- A remarkably difficult question,
is whether a person who's divorced can serve as a pastor,
or another way to talk about that is an elder
or an overseer.
I understand pastor, overseer, elder,
all to refer to the same office.
Paul talks about the qualifications for
a pastor, elder, overseer, in 1 Timothy 3,
and Titus chapter one.
And here's what he says.
The overarching category is a pastor
must be without reproach.
Which doesn't mean sinless,
but that no one can look into this person's life,
and find any significant reason why they shouldn't serve
as a pastor.
Another thing that's said in these lists,
is that they should have a good reputation
in the community.
Well how does that relate to divorce?
In the history of the church,
this has been debated.
What does Paul mean when he says
a man should be a husband of one wife,
that's one translation in 1 Timothy 3:2.
One way of taking this in the history of the church,
is even after your wife dies, you shouldn't remarry.
If you're to be a husband of one wife,
some have interpreted that to mean
you can never marry again.
Even if your wife dies.
Most people today don't hold that interpretation,
because Scripture clearly allows remarriage
after a spouse dies.
I don't think that view is very convincing,
but it is interesting to know some people have believed
that's what is said.
Another interpretation, or at least a very common
interpretation is of what Paul is saying there
is husband of one wife means you can't be divorced.
Can't be divorced and remarried.
Some people say you can be divorced,
as long as you don't remarry.
'Cause it says the husband of one wife.
So people cut the cake at different places right?
Some people say a divorce, if it's not your fault,
is legitimate, but you can't remarry,
because once you remarry,
you fail of the qualification.
That view could be right.
Many many people hold that view,
you could argue that it's,
there's a higher standard for leaders,
leaders need to have an exemplary marriages.
A failing in this area or remarriage is such that
it disqualifies you.
Personally, I hold a third view,
and that is that we should translate that phrase to mean
a one woman man.
A man who has a devoted and good marriage to a woman,
which I think means that it's possible
that a person could be divorced and remarried
and still be considered by the congregation
and by the community as a one woman man.
Now, it's not simple though, is it?
I'm not saying that one is qualified to be a pastor,
if they're divorced and remarried automatically.
No, the church, the other leaders,
and as far as you know, in the community,
have to testify that this person
has an exemplary marriage.
So if we think of particular situations,
we can think of a situation where someone
was married perhaps at a young age,
perhaps their wife was unfaithful,
and they got a divorce at a young age.
A few years later this person marries,
perhaps goes to seminary,
and then maybe 10 or 15 years later after he's been married
to his second wife, after what I take to be
a legitimate divorce and remarriage,
he has a good reputation in the church
and in the community for having a marriage
and is pleasing to God.
A marriage that other people in the congregation
look up to.
Now we always have to consider is that really the case?
Perhaps this person does not have a good reputation
in the community.
Or perhaps there are significant questions
about their divorce and remarriage in the church.
I think if that's going on,
that person should not be appointed as a pastor.
Because they have to have a good reputation,
they have to be without reproach in this matter.
I think another situation where it could be permissible,
I'm not trying to give every situation,
we could talk about situations all day long.
There's all kinds of circumstances that can come up,
but another situation is perhaps a person got divorced
and remarried before they were a believer.
And they came to Christ a few years later,
and then some time after that, they got married,
and then they have a good significant track record,
maybe 10 years, I'm not trying to set any particular number,
just giving an example.
10 years of a good faithful marriage,
and the people in the community and the church again
recognize the godliness of this marriage
and they recognize this person is truly a one woman man.
I think what we need to remember here is that,
Paul is giving not exhaustive descriptions.
The bullet point characteristics
of what does it mean to be a good leader?
Here's an illustration I use.
Paul says that you're not to be a drunkard,
that you can't serve as an elder if you're a drunkard.
I don't think he means by that,
you can't have ever been a drunkard.
I think he means by that,
your life is characterized for now
a significant period of time by sobriety.
The people in your church look at your life
and say this is a person who exercises self control
in the use of alcohol.
But maybe in your past, you struggled with that.
I think that's an interesting parallel to what
we're seeing here.
I don't think Paul is saying if you've ever sinned
previously in your life
regarding marriage you're disqualified,
but now in your life, for a significant period of time.
Whatever the church judges that to be.
You have a track record of godliness and faithfulness
and people respect you in terms of a pastor.
I'm not trying to lower the standard,
I think the standard is still high.
We see that what it means to be an elder
is to be a godly person, living out the gospel,
for a number of years.
That what it means to be an elder is that you live
in such a way that the members of the church respect you
and you're also respected in your community.
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