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To: AnAmericanMother

Here is one that I like:

1 THIS is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;
5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)

(New Testament | 1 Timothy 3:1 - 5)


24 posted on 07/22/2006 8:08:42 AM PDT by landerwy
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To: landerwy; AnAmericanMother
1 Timothy 3:1 - 5

You say, a bishop must be married. If that were the proper interpretation, the logic of Paul's statement implies a bishop must also have children, and all his children must respect him without qualification.

Would a married man without children thus be ineligible for a bishopric? Apparently so. Would a married man with children, one of whom does not respect him fully, be ineligible? Again, yes. And how is one to measure the respect of the children, to determine whether it is "full"? Who's to say? No, all this passage means is that a married man, to be chosen as a bishop, must rule his own household well.

28 posted on 07/22/2006 8:18:02 AM PDT by NYer
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