Can A Man Have More Than One Wife?

A querist asks, “Can a man biblically have more than one wife? The Bible says that a bishop should be the husband of one wife (1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:6). That means that if he had two wives, he couldn’t be a bishop, but it doesn’t say he cannot have two. It implies that some men had more than one and therefore could not be a bishop.

If I understand right, the Bible gives two means of achieving the right to remarry (death or infidelity of the spouse), and neither of these prevents one from holding this office (bishop). I do believe that God’s original plan was for man to have one wife, but that doesn’t mean it is a sin does it?”

In Matthew 19:4-6, our Lord stated the following regarding the marriage relationship:

See here.

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets