The overseer therefore must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, modest, hospitable, good at teaching;
the husband of one wife: Because of the time that is necessary to spend with both men and women in the church, it is important that an elder be a "one-woman man." His home life with his wife must be healthy and honorable so that his sexual feelings for other women will not escalate. "The husband of one wife" is a troublesome phrase, hard to nail down, for sure. Yet, taking Paul at his word, it seems quite clear that a man desiring to be an elder must have a wife. If he is single or has never been married, he does not qualify for the eldership. On the other hand, if he is a polygamist--a man having two or more living wives--he cannot be an elder. However, the individual congregation should use great wisdom and strive to be consistent in this matter. Whatever we do with the "one-woman man" issue must be consistent with what we do with the rest of the characteristics. Could it be possible for a man to be married to the same woman for fifty years and not really be a "one-woman man?" I think so. He might have been unfaithful. Or maybe he was sexually faithful but did not care and provide for the needs of his wife. Maybe he was a super communicator at work but an inadequate communicator with his wife. The real issue here could very well be: commitment! The true sense of the phrase "the husband of one wife" may be found in the way the husband is committed to his wife and how that commitment is linked to his other "Bride"--the church: the Bride of Christ!