One-Wife Requirement of a Deacon

“Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.” (I Timothy 3:12) Polygamy was a practice during the era of the first and second law (Deuteronomy). However, at the time of the reproof of the redaction (Deuteronomy) by the Lord Jesus, he referred to the monogamy of Adam and Eve (Mark 10:6) as an original, good and acceptable example. Hence, it seems followers of Jesus and teachers of the church recognized a monogamous and better way for their men to exemplify the restoration of the monogamous institution of marriage and fulfillment of the law in their personal lives. None of the early church officials were noted as having more than one wife, nor as antagonists against the reproof.

The deacon is a servant/minister of the local church and relatively under the theological authority of the overseer.

The office of a deacon is for a family man, not a bachelor or even a married man without children. A deacon must be married and not a polygamist or remarried! He must have a well-controlled family including a clean (not defiled) wife and orderly children. Society looks upon such men and their close relatives for an example how their own families should live. Ministers of the church are as stars in the dark sky, they give light and direction.

Someone like Kenneth Copeland could not qualify as a deacon. He has had more than one woman (wife). Actually, he should be shunned at the doors of any congregation unless he annuls his adulterous relationship with Gloria.

The best way that I can think of to establish clean churches is to establish communities in order to raise the children to be sexually clean, so they honorably marry and have the sexual cleanliness attribute so as to meet the requirement to serve as ministers. We can give background checks for males and females.

Links:

Remarriage Disaster: Copeland

Gravity, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre: I Ti 3:8

Pure Conscience: I Timothy 3:9

Proved and blameless: I Timothy 3:10

Character of wives of deacons: I Timothy 3:11

One wife: I Timothy 3:12

Ruling the home: I Timothy 3:12

Christian Community and Models

BEGINNING A LOCAL CHURCH
We must start churches that meet the requirements of God. We need faithful, clean couples, not men with defiled wives, to be able to serve as officers in the church. Since we are in the apostasy, it is even hard to find a church that can meet the requirements.

We must get out of the polluted congregations that will not repent of sexual uncleanness and begin our own congregations.

Overseers needed:

Deacons needed: See above.

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