Quote:
Originally Posted by Amanah
If a Christian man is unequally yoked to an unbelieving wife should he become an Elder or Deacon in the church assembly?
If not, why not?
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No, I don't think so.
Why not?
The wives of elders and deacons, and not just elders and deacons, have qualifications, too:
Titus 2:3-5 (ESV),
Quote:
3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.
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Note the phrase "Older women". It is one word in Greek:
πρεσβύτιδας -
presbytidas, from πρεσβῦτις -
presbutis, meaning an "older woman".
See:
https://biblehub.com/greek/4247.htm
However, it is important to note, this is simply the feminine form of the Greek term:
πρεσβύτης -
presbutés, used in
Titus 2:2 to describe elders, that is, older men.
See:
https://biblehub.com/greek/4246.htm
Both of these terms stem from:
πρεσβύτερος -
presbuteros
Which is the universal terms for "elders", as in the official role as found in the Church.
See:
https://biblehub.com/greek/4245.htm
It seems clear that the "older women" of
Titus 2:3 are therefore, not just women of a certain elderly age, but rather, are to be considered the wives of πρεσβύτερος -
presbuteros, that is, elders.
Furthermore, regarding deaconesses:
1 Timothy 3:11 (ESV),
Quote:
11 Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things.
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These things being so, I can't imagine a scenario where an unbelieving wife would qualify for the role of "elder's wife" or "deacon's wife", thus meaning her husband is, by default, disqualified from either role in the Church.