serving as a deacon after divorce

BTW, at the time of Malachi would a respectable maiden ever kiss or have any other intimate contact prior to marriage? If I am not mistaken, all of this type of behavior would have been forbidden until marriage. Of course the marriages were generally early and arranged between an established man and a young girl. What they considered normal, we would probably consider criminal child abuse, ie. marriage of a 15 year old to a 35 year old man.

 

Since I believe scripture condemns divorce except in the case of an unrepentant lifestyle of adultery, I believe the terminology 'husband of one wife' means one wife forever, NOT one current wife.

 

Diane,

Scripture DOES NOT look highly upon Scott's intentionally twisting Scripture ...

 

I believe scripture is very clear about this issue and also the other criteria for one to be a deacon. I was sort of jumped on when I said our church sends out the scriptural criteria to every male member of our church well before we nominate deacons and men are asked to evaluate themselves and call to have their name removed if they do not fit the criteria or do not have the time, feel called at this time or desire to be a deacon. A man who is not in charge of his own household can, SHOULD, have his name removed for consideration. Those voted 'in' are not announced to our congregation until they're interviewed by our deacon committee. Scripture supports this 'testing'.

 

Diane,

Can you imagine if Jeremiah were to come to America today ...

 

Diane,

They say they believe, but they do NOT want to encounter God on HIS terms ... It sounds just like the time of Jeremiah

... Woe to us ...

... We spend time justifying our uncleanness ...

 

Diane,

This is within the confines of a Fundamental Baptist Forum ...

... We should preach repentance like Jeremiah, Elisha, Elijah ... Moses, Jesus, Peter ... Paul and John ... Isaiah ... Hezekiah ...

 

2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

My husband says 'you hear what you want to hear and you see what you want to see'.

 

Diane. The text does not mention divorce. Literally, it doesn't even mention "wife, husband, or marriage".

That's the problem. People are reading their traditions and preconceived biases into the text to result in an unsupported, inconsistent interpretation.

 

Scripture DOES NOT look highly upon Scott's intentionally twisting Scripture ... </font>[/QUOTE]Who is twisting scripture? Who is being evasive?

It is you that avoided answering a simple question after such bravado in insisting that I answer yours.

It is you that is reading "no divorce" into the passage and reading out the clear implications.

If anyone is guilty of twisting scripture it is you. You have cited tradition several times- presumably your twisting and adding to this passage is an attempt to preserve a tradition against what God actually said.

 

How about a man who wasn't perfectly in control of his household when his children were young but through the process of sanctification has become a godly father and leader of the home? If "one woman man" applies to the whole lifetime then why doesn't "rules his own house well"?

 

No. I don't want to encounter God on your terms or any other man. You have not dealt with the scripture but rather evaded and relied on "tradition".

 

1 Timothy 3:11
Likewise their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things

 

Yes. They were faithful to preach what God gave them- nothing more, nothing less.

You have attempted to both add and omit from the passage in question by your interpretation and application.

 

Raising a child isn't accomplished in one day but over a long period of time.

My husband resigned as deacon when our daughter got pregnant out of wedlock. She was almost 19.

 

I sincerely only want to see what God has said in this passage without adding the wisdom of men... even godly men.

I don't want to badger you especially but would appreciate your attempting to refute the statement I made above.

 

I agree. I also no of no one anywhere that perfectly rules his house for his whole life.

It is the demonstrated character of the man that is in view.

 

'Ruling a house' is a day to day affair. I don't think you can compare 'Johnny not doing his homework last Tuesday night' with divorce and yet Daddy didn't have control over Johnny that one night.

Would we say because Mr. Smith drank too much beer after a football game in college that he's a drunk? Nope. He drank to excess one time. Divorce is forever. Divorce is not a one time boo boo. God HATES divorce.

Divorce is not an option in our home, Scott. It never WAS an option.

 

Diane,

Nor will divorce become an option in my home.

Yes, my ears itch and my humanity would like to soften His Word. But, the Word of God is clear.

Oh soooo clear. It is coming ... It is only a matter of a few years before America becomes Judged by the Eternal God.

... Jeremiah was right ...

 

And if he caused a car accident on the way home and permenantly injured some one but got saved years later and then wanted to be a deacon after years of spiritual growth, what would you say then?