Disqualifications for ministry

[thephnxman]

Originally Posted by Aquila

A pastor once told me that these were Paul's "recommendations" and that they are not to be treated as dogma. For example we read,

(1)

2A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife,

Clearly Paul felt it best that an elder should be married. However, we know that Paul wasn't married and that Paul was also an elder.

1 Peter 5:1 (KJV)
"The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:"

So, I was taught that while these are strong admonitions regarding eldership and the deaconate, they are only guidelines, not "requirements". Ultimately God calls the individual and confirms that calling through the Spirit.

The bishop must be faithful, and the husband of only ONE WIFE
(not have married another woman while his wife lives). The (your?)
pastor seems to imply that a man can have only one wife at a time!

[Aquila]

Originally Posted by thephnxman

The bishop must be faithful, and the husband of only ONE WIFE
(not have married another woman while his wife lives). The (your?)
pastor seems to imply that a man can have only one wife at a time!

My pastor chose to take the literal meaning of the text in question without imposing any additional notions upon it. An important note is that Rome prohibited polygamy before Christ was born. However, the Jews still practiced it in an act of rebellion against Roman law. A number of first century rabbis had multiple wives. My pastor took it that Paul admonished the Christian seeking the office of elder to be married to one wife and one wife only. My pastor didn't take the position that this verse disqualified a man who had been divorced and remarried.