Divorsed Deacon (Part 2)

No "sarcasm" on my part, but your rant is the norm for those who cannot discern the Word of God and the LORD's clear example of marriage/ HOLY MATRIMONY, which the modernists and the apostates try vehemently to disannul.

I'm not comparing us to Him, but Him to us, that is the core of Christianity, the conforming to His express image, so maybe we should follow the Lord's example? Yes, and NOT being sarcastic either!

 

Before anyone states this, I agree that a divorced pastor can cause too much division and therefore should not be in that position. But I do not hold that same standard to deacons with the above examples. With the divorce rate at 70% +/- and rising, a large church especially would have a hard time finding the "ideal" candidates for deacons.

In Christ,
Deborah

 

I did not say that. I am saying it doesn't matter WHO is to blame. A divorced man, according to the Bible, cannot be a Pastor... </font>[/QUOTE]Nor a deacon, that is if we follow His example, and not the emotions of men.

 

Not really, the Lord has His remnant y'know?

 

I agree that Deacons should be held to the same biblical standard.

We have never had any problem finding Godly Deacons...

 

I did not say that. I am saying it doesn't matter WHO is to blame. A divorced man, according to the Bible, cannot be a Pastor... </font>[/QUOTE]_________________________________________________
1Ti 3:12 Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.

A husband of one wife right? If the deacon's wife divorces him for her own selfish reasons and the deacon does not remarry then there is no sin. Paul doesn't mention divorce. Maybe because Jesus already covered that one.

Mar 10:12 And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.

She committed adultery, not him.

In Christ,
Deborah

 

Not really, the Lord has His remnant y'know? </font>[/QUOTE]___________________________________________

Agreed! I just think it is a sign of the end of times.

In Christ,
Deborah

 

Definitely; apostacy is equated with divorce in the same element that it is on the rise too.

 

I did not say that. I am saying it doesn't matter WHO is to blame. A divorced man, according to the Bible, cannot be a Pastor... </font>[/QUOTE]Remember who did the divorcing in that day and in that culture. Not the woman. She couldn't. If it were the same way today I doubt there would be nearly as many divorces today. Does that make women the problem with the increase in divorces? It certainly does not help. So to be in acccordance with the context of the Bible we need to make it imposssible for a woman to obtain a divorce. Who will the first Christian to try and get that law passed? Otherwise you have no issue.

 

The Word of God is clear, no matter what modernism demands.

 

The scriptures tell us we should "study" to show ourselves approved.

I'd say that many here refuse to do just this! They have always been told in church that this verse means this and that verse means that - no questions that's just the way it is!

I would argue that we should dig into each question honestly (not already knowing what our conclusion will be).

Take the woman/pastor thing. What do the statements of Paul and Jesus say (explicitly or implicitly) about their views on the subject? For lack of space I'll say that a thorough study of this topic leaves us with the conclusion that pastorship was intended to be a male role.

The divorce question is a little different. The references to a "one woman man" say nothing prohibitive about those who are with one woman now but perhaps who had an unfaithful or perhaps a now-deceased first wife. They speak of man who is blameless. This paints a picture of a man with a truly Godly spirit. Then we say, "Oh but wait this verse says this literally so it must be this!" By this standard a man with no great spiritual qualities or true zeal would be preferred over one with a pure heart but whose first wife left him or died. This should be a red flag - our rule doesn't necessarily generate the right results - perhaps we should see if we got it right or not!

If we read a verse and say, "well God wants it that way - even if it doesn't make sense that's the way we're going to do it" - then we probably are misinterpreting what that verse is intending to say!

Like I said is our God capricious? I say God is purpose-oriented and practical!

 

It's 'quite' in here because most of us have this SAME discussion about every 6 weeks and it gets tiring.

God said no divorce. God said husband of ONE wife. No one is throwing stones just quoting scripture.

 

Yeah they do Charles, study it out

 

It's the "First mention" principle, Eve for Adam, not anyone else.

 

Matthew 5:31-32 (NKJV) "Furthermore it has been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' 32 "But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

It would seem that God is saying no divorce, unless..., not simply no divorce.

 

Scott, should we follow the LORD's example? Or what Moses allowed due to the hardness of a man's heart? I never have found where the Lord did much to put up with a man's hard heart, except for his neck to become stiff and then resulting in sudden destruction.

 

Matthew 19:8
He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.

The Pharisees also came to Him (JESUS), testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?"..... Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate ...... Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, BUT FROM THE BEGINNING IT WAS NOT SO. 9 And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery

Why oh why can't we just take the words of our Savior as truth without trying to 'figure out the intent' of HIS words?!?