Difficult Phrase Position Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Difficult Phrase Position Paper - Essay Example tians who overreact on the cases of immorality by interpreting the phrase their own way making it say more than what it was originally intended to say. A number of commentators who have written about 1 Timothy 3:2 have concluded that the phrase means that it is not a must for an elder to be married. They contend that the phrase simply tries to say that if a man is married, then he should be faithful to his spouse and exhibit marital fidelity and not be polygamous, a man of many women. The reason why marriage is not a must for one to be a church leader is argued from Paul’s point of view. Paul was neither married nor did he have children so he would not insert a qualification that would exclude him. It is noted that Paul spoke of the advantages of his own single state in 1 Corinthians 7:8,Paul expresses that celibacy is the most optimal state in which an individual is able to serve the Lord. The main idea here is that a man does not qualify as a husband of one wife because he has no wife, to be a man of one wife one has to have a wife. Personally the marriage view should be eliminated as it places an undue emphasis on a candi date’s married status while the text is more concerned with on a person’s character. The marriage issue lacks enough scholarly support its claims. This first understanding as meaning married to the church simply communicates that a man must be completely dedicated to the work of the church in order to qualify as an elder. In this view, the word wife is seen as the church or wife of Christ. In Eph 5:23) the church is alluded to as Christ’s bride. In Lange’s commentary Oosterzee refers to this position though it is often doubted because of his Roman Catholic origin. According to Kent, the view was an obvious endeavour to protect the Romish doctrine of celibacy for the priests. Being married to the church makes it irrelevant to marry a literal wife. Thus 1 Timothy 3:2 cannot be used to make the priests get married. The view was also