1 Timothy 3:2, 7 (KJV)
A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach...
Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
A pastor must be BLAMELESS. What does that mean in this context? There should never be an accusation against a pastor that can be proven or that he confesses. The most egregious of accusations is the one where he has committed sexual sin outside of his marriage. We have watched, over the past few months, how pastor after pastor has had to leave his pulpit because he sinned against his wife. We watched some of the most gifted and doctrinally sound men of this era confess that they were unfaithful in their marriages. Once they have committed such a heinous act, they are NO LONGER BLAMELESS, thereby disqualifying themselves from pulpit ministry FOREVER. It matters not how much they cry and beg for forgiveness. If they are sincere in their apologies, they will submit themselves to church discipline and sit down somewhere under some doctrinally sound teaching and accept the fact that they no longer belong in the pulpit. If they don't do that, they are arrogant and disobedient to God's Word. It doesn't matter who likes them or how much someone thinks they are such a good preacher. This doesn't mean they can't repent and end up in heaven, but they cannot go back and undo their sin, which means they are forever disqualified from the pulpit.
1 Timothy 3:2, 7 (KJV)
A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach...
Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
A pastor must be BLAMELESS. What does that mean in this context? There should never be an accusation against a pastor that can be proven or that he confesses. The most egregious of accusations is the one where he has committed sexual sin outside of his marriage. We have watched, over the past few months, how pastor after pastor has had to leave his pulpit because he sinned against his wife. We watched some of the most gifted and doctrinally sound men of this era confess that they were unfaithful in their marriages. Once they have committed such a heinous act, they are NO LONGER BLAMELESS, thereby disqualifying themselves from pulpit ministry FOREVER. It matters not how much they cry and beg for forgiveness. If they are sincere in their apologies, they will submit themselves to church discipline and sit down somewhere under some doctrinally sound teaching and accept the fact that they no longer belong in the pulpit. If they don't do that, they are arrogant and disobedient to God's Word. It doesn't matter who likes them or how much someone thinks they are such a good preacher. This doesn't mean they can't repent and end up in heaven, but they cannot go back and undo their sin, which means they are forever disqualified from the pulpit.