Eldership qualifications

On the topic of "eldership". Can God use me despite my sinful past? I have found that God uses unqualified people to accomplish God’s spiritual purposes. Here are the following God’s CHOSEN/CALLED unqualified people to serve Him.
1. Lot got drunk and committed incest.
2. Abraham doubted God and committed adultery.
3. Jacob deceived his father.
4. Moses murdered.
5. David murdered and committed adultery.
6. Jonah got angry with God (in a sinful way)
7. Paul (Saul) murdered Christians
8. All 12 of Jesus disciples were not qualified to be the Apostles however Jesus called them.

God will use ordinary good people as well as ordinary very sinful people to accomplish great things. Through out the history (in the past 2,000 years), God uses people of limitless backgrounds who can minister “together” (unity) for Christ. God works all things together for His purposes.

For 3 years, Jesus taught His Disciples who became Apostles after His death. What kind of education did Jesus gave them? Reading all of the New Testament, I have come to conclusion that Jesus taught them Spiritual matters.

Teachers are to have good reputation. In the book of Titus, the requirements are: Show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose they may be ashamed because those have nothing bad to say about them. That teachers are to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age. In 2 Corinthians 7:2 says that we "make room for others in our hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one." This is where "accountability" comes in. In 1 Timothy 3:1-3: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.

In terms of "divorce", there is nothing in that scriptures that says "divorce" but rather "husband of one wife.".

What is the basic meaning of "husband of one wife." ? Can a man who lost a wife through death be qualified as an elder as "husband of one wife"?

Literally the Greek words are simply "one woman man" or "one wife man". One commentator translates as "one wife's husband." Whether this means one at a time or one during a lifetime depends completely on other considerations. Even the question on the meaning of "one at a time" depends on one's view of divorce as to whether a divorced man who has remarried is considered to be "one wife's husband."

There are mis-interpretations regarding this issue. Its really interesting (for me) to see how Reformed believers are divided on this. Not ALL Reformed believers agree on this matter.

In the concept of God's forgiveness, this also contradicts. God loves us very much and has forgiven our sin (i.e. adultery & divorce) when we confessed it from our heart. He not only forgives our sins but rebuilds our lives from where we are. Love hopes all things (1 Corinth 13). Love refuses to take human failure as final. With Christ in me, my human failures are never final. Love never keeps a record of wrongs. Love forgives and love is unable to think about them anymore. Forget the past and move on. Focus on the future as I focus on Christ at the same time. Romans 4:8 (also Psalms 32:2) "Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him". That if a local church forgive those who sinned (divorce), our heavenly Father will forgive us. But if we refuse to forgive others, our Father will not forgive our sins.

When I remarried, God acknowledges our new marriage as valid before Him and now holds me and my second wife accountable to be faithful to each other. The marriage covenant is very sacred that my wife and I understand this much more now because of the past. But as Paul says, we need to put the past behind us, accept the forgiveness of Christ and serve and praise Him in the days remaining on this earth.

"What I am great advocate of looking into the past, I could warn everybody against living in the past. The only justification for looking to the past is that we may learn great lessons from it and apply them" (Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

By avoiding the mistakes of the past: "Those who fail to remember the past are condemned to repeat it" (George Santayana)

By repeating the victories of the past: "Those who fail to remember the past are condemned not to repeat it" (David B. Calhoun)

Something to ponder.