One Woman Man

Now the overseer is to be...faithful to his wife… (1 Timothy 3:2 NIV)
I spent over 14 years in the business world.  About half of them were in a regulated utility industry (working in power plants).  The other half were spent in the consumer package goods industry (manufacturing and selling pet food and tuna).  During some of that time, I was given responsibilities for hiring co-ops, contractors, and full time employees.  During none of that time, was I allowed to ask potential hires if they were married or not.  It wasn't relevant for the job openings I would have available, so I couldn't ask.

An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife… (Titus 1:6 NIV)
I certainly couldn't ask them who they had slept with since getting married.  I couldn't ask them who they slept with at all.  Asking that kind of question would have gotten me fired.  It most probably gotten me sued.  It almost definitely would have gotten the company sued.  A potential employee's sex-life is not of my business.

A deacon must be faithful to his wife… (1 Timothy 3:12 NIV)
Why, then, do statements like this show up in "qualifications for leaders" passages like this.  A leader in the church, even at the most basic "servant" (deacon) level, states that the individual must be faithful to his wife.  Why?  Once again, this goes back to the statement I keep repeating about leadership.

Leadership in the Church is not about power, position, or politics.  It's about walking together with God and helping others do the same.  This is why the church ends up asking all kinds of questions that I could never ask when interviewing potential hires in the business world.  Leaders have learned what it means to walk together with God.  Not only that, they live it.  That's what qualifies them to speak into our lives.

μιας γυναικος ανδρα

The Greek phrase above is the part of the passage translated "faithful to his wife."  The words in Greek are "one woman man."  The one and woman are in the genitive case, so the phrase at its most basic level would be something like "man of one woman."  Faithfulness is a good translation of the intent of this phrase.  A man shows his faithfulness to God by living out faithfulness to his wife.  Ladies, this would apply to you in the same way.  You are called to be a one man woman.

How about you?  Would you pass this test of leadership?  If asked in an interview, would you "get the job?"  Does your faithfulness to God show through in your faithfulness to your spouse?  Are you a one woman man (one man woman)?