If a Minister Should Marry a Virgin, Then What Was the Blood of Jesus Shed For? What Happened to "old Things Are Passed Away"?
1) Direct answer
The Blood of Jesus was shed to cleanse sin and make a new creature on the inside; it did not rewrite history or cancel God’s order for marriage and ministerial qualifications. So the counsel that a minister take a virgin does not deny the power of the Blood; it upholds the scriptural pattern and the testimony of the office.
2) Scriptural explanation
- The Bible says we are “new creatures” in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). That is the inner man made new. Yet the apostles still laid down outward order for life and for the ministry (1 Timothy 3:2,7; Titus 1:6-7).
- God set a higher pattern for those who handle holy things. Under the law the priest was to “take a wife in her virginity” (Leviticus 21:13-14). The ministry in the New Testament must be “blameless” and “of good report” (1 Timothy 3:2,7). The type is carried forward: the overseer’s home life must speak clean, unquestionable testimony.
- The minister types Christ, and the church is presented “as a chaste virgin to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:25-27). The marriage of the minister is meant to reflect that gospel picture.
- Forgiveness does not erase earthly facts. David was forgiven, yet consequences remained (2 Samuel 12:13-14). The woman taken in adultery was forgiven—“go, and sin no more”—yet her past was still a past (John 8:11). The woman at the well met grace, but the five husbands she had were still history (John 4:17-18).
- God’s order in marriage stands (Matthew 19:4-6; Mark 10:9; 1 Corinthians 7). Being saved doesn’t undo previous covenants, nor does it change the body; it changes the heart.
3) Simple clarifying logic
- Now notice: if “old things passed away” meant every earthly condition is erased, then a thief could get saved and the stolen goods would magically return; a scar would vanish the moment you believe. But you see, salvation cleanses the soul and reconciles you to God, while natural consequences and divine order still remain to guide our walk.
- The Blood does not make a body a virgin again; it makes a heart pure and a conscience clean. God forgets the sin, but the world can still remember the history. That is why the minister, who must be “blameless” and “of good report,” is held to a higher visible standard.
- This is not condemnation of any sister who has a past. In Christ she is clean and beloved. But the office has a testimony to guard. Also, if a man is already married when God calls him, he is to “abide in the calling wherein he was called” and live the Word where he stands (1 Corinthians 7:20,24). The counsel about a minister taking a virgin speaks to the choice before marriage and the example of the office.
4) Reinforcing statement
The Blood of Jesus brings full forgiveness and a new life; and that very grace leads us to honor God’s order. Forgiveness cleans the heart; order guards the testimony. That’s the balance of the Word.
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
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
The Angel of God
48-0304 §53
While I was setting in the room. Since a boy, I had a calling on me. And I was setting in the room... [Gap in the audio.] Hitting right on the floor. A supernatural Being come walking into the room. An Angel said He was sent from the Presence of God. He said, "If you get the people to believe you, would be sincere when you pray, nothing shall stand before your prayer, not even to cancer." Then you would ask me, "Does everybody get well, Brother Branham?" Everybody that truly believes gets well. Thousands have been...
Divine Healing
54-1219M §14
...ter man today than I am. And look, old Dr. Hamm over there, a hundred years old, and he's a good preacher yet. So I got a long, long ways to go to get to that. And doubtful if whether he'd admit he's an old man or not. So it's just... It's just... The idea of it is that, of course now, if I'm ever going to be at any season, or any age to be the best for the Lord, it'd probably be right now, see. Because, all the kid things are passed away, and you're settling down, turning gray, and you know, just it's the time of...
Fellowship by redemption
55-0403 §38
...him in his glory back there. When he had sinned, God felt so sorry for the poor fellow, see him and Eve going away, without... Going out of the fellowship, they'd have to shift for themselves. What could they do? They had a loving Father who would take care of them, but now through disobedience, cut off fellowship. No more fellowship. They had to make it for themselves; had to till the soil, and earn the living by the sweat of their brow. They had to get sick and die, and all kinds of troubles, and heartaches, and...
The Law having a shadow
56-0621 §21
Now, if God's Word through the law spoke and taken the initiative, how much more ought the Holy Ghost in a human being that's been born again by grace and called of God, how it ought to be the power that was behind that Word when it was pushed forward by the baptism of the Holy Ghost. What it ought to be today. The Word having such a great effect, knowing that, "Heavens and earth will pass away, but God's Word will never pass away." And the law was God's spoken, written Word. Watch! It was kept at a sacred place. I...
A Secondhand Robe
56-1206 §29
And now here it is. It may hurt just a little bit, but my mother used to give me... We was raised so poor, we'd have to eat cornbread that was made out of grease ... out of meat skins where they cook it in a pan, you know, and boil out the grease to make... And every Saturday night, I know we used to have to take a dose of caster oil. And I can't even stand it today. And mama used to say... I'd hold my nose. I'd say, "Mama, it makes me so sick. I can't even bear it." She said, "If it don't make you sick, it don't d...