Can someone be saved by reading the NIV?

[lettheredeemedsayso]

[quote]
Linda, where can we get documented proof of your statement???
[/quote]

would it make a difference???

[Jerry]

Well, not now - but it would have back when he was in the ministry.

[pneu-engine]

When we make a statement about anything at all, we should be able to back it up. I promise you, if I ever say something about someone and discover that I'm wrong, I'll be the first to admit it.

Linda, I'm not saying you are wrong, but you probably know where you heard it, and we should be able to check it out.

[dwayner79]

Google comes up with nothing of the sort. I would not be suprised if you were misguided Linda. If I was divorced, you probably would not be able to find it on Google, but someone like Bob Jones being divorced would be a big deal to most fundamentalists and it would have been written about. I too am not saying you are wrong, I just would want some documentation to prove it.

[pneu-engine]

Yup. :)

[Bakershalfdozen]

Same here. I spent a long time last night searching for this info.


The only reason Jesus allowed divorce was infidelity.


If Bob Jones Sr. was in fact divorced, he might have had an argument if this was the reason. Also, he was an evangelist, not a pastor.

Now some of us would say that any divorce at all would disqualify a man from ministry. Some would not say that.


Sources please.

[pneu-engine]

[quote]
Now some of us would say that any divorce at all would disqualify a man from ministry.
[/quote]

The reason that I would say that it would, is b/c I would have a difficult time lending credibility to a man that came to our church as an evangelist for a series of meetings and was divorced. That Evangelist should be able to give us a series on anything in the Bible that has to do with Godly living, and marriage is contained in that. Right away now I think of [b]Chuck Cofty[/b] and how much we appreciated him and his ministry because of his high regard for his wife.

A similar argument is made for the founder of a Christian College. If the founder is divorced, he would lose so much credibility that he would be rendered ineffective.

[Bakershalfdozen]

I am in [b]full agreement [/b]with you PE.

[dwayner79]

hum... Everything sounds right, I am just struggling with this whole credibility thing. I mean, what if it was when he was lost? How does he treat his current wife? He could have a slue of life experiences from a pre-christ perspective that actually help him to deal with certain circumstances. I mean, you do not have to be an murderer to denounce murder, but image a former murderer who had been saved and not leads a ministry pointing people to Christ. Apply that to someone who has these experiences, has found Christ and now goes about helping other married people keep their marriage together. I think that this is one of the "per bases" things you would have to look at.

Just a thought.

[chev1958]

PE,

You may be right about divorced men losing credibility, but Biblically, they're not disqualified from preaching, teaching, soul-winning, or even starting a new work.

Only pastors and deacons are disqualified for being divorced (as well as the other things listed, of course).

Mitch

[lettheredeemedsayso]

First of all, I would not say something like that if I didn't hear it from a credible source. Second, If I felt like it was a bad thing I would not have even mentioned it. Anyone that knows me here knows that I will be the first to stand behind the man of God.
Thirdly, is it the man that we are following or the Lord Jesus Christ. I can see a baby Christian following the man but mature Christians like the majority of us are here, follow the Saviour.

As far as the credibility thing, I have heard of preachers whose wives left and divorced them because they were so dedicated to the work of the Lord. How do you claim that these men are not credible?

[Chelle]

[quote]
As far as the credibility thing, I have heard of preachers whose wives left and divorced them because they were so dedicated to the work of the Lord. How do you claim that these men are not credible?
[/quote]

Excellent question, Linda. I would actually be interested in reading the responses to that question too.

[chev1958]

[quote]
As far as the credibility thing, I have heard of preachers whose wives left and divorced them because they were so dedicated to the work of the Lord. How do you claim that these men are not credible?
[/quote]

Point: A preacher is not necessarily a pastor. Scripture does not address the marital status of preachers, only pastors and deacons.

Assuming pastor is what you meant, I submit:

[quote]
1 Tim. 3:4-5 -- 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?)
[/quote]

If a pastor is so "dedicated" to the ministry that his wife leaves him, he's not ruling his house well and, thusly, not blameless nor of good report. It seems that a divorce can disqualify a pastor on several grounds, not just the husband of one wife.

Therefore, the pastor who is divorced is disqualified from being a pastor.

Your mileage may vary,

Mitch

[Tim]

:goodpost:

[Chelle]

[quote]
If a pastor is so "dedicated" to the ministry that his wife leaves him, he's not ruling his house well and, thusly, not blameless nor of good report.
[/quote]

I think Linda was probably asking about pastors who do everything right (as the Holy Spirit leads them), including ruling their house well AND dedicating themselves to their pastoral ministry as fully as the Bible recommends they do, and their wives STILL leave them.

Are such men disqualified as well?

While we're on that subject, just what does it mean to "rule one's house well"? Could you provide some examples?