Can a pastor who is married to a divorced woman still lead the church of God?

Sincerely,
Protecting The Office

Dear Protecting The Office,

It depends.  For the sake of clarity, we will assume that the man is biblically and appropriately married to this woman (there are many details involved with marriage after a divorce that go far beyond the scope of this question) and that the man has always been a faithful husband.  The Scriptures require the elder to be a “one-woman-man” (1 Tim 3:2).  A congregation would have to make a decision whether or not the man was properly fulfilling that requirement.

Secondly, an elder’s wife must be “grave, not a slanderer, temperate, and faithful in all things” (1 Tim 3:11).  Depending on the circumstances surrounding the woman’s divorce and her current behavior and conduct, this divorced woman may or may not disqualify her husband from serving as a pastor.

Does the Bible support courtship?

Sincerely,
Looking For A Verdict

Dear Looking For A Verdict,

The dictionary defines ‘courtship’ as ‘a period during which a couple develop a romantic relationship, especially with a view to marriage’.  Using that definition, the Bible highly supports courtship.  All positive Biblical examples of men and women in romantic relationships include a view towards marriage.  God doesn’t intend for people to be romantically involved without also being maritally minded.  The entire book of Song of Solomon addresses the romantic relationships between men and women… and marriage is the long-term outlook.

There are many different views on what courtship should look like (and that is in the realm of opinion, not Biblical insight), but the general principle of viewing all romantic relationships as an attempt at finding your lifelong mate is definitely appropriate.  Unlike the prevalent worldview that teaches us to focus on the physical side of the opposite gender, the Bible teaches that we should seek to know the inner character of someone we would like to build a life with (1 Pet 3:3-4).  Men are to treat women as they would want their sisters treated, and women are to treat men as they would have their brothers treated (1 Tim 5:2).  Romantic relationships are designed to help us find that one person that we will “leave and cleave” with to start our own family (Eph 5:31).

Is the Leviathan in the book of Job a dragon?

Sincerely,
Dragons Are Cool!

Dear Dragons Are Cool,

We don’t know exactly what animal the Leviathan was, but we do know that it doesn’t match the description of any currently living animal.  The Leviathan is described as being very large (Job 41:12), tough-skinned (Job 41:15-17), wild and undomesticated (Job 41:1-5), and potentially sea-dwelling (Job 41:31-32).

Some think that the Leviathan may be the answer to all the many dragon stories that are found across countless cultures.  In Job 41:18-21, God describes the Leviathan as flashing light when it sneezes, smoking from its nostrils, starting fires with its breath, and shooting flames from its mouth.  Such descriptions do indeed sound quite a lot like the description of a dragon.  It may very well be that the Leviathan is one of the dragons illustrated in countless ancient drawings.

Hi, there.  I had a question about translation, specifically the KJV vs. NRSV and NIV.  Numbers 11:25 KJV: "They prophesied, and they did not cease."  Whereas the NRSV/ NIV: "They prophesied and did not do so again.”  Seems like a major difference.  What is up with that?  I am trying to make some decisions regarding which Bible to choose, and things like this make it difficult.

Sincerely,
Word Works

Dear Word Works,

You are right that the King James Version (KJV) translates that verse as “did not cease”, and others translate it as “did not repeat”.  However, the translators of other versions often put into the footnotes that the KJV’s rendering is also appropriate.  Num 11:25 is a case where the Hebrew word being translated can mean either “add to over and over again” or “to add so as to alter behavior” – context defines which way it is used.  Therefore, there is some debate over which translation is correct.  All good translations will recognize that difference and usually provide a footnote.

As for which translation to use, we ALWAYS recommend a strict, literal, word-for-word translation.  The King James, New King James, American Standard, and New American Standard versions are all word-for-word translations.  ‘Word-for-word’ means that the translators did everything they could to translate each word separately and accurately; they did everything possible to not take liberties with the original text.  The New International Version (NIV) and the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) are a mix between word-for-word and thought-for-thought translation.  ‘Thought-for-thought’ translations allow the translators to change the words and simply convey the general idea of the sentence.  This allows the translators to instill their personal attitudes and theological perspectives into the text.  God gave us the Bible with precision.  The apostle Paul said that God conveyed the exact words that the apostles should speak and write (1 Cor 2:13).  Jesus said that not even the smallest stroke of the Bible would perish (Matt 5:18).  Translations need to be as precise as God was… word for word.  We recommend you read “New International Version” for a more specific breakdown on the flaws in that translation – we would put the NRSV in the same category.

I am in a relationship with a guy who has a child from a previous relationship. He was never married to this person.  He has asked God for forgiveness and sets a great christian example for his daughter.  My question is: is it okay for me to be in this relationship being that he had a child out of wedlock (although he has asked for forgiveness), or is this something that God frowns upon?

Sincerely,
Marriage Material?

Dear Marriage Material,

Yes, it was a sin for him to have a child outside of marriage (1 Thess 4:3-4).  Yes, a christian can be forgiven of that sin (1 Jn 1:9).  Yes, it is okay for you to date and, if you desire, eventually marry him.  Sin is a horrible thing, but if you couldn’t date people who have sin in their past… you couldn’t date anyone (Rom 3:23).

The key is to make sure that you, and he, are using the Bible as the guide to your life now.  God deeply loves every human being and rejoices over each sinner that repents and turns back to Him (Lk 15:7).