Praise the Lord, church! In this Bible Study, we take a look at the phrase “husband of one wife” to show why the phrase has been terribly translated and terribly interpreted. The phrase actually means “one-woman man,” and there are good biblical examples to argue against the traditional interpretation (“married only once”).

Tonight’s Bible Study tackled widows and widowers, those who lose their spouses through death and then remarry. The question becomes, “Can widows remarry after their spouse dies?”, and the answer is a resounding “yes.” They can remarry, because Paul himself says in Romans 7 that death terminates the marriage covenant – at which point, the living spouse is free to remarry in the Lord. In 1 Timothy 5, Paul encourages widows under the age of 60 years old (those who’ve lost their husbands) to remarry again in order to preserve themselves in the faith because some wives, having not remarried, have become gossips and busybodies and have even turned aside to Satan.

So, widows and widowers are allowed to remarry and can all fulfill the “husband of one wife” statement of 1 Timothy 3:2, 12 because they’re only bound to their first marriage as long as their first spouse lives. At death (“death due us part,” the vows read), the person is free to marry a new (yet second) spouse because they’ve fulfilled the marital obligations of the first marriage; now that it’s terminated, they are free to engage in a new marital relationship.

Widows are not the only ones allowed to remarry, so we will take a look at divorce and remarriage since it’s such a large part of this discussion around this biblical phrase. I’ve already covered that the phrase “husband of one wife” is gender-inclusive.

Did you like the first part of this series? Would you like to see future series along these lines? If so, what would you like to read about? Let us know by writing us at essentialpastor@gmail.com or contacting us by way of the Contact Page at the site menu at the top right. Click on the word “menu,” then select “contact” in the drop-down.

We praise the Lord for you taking the time to share in the Word of God with us and look forward to sharing more with you this Thursday. May the Lord bless you and keep you until we meet again.

In Him,

Pastor D.M. Richardson

The Essential Church

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