Titus 1:5-8

[cih1355]

In Titus 1:5-8, one of the qualifications of an elder is a husband with one wife. Does this mean that the elder must be married? If not, how would this qualification apply to a single person?

 

[Guest]

It means I think that he must be faithful to his wife if he is married. He is to be literally a "one woman man". Not that he must be married.

[Edited on 2-23-2004 by Visigoth]

 

[pastorway]

Right!

The phrase means just that, "A One-Woman Man." It does not refer in any way to marital status, but to purity and faithfulness.

If he is single, he is not known as a womanizer. If he is married, he is faithful to his wife.

If it referred to being married, Paul and Timothy, as single men, would have disqualfied themselves from being an elder!

Phillip

for more see these articles on our church website: http://users3.ev1.net/~maranathachurch/rdpastor.html and http://users3.ev1.net/~maranathachurch/divorce.html

 

[alwaysreforming]

Could this also apply to a man if he is divorced? Or do you think divorce would disqualify a man from eldership, or from the pulpit?

 

[pastorway]

Check the second link I provided........it is a look at that very question.

Phillip

 

[exscentric]

There are a few evangelicals that hold to "must be married" but very few of any stripe that I've seen.

One of the big church preachers wife died awhile back and he resigned - can't think of who it was.