Can a Man Be an Elder if He Has Been Married More Than Once?
Dear Mike,
Can a man be an elder if he has been married more than once?
As to the issue of elders and multiple marriages, I suppose you are referring to the passage in first Timothy (I Timothy 3:2) about an elder being the husband of one wife. This passage has been debated for many years and the major positions are:
- Paul is referring to those who are polygamists. He is saying that polygamists in the church cannot serve as elders since for a time some people in the early church practiced this form of marriage usually before they became Christians. However, this practice died out as the church grew and matured.
- Some say that a man cannot serve as an elder if he has either been widowed or divorced in the past because Paul is saying that you have to be the husband of one single wife.
- Another opinion is that Paul is referring not to the legal status of an individual concerning marriage whether he's been widowed or married before but rather his attitude. The term husband of one wife referred to an individual who was not a flirt. A man who was deeply committed to his wife. The point was that men who were aspiring to be elders, had to be men devoted to their wives and not improperly attracted to or involved with other women.
These are the various positions that are debated. I tend to agree with the idea that the husband of one wife refers to an individual who is devoted to his present wife since it would've been so much easier for Paul to use clear language had he wanted to eliminate the possibility of a man who had been previously divorced and remarried from becoming an elder.
He could've simply said, "Divorced men are not allowed to serve as elders."
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