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NASB | Titus 1:6 namely, if any man is above reproach, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, not accused of dissipation or rebellion. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Titus 1:6 namely, a man of unquestionable integrity, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, not accused of being immoral or rebellious. |
Bible Question: Tit 1:6 An elder must be blameless. He must be the husband of one wife ... etc. Does this mean the husband of only one wife? What if Biblically divorced for justifiable reasons? Does being a Christian before or after divorce make a difference? Does this mean a man wanting to be a preacher cannot remarry after being widowed and still be a preacher? Does this mean that a divorced preacher should be defrocked? |
Bible Answer: The Husband of One Wife NASB 1 Timothy 3:12 Deacons must be husbands of only one wife, and good managers of their children and their own households. "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). |