by jimwalton » Tue Apr 25, 2017 10:12 am
Different churches answer that question differently. We Christians obviously believe that anyone who truly repents can be truly forgiven, but some churches believe that certain sins can disqualify an individual from church leadership. They base their position on the qualifications for elders in 1 Tim. 3 and Titus 1. They reason that failed marriages, even when the adultery wasn't committed by the person in question but by their spouse, still shows that that person somehow was not able to manage his own family well (1 Tim. 3.4-5), or that because his/her spouse fell into disobedience (Titus 1.6) they were obviously doing something that wasn't exemplary (with the logic that no marital breakup is the fault of one person only). Other churches believe that as long as repentance is real and the true sin of the situation was on the part of someone else, that person can still be a leader. We have to make room for such differences (Rom. 14), and each congregation needs to act on faith, and not judge those who see and practice differently.
Last bumped by Anonymous on Tue Apr 25, 2017 10:12 am.