1st Timothy 3 and the calling of elders

[pmer]

My church uses this passage as a guide for the calling of elders. The pastor is floating the idea about divorce and if a person who was divorced can pass the phrase of "must be a husband of one wife".

I don't think that is the intent from reading the notes provided in my son's study bible. In there it speaks more about the intent of ones moral compass, multiple wives and flirtatiousness.

My first thought is no because Paul doesn't use the divorce in that passage. I want to say that adding the criteria of divorce is out of context to the intent of the passage. Or does it lend itself to ones character which can lead to the divorce? What if there was divorce but this person is a growing Christian?

I'm not running for anything just wrestling with a thought.

In fact the Greek translation to "desire" in verse one reflects; to long for, desire, covet & lust. Is this more about Paul telling Timothy to look out for the guy who is overly excited to get in power?

[Thundarstick]

Did they leave out the part about having believing children? Many around here will disqualify someone if all their grown children aren't Christians as well! Most around these parts follow the married one time to one woman as well, although I'm in your camp on the scriptures. Having one wife at a time.

[PJEagle]

I believe we need to take a look at some other passages related to divorce for some background before considering what Paul said to Timothy. If we begin in Genesis we find that God created Adam and Eve for his good pleasure and that they were to become one flesh. In Malachi 2:16 God says, “I hate divorce.” Matthew 19:7-9 gives us another view of our Lords opinion of divorce and says that adultery is the only reason for it. Even then he says it comes from the hardness of our hearts.

In a traditional Church marriage ceremony we make a covenant before God that we will be together “until death do us part”.

With that background, we need to look at the calling of an elder from two different positions. The first position would be that of those who are in the leadership of the congregation. They can look at this responsibility from the view of someone who prayerfully considers the whole of scripture or they can take the legalistic route and leave no room for grace. Legalism has probably poisoned more church wells than any other ism. On the other hand “cheap grace” is just as bad. The second position is from that of a man being considered for an eldership. If they are a true believer with a deep knowledge of the Bible, I can’t see how they would feel they were qualified. That would lead them to request that they not be considered.

With this being said, there are many ways someone who is a true believer and has been divorced or divorced and remarried can serve many vital roles in a congregation without being an elder. They should be welcomed into any congregation with open arms by all who have sinned and been forgiven. If I remember correctly, Jesus said that those without sin should cast the first stone and the accusers left one by one until only Jesus and the accused were left.