For Winter - Divorce & Ministry (1)

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On Sat, 14 Oct 1995 19:24:11 GMT, you wrote:

>mbasset@pcnet.com (Mark W. Bassett) spake thusly and wrote:
>
>>Mr Winter is not affiliated in any way with the United Pentecostal
>>Church, or the Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ.
>
>True,  I do not claim to be that which I am not, but you are a living
>breathing example proof of the falling away of the UPC from sound Bible
>doctrine if it is true that they gave you a preacher license knowing that you
>are double married (not to mention being a liar and a reprobate).

I am not a liar, and I am not a reprobate, as God is my witness. Also,
there is reliable witness to my character by those whose
responsibility it is to know, namely those to whom I am subject in the
bond of the Spirit. By the way, the hadling of my ministerial
credentials represents no change in policy from years past. 

Everyone aware of the sad state of affairs is in general conclusion
that you apply these names to people who are not in agreement with
your nasty spirit, whether or not they are godly, and of sound
understanding. Thus, to call me a liar and reprobate coming from you
says nothing.

Now, the other and more important matter:

Your failure to comprehend the doctrines of Jesus Christ and his
Apostles doctrine as it relates to subject of marriage, and the new
birth does not accredit you to rail against the church. There is a
place for this type of question, but it is not the forum of isolation
outside of the fellowship of the saints, which you have preferred.

>Here's a few verses to expose a bunch of false preachers. Notice that a
>deacon(a young preacher), an elder, or a bishop; all must be the husband
>of only one wife. So if a man has a living ex-wife and has re-married;
>he is disqualified from the ministry. Also if his wife and children are
>not in subjection to him, then he is disqualified from being a pastor...

>So, you see, there are many filling pulpits who have no business there...
 
>I Timothy 3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife,
>vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
>I Timothy 3:3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre;
>but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
>I Timothy 3:4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in
>subjection with all gravity;
>I Timothy 3:5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how
>shall he take care of the church of God?)
>I Timothy 3:6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into
>the condemnation of the devil.
>I Timothy 3:10 And let these also first be proved; then let them use the
>office of a deacon, being [found] blameless.
>I Timothy 3:11 Even so [must their] wives [be] grave, not slanderers,
>sober, faithful in all things.
>I Timothy 3:12 Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their
>children and their own houses well.
>Titus 1:5 For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set
>in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city,
>as I had appointed thee:
>Titus 1:6 If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful
>children not accused of riot or unruly.
>Titus 1:7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not
>selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to
>filthy lucre;
 
>Also we must remember that if any preacher is preaching any variation 
>from the apostolic doctrine (Acts 2:38).....

Absolutely. Including you, of course.

>Galatians 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other
>gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be
>accursed.
>Galatians 1:9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any [man] preach
>any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be
>accursed.
  
>A glance at Acts 19 will verify that Paul adhered faithfully to the 
>Apostolic Acts 2:38 doctrine. (The Church at Ephesus was founded in Acts 19).

You are correct, so far as your shallow bible study has taken you.
Having recently seen someone cite your "great Bible knowledge", I am
amazed at the general level of understanding of the Bible. You, with a
congregation of near nothing both ac cross the e-world, and locally,
would have to agree.

Even though such conversation has been useless in the past, let me
once again analyze the heart of your objection.

* You believe that the verses cited indicate that, without exception a
person once married and then divorced, and remarried may not be
involved in ministry. 

Giving ALL AUTHORITY to the word (AS IT IS WRITTEN and as you have
partially cited), for your claim to be viable, there is ONE
requirement.

1. The marriage ending in divorce must remain in effect after the
divorce.

Also, there is the principle of the new birth, which you might have
mentioned in tandem, but havent, and that is the SIN of divorce, and
the nature of the person born again. We can assume that you agree with
our stand that divorce and remarriage after salvation is not
desirable, and a disqualifier of ministry.

These are very serious matters, Steve, and we do take them seriously.
We are disgraced and humiliated by your blaspheming against the people
of God, but not beyond suppying you with the answer to your concern.

So, since we have no reason to believe that you cannot see that ..

2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old
things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Then we can look at the one issue raised, namely the viability of a
wife separated by divorce before salvation. Shall we? This is a
subject of scope to great for one post, but here are the essentials.

The question is, "does divorce actually terminate a  marriage?" If it
does not, then all persons remarried after divorce in any
circumstances are adulterers, and bigamists, and certainly not
qualified for Christian living, much less ministry. Realizing that
marriage is a covenant above all depicting the relationship of Christ
and his church, let us stay with scripture. 

Mt 19:9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except
[it be] for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery:
and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.

This is the key text related to divorce in the New Testement

The phase "put away" used commonly in the NT is defined as follows:

      630 apoluo {ap-ol-oo'-o}
      from 575 and 3089;; v
      
      AV - release 17, put away 14, send away 13, let go 13, set at
liberty 2,
           let depart 2, dismiss 2, misc 6; 69
      
      1) to set free
      2) to let go, dismiss, (to detain no longer)
         2a) a petitioner to whom liberty to depart is given by a
             decisive answer
         2b) to bid depart, send away
      3) to let go free, release
         3a) a captive i.e. to loose his bonds and bid him depart, to
             give him liberty to depart
         3b) to acquit one accused of a crime and set him at liberty
         3c) indulgently to grant a prisoner leave to depart
         3d) to release a debtor, i.e. not to press one's claim
against
             him, to remit his debt
      4) used of divorce, to dismiss from the house, to repudiate. The
         wife of a Greek or Roman may divorce her husband.
      5) to send one's self away, to depart

Thus, in the New Testement, the meaning of divorce is to fail to honor
the covenant. An covenant not honored, is a broken covenant. 

We would be remain in doubt concerning this, as you seem to have, were
in not for the exception clause in Matt 19:9. This does not occur in
Mark 10:11-12, or Luke 16:18, the synoptic reflections, but it is here
in Matthew.


-- http://www.pcnet.com/~mbasset/life.htm
The Whole Gospel to the Whole World    -   Life Tabernacle UPC
"Preaching the Kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ,
with all confidence, no man forbidding ... " - Acts 28:31