Featured "The Husband of One Wife?

Let's go back to the basics. A man is married and divorced before he is saved but his divorce is NOT for biblical reasons. After he is saved he is married again. But, according to God's standard for marriage, the man's first wife is still biblically married to him. When he marries again he now has two wives in the sight of God. A man with two wives is not qualified to be a pastor.

And we are not talking about spiritual growth. We are talking about the biblical qualifications to be a pastor or a deacon.

One wife. Qualified.
More than one wife. Disqualified.

Yes. If you are a drunk, a brawler, etc., then you are not qualified to be a pastor. Just like if you have more than one wife you are not qualified to be a pastor.

 

Been there. Done that.

But that does not nullify the word of God.

Not part of the discussion.

Just as today. But our polygamy is serial. Marriage after marriage after marriage, with no biblical grounds for divorce. And today we call concubines "mistresses" or "live ins" or "girl friend."

 

If she was already married in God's eyes do you think she was eligible to marry another man at the same time she was still married to her first husband?

And if she was committing adultery with the second man, did her husband divorce her (again?) but this time for adultery?

I am reminded of an old saying my grandmother used to say, "Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive."

We can't fool God. His word stands.

One wife: qualified (in that particular)
More than one wife: disqualified.

 

If you are not willing to be honest there is no point in continuing. I have never said any such thing, and you know I haven't. Shame on you!

More dishonestly.

One more time. Man marries then divorces his wife without biblical reason. In God's eyes he is still married to his first wife. When he marries again he now has two wives. Two wives disqualifies him for the pastorate. And, yes, it is all in the present. If he is a liar he is disqualified. If he is a thief he is disqualified. If he has two wives he is disqualified.

If you cannot be honest and discuss the issue, two wives, then we cannot continue.

 

Stop it! RiGHT NOW!

What you said was, "Can you please tell me where in the bible it says that any previous transgressions we've committed before our salvation stays with us as an indicator of our worth as we continue to grow in our walk with Christ? I'd like to be able to use it for future reference."

I have never said that, and you know it! The point is now. Now, a man with two living wives is disqualified for the pastorate. You KNOW that is the point but you keep posting falsehoods about what I said. Shame on you! The Lord rebuke you!

Again, STOP IT!

You said, "I'm still having a hard time fathoming the fact that there are so many pastors and deacons out there that have never told a lie, took something without asking or disobeyed their parents growing up..."

That is untrue and you know it! I never said nor hinted that anyone never lied, took something or disobeyed. You KNOW I never said or hinted at that. Again you post a falsehood! SHAME ON YOU!

 

Which wife? He has two.

 

I am sorry to hear that. The bible makes it pretty clear. There is only ONE cause for divorce. Sexual immorality. No sexual immorality, no divorce.

I disagree. Most understand what Jesus means when He said "It was also said, ‘Whoever shall put aside his wife, let him give her a writing of divorce,’ but I tell you that whoever puts aside his wife, except for the cause of sexual immorality, makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries her when she is put aside commits adultery."

The question is simple. If she is no longer married to her first husband, how can her second marriage be adulterous? Simple. She is still married to her first husband!

No. The fact that they deny Matthew 5:31-32 is proof they are not conservative.

Neither am I. I have been married to the same wonderful woman for 42 years. But that is not the point. The point is, do two living wives disqualify a man from the pastorate? I think so. You seem not to have decided and keep trying to find a loophole.

God's word doesn't have loopholes.

 

You might go back earlier. The Westminster Confession (Presbyterian, 1646) set out the grounds for divorce:

" ... In the case of adultery after marriage, it is lawful for the innocent party to sue out a divorce, and after the divorce to marry another, as if the offending party were dead. Although the corruption of man be such as is apt to study arguments, unduly to put asunder those whom God hath joined together in marriage; yet nothing but adultery, or such willful desertion as can no way be remedied by the Church or civil magistrate, is cause sufficient of dissolving the bond of marriage; wherein a public and orderly course of proceeding is to be observed; and the persons concerned in it, not left to their own wills and discretion in their own case."

The Westminster Confession was a major source for the Second London Baptist Confession (1677/1689), yet the London Confession (following the Independent Savoy Declaration of 1658, which the Baptist confession follows more closely than the Westminster) omitted the section on divorce. Whether this reflects a genuine disagreement with the Westminster Assembly, I cannot say. Parliament approved the Westminster Confession minus some sections, including the one on divorce. Did the Independents (and thus the Baptists) ignore the section because they disagreed or because they were unwilling to tread where Parliament had not gone? I am not aware of a definitive answer.

I might also hazard a guess that divorce was not a pressing issue with the 17 century English Baptists. Divorce (which required an act of Parliament) was expensive and a long-drawn-out affair (so to speak) and very few of those Baptists would have the means to seek a divorce even if they desired one.

I would pass on this letter from John Broadus in 1885:

"The case you describe belongs to a class sometimes causing great pain in the action necessary to be taken. To me it seems perfectly plain that our Lord expressly prohibits divorce, except for the cause of unchastity. When, therefore, two persons have been by law divorced on other grounds, and one of them, during the lifetime of the other, marries again, I do not see how a church can recognize this second marriage, or fail to treat it as adulterous. It may sometimes be a very painful action to take."

 

Name one conservative theologian who says having two wives does not disqualify a man from the pastorate.

 

None - however - when a divorce is granted the woman is no longer the wife of the man.

I have an interesting question:

Suppose a wife leaves her husband (Bill) - she then marries another man (Jim) - in essence she has now committed adultery with Jim.
So could Bill become a pastor since his ex wife has now committed adultery ?

Would he be qualified to be an evangelist?