Originally, I would have thought that a detailed explanation of 1 Tim. 3:2 would be unnecessary, since this is no complex, detailed theological matter. I MISTAKENLY thought that common sense would indicate the verse to mean: "A man who desires to be an overseer (bishop, elder) should -- if he is married -- be the husband of one wife." How this particular verse is interpreted as a COMMANDMENT to get married I will never know. *************************** Clarification of text 1 Tim 3:2 An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 1 Tim 3:2 *the husband of one wife.* "Literally in Greek a 'one-woman man.'" *Since* (not if) the literal Greek is "one-woman man," then Paul is NOT even using the words "husband" or "wife." Since the literal Greek is "one-woman man" and NOT "husband of one wife", a more literal translation would be: "An overseer, then, must be above reproach, a one-woman man, temperate..." Please, let's stop arguing over words that do not even appear in the original Greek of the text. kalos |