In the New Testament, Is There a Requirement That a Minister of the 5 Fold Ministry Must Marry a Virgin?
1) Direct answer
No verse in the New Testament states in so many words that a fivefold minister “must marry a virgin.” But the Bible does set a holy line: a minister must be the husband of one wife, blameless, and he is not to take a divorced woman. By the Scriptural pattern of the priesthood, the clean, safe order for a minister is to take a wife in her virginity.
2) Scriptural explanation
- The fivefold ministry: “He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers” (Ephesians 4:11).
- Ministerial qualifications: “A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife… ruling his own house well” (1 Timothy 3:2–5; Titus 1:6–9).
- Our Lord’s marriage line: “Whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery” (Luke 16:18; see also Matthew 5:32; 19:9).
- The holiness pattern (type) for those who handle holy things: “He shall take a wife in her virginity… A widow, or a divorced woman, or profane, or an harlot, these shall he not take” (Leviticus 21:13–14).
- The church as a virgin to Christ: “I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:25–27).
3) Simple clarifying logic
- Now notice, the New Testament lists the qualifications for ministers and binds them to one wife, a clean testimony, and a well-ordered home. The Lord also forbids marrying a divorced woman.
- The Old Testament shows God’s mind about those who minister in holy things: the priest was to take a wife in her virginity. While that verse is in the Law, it reveals God’s pattern of holiness, and the New Testament minister stands as an example to the flock and a bearer of the Word. You see, if Christ’s Bride is to be a chaste virgin to the Word, the minister who represents that Word should keep that same clean line in his own home.
- Therefore, while the New Testament doesn’t phrase it as a direct command, the revealed order is: a minister should marry a virgin, and he must not marry a divorced woman, and he must be the husband of one wife, ruling his house well.
4) Reinforcing statement
This isn’t legalism; it’s guarding the ministry’s purity. If a man is already married when God calls him, “as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk” (1 Corinthians 7:17). But for those yet to marry, the Scriptural pattern is clear: keep the line clean—one wife, not divorced, and, by the holiness pattern, a virgin.
To get the full context and background as well as proper understanding, you MUST read the following answers also:
https://truebibleteachingsai.org/answers/in-the-new-testament-is-there-a-requirement-that-a-minister-of-the-5-f-11636dc
https://truebibleteachingsai.org/answers/in-the-new-testament-is-there-a-requirement-that-a-minister-of-the-5-f-a71db34
https://truebibleteachingsai.org/answers/if-a-minister-should-marry-a-virgin-then-what-was-the-blood-of-jesus-s-1d59d71
https://truebibleteachingsai.org/answers/if-a-minister-of-the-5-fold-ministry-can-marry-a-widow-the-widow-is-no-e5ccd10
https://truebibleteachingsai.org/answers/is-it-true-that-the-widow-of-a-minister-can-only-remarry-a-minister-9af3c0d
https://truebibleteachingsai.org/answers/in-one-of-your-replies-you-said-a-minister-should-marry-a-virgin-in-an-bdc33ea
Ask a Follow-up Question
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Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
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