The following "Question" was asked by a member of the congregation at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, and "Answered" by their pastor, John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed by Anjela Paje of Spokane, WA, from the tape, GC 1301-W, titled "Bible Questions and Answers Part 25." A copy of the tape can be obtained by writing, Word of Grace, P.O. Box 4000, Panorama City, CA 91412 or by dialing toll free 1-800-55-GRACE. ©1983. All Rights Reserved.
Questioner
My question refers to the passage in 1 Timothy chapter 3, and, it’s
starting with verse 2. “An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband
of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach.”
Skipping to 4, “He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his
children under control, with all dignity. But, if a man does not know how to
manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?” Taking
account a hypothetical situation, a man happens to be a Pastor and is
going through a divorce from his wife, and knowing that God hates divorce, does
it conclude without question that this man does not have any right, to be up on
that pulpit?
John MacArthur's Answer
Let me answer that question as directly as I can. Basically, the answer to your question is, yes. He does not have that right. And, there may be cases in which he is a victim of an adulterous wife, like Hosea’s wife. And, he may have made no contribution to that at all. She may have been all on her own, but, when he goes through a divorce, he ceases to be able to demonstrate the model that God wants him to demonstrate.
In the Old Testament, the priests had the same kind of qualifications. Now, you could be a prophet. You could be a king. You could be a lot of things, a great leader. You could have been a judge. You could have been a lot of things in Israel, but you couldn’t be a priest, if you were disqualified on one of those technicalities. And, in the church today, I believe, that there are men who have been divorced, who can serve in great ways in ministry. They’re not hindered in the ministry at all. But, they can’t be an elder or a pastor in a local church when that is an issue.
Now, let me explain what these things mean here. In verse 2, “he must be blameless.” That’s the over-arching qualification of which all the rest are only subqualifications. In other words, blamelessness is then defined by all the other phrases. He is to be without blame. He’s to be a person that you can’t point to his life and find something which says, “this guy is unrighteous.” He’s not right. His life isn’t right. If you can find that, then he’s disqualified.
Now, what are the things he must demonstrate? First, he must be, and the Greek text says, “a one woman man.” It doesn’t say the husband of one wife in the Greek. It says a "one woman man." Now, it isn’t talking about a man who has only been married once. It’s talking about a man who is committed to the woman who’s his wife. You see, being married to one woman doesn’t qualify you for anything. There’s a lot of unsaved people who are married to one woman. You understand what I’m saying? If that means you have to have only one wife, or have to have one wife, that would, and many people believe this, that means that if you’ve ever been divorced, ever in your life, you are disqualified. Or, if you don’t have a wife, you’re disqualified, or if your wife died, you’re disqualified. But, just being married isn’t a qualification for anything. The Greek text is a "one woman man."
Listen, I’m not interested so much in whether a person has only had one wife, as I am in whether or not he is totally and utterly and one hundred per cent devoted to the woman who is his wife. You understand that? That is a spiritual mark. And, that ought to be understood rightly because there’s so many pastors running around the world looking at a lot of other women than their own wife, but they stay with their wife so they can sort of keep themselves in the ministry. And, ultimately, many of them blow out of that and they run off with some woman in the church, and you know that disaster. That’s a disqualifier, if that happens, because he is not a "one woman man." He is not. You have to be a "one woman man."
And, then it goes down into verse 4, and it says "he rules well his own
house, and has his children in subjection with seriousness." If he doesn’t know
how to do that, how is he going to take care of the church? I am convinced that
when, and I think Timothy’s text here is talking about the children in the home
must be in submission to the father. How many times have you heard the old
stories about the preacher’s kids, right? The worse kids in the church, and so
forth. It shouldn’t be. That is a disqualifier based on this text. He is to be a
model as far as life, and his family is to be a model. Now, maybe, you say,
well, what if I’ve got five kids and one is bombed out on me, or two are bombed
out on me there. I mean, I can’t get saved for them, and, maybe, the Lord didn’t
choose ‘em, or whatever, whatever. Again, I say, it is not a question of you
can’t have a ministry. You can have a ministry, if your children don’t believe.
You can be used by God in a powerful way. You could be a great soul-winner. You
could be a great anything, but you can’t stand in front of the church and be the
pattern, and the model that all the rest of the people are suppose to set their
life after. It’s simply one role that has very unique qualifications. Some of
the greatest missionaries the world’s ever seen; some of the greatest
evangelists the world has ever seen lost all their kids, all of ‘em.
Questioner
May I elaborate on this, too? As a minister’s son, is he responsible to submit
to that ministry, even though he would feel that it is wrong?
John MacArthur's Answer
Are you asking me, if the kid ought to just chime in just to keep his father
in his job? Is that what you are saying? I mean, that’s the idea?
Questioner
I guess so.
John MacArthur's Answer
Yes, but it won’t work. Because there’s one thing you can’t fake, and that’s
true Christianity. And, that’s why Titus adds this, Timothy says, he’s got to be
able to rule his children and have ‘em in subjection. Titus says, they have to
be believing children. And, Titus adds the dimension that it isn’t just kids
that obey, but it’s kids that believe. So, that when they grow up, they affirm
the faith. I’ve said this before. I’ll say it again. If my children don’t
believe, I’m out of the ministry, as far as this role here is concerned. Now,
I’m not saying that to put pressure on my kids. But, that’s the way the Bible
says it. And, that’s okay. If God wants me here, then He’ll have to take care of
my children in that regard. I’ll do all I can, but, ultimately, it’s up to Him.
Patricia and I were praying the other night, and it just struck me as I was
praying to thank God that my children believe. And, they don’t believe because
I’m such a great parent, or she’s such a great parent. They believe because God
is such a great God of grace, that He redeemed them and kept me in the ministry.
Hear that kids? (laughter)
But, let me say this, also. I don’t want to say, either, that if a person is
ever had a divorce in the entire history of their life, they’re disqualified
from Christian Ministry. I mean, it is if they are blameless and love their
wife. It is a present qualification. He is a "one woman man." Listen, do you
think in the church at Corinth when they selected elders, they had a hard time
finding one that didn’t have a divorce? They must have. And, in the Roman church
and in all the rest of ‘em. But, if you do have a man in the ministry as a
leader and overseer, elder, bishop, who’s had a divorce, it better have been a
divorce so far in the past that he’s had years and years and years to prove his
credibility and spiritual character, so that he fits these present
qualifications.
Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur's Questions and
Answers" by:
Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
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