"The husband of one wife" is not the best rendering according to my studies of the Greek text. I believe the words translated "wife" (gunaihos) and "husband" (aner) are better translated "woman" and "man". The Greek construction places emphasis on the word "one", thereby communicating the idea of a one-woman man.

It is appropriate that sexual fidelity is first on Paul's list of moral qualifications because that seems to be the area that most often disqualifies a man from ministry. It is therefore a matter of grave concern.

There have been many proposed interpretations of this qualification. The view that an elder can't have more than one wife at a time has been the traditional understanding of the English phrase "the husband of one wife", but the religious and cultural climate of Paul's day make it unlikely that he was referring to polygamy. Neither the Jews nor the Romans tended to engage in that practice.

Some people say that "the husband of one wife" means a man can't be an elder if he has remarried for any reason. But Paul can't be referring to remarriage, because God permits remarriage after the death of one's spouse (1 Tim. 5:9-15; Rom. 7:2-3; 1 Cor 7:39).

Others say that Paul was prohibiting divorced men from serving as elders. But if Paul was referring to divorce, he could have clarified the issue by saying, "An elder must be a man who has never been divorced." But even that statement would pose problems because the Bible teaches that remarriage after a divorce is within God's will under two circumstances.

First, divorce is justified when one partner commits continuous sexual sin. Jesus said to the religious leaders, "It hath been said [by your rabbinical tradition], ‘Whosoever shall [divorce] his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement"' (Matt. 5:31). Many Jewish men were divorcing their wives for insignificant reasons, and the only requirement was to complete the necessary paperwork.

But Jesus said, "Whoever shall [divorce] his wife, except for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery [when she remarries]; and whosoever shall marry that is divorced committeth adultery" (Matt. 5:32). Implied in that statement is that those who have divorced for reasons other than fornication are themselves adulterers, and their new wives are adulteresses.

I believe that the "fornication" mentioned in that context refers to extreme situations of unrelenting and unrepentant sexual sin. God graciously permits the innocent party to be free from bondage to such an evil partner. With that comes the freedom to remarry a believer.

Under Old Testament law, if a marriage partner committed adultery, he or she could be stoned to death. That would release the other partner from that marriage and free him or her to remarry. Although God no longer demands the death of an unfaithful spouse, the sin of adultery is no less severe. Should God's grace in sparing the life of the adulterer penalize the innocent party by demanding lifelong singleness! I don't think so. The grace that spares the adulterer's life also frees the innocent party to remarry.

Second, divorce is justified when an unbelieving partner leaves. In 1 Corinthians 7:15 Paul says, "If the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases; but God hath called us to peace". If an unbelieving partner wants out of the marriage, the believer is free to let him or her go. God doesn't require you to live in a state of war with such a partner.

Some people say Timothy 3:2 prohibits single men from serving as elders. But that position is refuted by the fact that Paul, who was an elder (1 Tim. 4:14; 2 Tim. 1:6), was himself single (1 Cor 7:7-9). The phrase one-woman man" doesn't refer to marital status at all. Paul is giving moral qualifications for spiritual leadership, not outlining what an elder's social status or external condition is to be. "One-woman man" speaks of the man's character, the state of his heart. If he is married, he is to be devoted solely to his wife. Whether or not he is married, he is not to be a ladies' man.

Unfortunately, it is possible to be married to one woman yet not be a one-woman man. Jesus said, "Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart" (Matt. 5:28). What Paul is telling Timothy is that a married -- or unmarried-- man who lusts after many women is unfit for ministry. An elder must love, desire, and think only of the wife that God has given him. Sexual purity is a major issue in the ministry. That's why Paul placed it at the top of his list.

Dr. John MacArthur, Jr. is pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, and President of The Master's College and Seminary. Known for his dynamic expository preaching, John is heard daily on the "Grace to You" syndicated radio broadcast and has a cassette ministry that has distributed more than 10,000,000 tapes.
His many books include:

The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Series
The MacArthur Study Bible
Introduction to Biblical Counseling
The Master's Plan for the Church
Reckless Faith
The Vanishing Conscience
Different By Design
Introduction to Biblical Counseling
Anxiety Attacked
The Power of Suffering
The Silent Shepherd
Body Dynamics

. . . . as well as many other books, articles, etc..