“The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore, an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.” [1]
“It must be nice to only work one hour a week!” “Have you been working on your golf game all week?” “Do you obsess over how to hold a teacup?” Pastors have heard such comments thousands of times from the earliest days of their service before the Lord. However, any pastor will tell you that the work of the ministry is demanding if that ministry is real.
Early in my service before the Lord, I conducted a ministry at the Kaufman County Prison Farm outside of Kaufman, Texas. I would mount my Suzuki 500 motorcycle following the morning worship at the Trinity Temple Baptist Church in Dallas and ride the approximately sixty-five kilometers to deliver a message to the prisoners incarcerated on the prison farm. Each fifth Sunday, a Methodist minister would come to sing songs with the prisoners. He didn’t preach, but he would tell the inmates that they were good people, and if they would only try harder, they wouldn’t have to be jailed for the various infractions that got them in trouble in the first place.
I attended a few of the “services” Roland provided. I mean, he was speaking to my congregation, and I wanted to know what my people were being taught. One cold November day, Roland had finished his “service” and had walked to his car. It was raining, and the ride had been miserable going to Kaufman. However, I hated not to have opportunity to be available to any of my congregation that might need spiritual guidance.
On this particular day, I walked out to Roland’s car thinking that I might ask him a few questions. In our conversations, he divulged that he didn’t believe the Bible to be the inspired Word of God and he didn’t believe Jesus was very God in human flesh. He didn’t believe there was such a thing as salvation, and he denied that there was a heaven or a hell. He admitted that he did not take seriously the vows he had taken as a Methodist minister, confessing that he held “mental reservations” when he took those vows.
I asked him why he wanted to be a minister. I wondered, why not sell insurance, or work in a garage, or work on a farm? These were all honourable occupations, and he would not be required to say he believed something that he considered to be false. His answer shocked me at the time, and recalling his answer, it shocks me now. Roland said he wanted to be a minister because it didn’t require much work and it paid well.
My response to him was, “Well, that is not the case if you are a Baptist minister!” I spoke without giving a great deal of thought to my response, and it is doubtful that the response would have been different if I had pondered what to say before speaking.
In my experience, I have often been wakened from deep sleep to rush to my computer to capture the thoughts that flitted through my mind. I knew I could polish those thoughts later to extract the insight that was attempting to force itself to the full light of consciousness. It was nothing less than the Spirit of Christ speaking to remind me of some point that would need to be spoken for the benefit of those who would listen.
The minister of Christ must be available to serve the people of God in their hour of crisis, or to lift them up in prayer as they seek to move past the challenges that threaten to hinder their walk with the Lord. Plus, he must invest his time in study of the Word, seeking to master that which is infinite for the benefit of those whom God has entrusted to his oversight. He must always labour to improve his grasp of the mechanics of communication, for he is a communicator of the mysteries of the Lord. There is no room for a slacker in the service of the King of kings, the Lord Who appoints to His service.
The criteria that are to be evident in the minister of Christ is given in several places in the Word, and the work for which he is responsible is likewise given in various places in the Word of God. Among the qualifications for one who will serve as an elder in the church, one essential qualification is given in Paul’s First Letter to Timothy. In the second chapter of that missive, we read, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet” [1 TIMOTHY 2:12].
Though that dictum is increasingly ignored among the churches of our Lord in this day, God is quite specific in stating that the role of elder, one who exercises authority the teaching provided, is reserved for men. The Apostle will continue shortly by giving the specific qualifications that men who aspire to eldership are to hold. Thus, throughout the message this day, I will speak of men, of males. It is not because I exclude women from eldership, it is because God Himself has reserved this service for men.
A NOBLE TASK — “The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task” [1 TIMOTHY 3:1]. We who preach the Gospel are a noble class. No prince, no prime minister, no general has greater stature than the man of God who has been appointed by Christ to serve under the banner of the cross. But we should ask why serving the Risen Saviour is a noble task.
I suggest that serving Christ is noble because the minister of Christ has been appointed by the King of kings to holy and divine service. Preaching the Word of God and teaching the people of God is not a mundane task. The Beatles reflected the view of pastoral work that is commonly held by a fallen world when they crooned,
Father McKenzie
Writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear
No one comes near
Look at him working
Darning his socks in the night when there’s nobody there
What does he care? [2]
I do understand that this is the view commonly held by those identified as belonging to the world—the world holds a view of the preacher ineffectually sermonising with no one hearing what he says. However, we must never forget that God hears what is said to honour Him and His Name. This is the reason the Prophet Malachi wrote, “Those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed his name. ‘They shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him’” [MALACHI 3:16-18]. Though no man is willing to hear or to acknowledge the praise that is given to the Living God, God hears. And in His time, God will glorify that one who glorifies His Name.
I was invited on one occasion to allow my name to be placed in nomination to serve as a Reformed MP from the riding in which I was then residing. I declined, telling the members of that riding association that I would have to step down from my exalted position as a minister of Christ the Lord to serve in that capacity as an MP. I am not disparaging the work of a Member of Parliament, though I do question how much good an MP can accomplish! I am simply stating the fact that God Himself has given me the appointment which I now have. No man gave me this appointment. To seek any other occupation or position than that of a minister of Christ would be to step down to assume an inferior position.
You see, I have read and accept as accurate the words an unknown writer penned. That writer said, “Every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. Because of this he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people. And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was” [HEBREWS 5:1-4].
Listen to the Word of the Lord as we witness how the disciples that accompanied Jesus came into the role they served. “[Jesus] went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons. He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him” [MARK 3:13-19].
That Jesus appointed those who were His Apostles is emphasised when we witness Jesus preparing these men for His exodus. Jesus taught the disciples, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you” [JOHN 15:12-16].
What Jesus began with the Twelve, was continued by those who followed. Paul and Barnabas saw this as a major task during the first missionary journey. Doctor Luke writes, “Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed” [ACTS 14:19-23].
Writing Titus, Paul reminds him, “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you” [TITUS 1:5].
The labour of serving as an elder is noble because the elder is empowered by the Spirit of the Risen Christ. Paul would assert of his service, “In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ” [ROMANS 15:17-19].
There was no boasting, though there was confidence as the Apostle speaks of his service in Corinth. “I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” [1 CORINTHIANS 2:3-5].
Allow me to make one further notation concerning the empowerment of the Spirit of Christ. As Paul writes in one of his earliest missives, he reminds the saints in Salonica, “We know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction” [1 THESSALONIANS 1:4-5a].
This work is noble because the elder is an ambassador for the Lord. In the Ephesian Encyclical, Paul urges the followers of Christ to prepare for spiritual warfare. After telling those who would read the missive how they were to equip themselves, the Apostle would identify himself as an ambassador in chains [see EPHESIANS 6:20]. Elsewhere, he speaks of himself and those who laboured with him in his missionary journeys as ambassadors for Christ [2 CORINTHIANS 5:20].
I do want to state that the work of an elder is noble because he is declaring a message of freedom. We who preach the Word of the Lord do not stress enough the freedom we have in Christ the Lord. The Apostle declared to the saints in Galatia, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” [GALATIANS 5:1].
Soon after affirming this truth, Paul will remind those same Galatians, “You were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” [GALATIANS 5:13].
Those who suppose themselves to be Christians and who are nevertheless bound by rules and regulations, rite and ritual, who know nothing of the freedom offered in Christ, desperately need to hear this glorious message of freedom in Christ the Lord. The rites we observe as a congregation of the Lord Jesus—baptism and the Communion Meal—are observed because we are free, and not in order to somehow coerce the Saviour to accept us. We worship because He has set us free, and the elder who will honour the Master will always be careful to deliver the message of freedom in Christ.
It may be controversial among contemporary churches, but the elder must be a man—he must be a male. In addition to excluding women from serving as an elder, this proscription also disqualifies those strange creatures identifying as “transgender” men. The elder must have been born a male! There is a vibrant and necessary role for women within the congregation of the Lord. And if one who has attempted to move from one sex to another comes to faith in the Risen Saviour, there will be a place for that one to serve as the Saviour appoints. Nevertheless, the elder must have been born a male!
There is a sound reason for this biblical provision. It will be beneficial for us to recall what Paul has written earlier as he instructed all who wish to follow the Lord of Glory, “I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor” [1 TIMOTHY 2:8-14].
Focus on the latter verses, noting that what is written clearly disqualifies a woman from serving as an elder within the assembly of the Lord Jesus. The twelfth verse clearly proscribes women from occupying the authoritative role of one who teaches the assembly. It should be obvious that the Apostle is speaking of functioning in the role of a preacher in the assembly. He is debarring women from serving in the capacity of one who teaches the assembly. A woman preacher is not simply an unseemly appendage to the church, she is defying what is written in the Word of God. The church that permits this to occur is complicit in her rebellion against what the Saviour has given the Word.
If that was all that was written, perhaps one could suppose an argument against the prohibition of a woman preaching, however, the Apostle also states that neither may a woman exercise authority over a man. The intent of this is to prohibit a woman from functioning in the role of an elder. A woman attempting to serve as an elder is an anomaly at best and the situation becomes a matter of defiance at worst. Then, the Apostle gives the rationale for this prohibition, stating, “For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor” [1 TIMOTHY 2:13-14].
God says it was because of priority in creation that women are proscribed from serving as an elder. This spiritual work is reserved for men since man was created first. One may argue against this stipulation, but it does not change what God has commanded. To refuse to obey in this instance is to rebel against what God has said. We may not think it is important that Adam was created first, but God says that this is important in the realm of the spiritual.
Moreover, God says that there is a second reason that only strengthens the prohibition against a woman serving as an elder, and that is because Eve was deceived by the serpent, thus becoming a transgressor. We understand that Adam joined in rebellion against the Creator and His will with his eyes wide open—he knew that his action was rebellious even as he reached out his hand to take the fruit from his wife’s hand. Adam chose to join the woman in her disobedience to the revealed will of God. Adam’s action was an act of rebellion; however, anyone who accepts Scripture as authoritative will acknowledge that the woman was deceived. Again, the Lord has been quite clear in stating His reasons for the proscription—Eve was deceived!
Just as we must never ignore what is written in the Word, neither should anyone go beyond what is written. God says nothing in this passage concerning the ability of a woman, and certainly, nothing is said concerning a woman’s ability to work in any other role. Whether her service in industry, or in merchandising, or even in government is the best use of her unique qualifications is not even considered in the equation before us. While a woman’s conduct is addressed in this passage in Paul’s missive to Timothy, her ability is nowhere addressed.
QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE TASK — The Apostle has written, “An overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil” [1 TIMOTHY 3:2-7].
The qualifications given here and elsewhere in the Word, speak of what the assembly must look for in the one whom God is raising up. We will discover that the qualifications are both positive and negative. Some qualities if missing disqualify the individual from serving as an elder; other qualities when present disqualify. We’ll consider these various qualifications as they appear in the Word. The first qualification for eldership is that the one whom God raises up must be above reproach.
Take note of the construct of the sentence. When Paul says that an overseer “must be,” he is saying that this qualification is absolute. It is mandatory that an elder be above reproach. This is not negotiable. In short, this qualification is taken to mean that an elder must so live that he is free from any offensive or disgraceful blight of character or conduct, particularly as described in verses that follow. An elder who is irreproachable is a man who is not liable to critics discrediting his Christian profession of faith or able to prove him unfit to lead others. One who is above reproach has a clean moral and spiritual reputation. The demonstration of one who is irreproachable is provided in verses two through seven.
The elder must be the husband of one wife. This should not be taken to mean that he must be married, but it does mean that he is to be a one-woman man. The elder must not have a wandering eye or be known as someone who is overly fond of ladies who are not his wife. He must be committed to his wife. This is but a reflection of the divine affirmation that “the two shall become one flesh” [see MATTHEW 19:5-6]
Paul also says that the elder must be sober-minded. The concept speaks of one who is vigilant. It means the man is wary, circumspect, even cautious. One writer states that this describes the way a person walks late at night in the city: not paranoid, necessarily, but alert. This qualification is necessary for the protection of the church—a vigilant elder knows the spiritual needs and warns of spiritual dangers.
When Paul states that the elder must be self-controlled, he uses a word that speaks of decision-making, implying that the elder is sensible. The elder must demonstrate balanced judgement. If an elder does not weigh decisions carefully, the church will be vulnerable to every novel trend in theology, which may be far from ideal for the spiritual health of the congregation.
Following these qualifications, we find a variety of expectations for one to be considered as an elder. We haven’t time to go into detail on these, but we must nevertheless note them for the sake of completeness. The elder must be respectable. He must not be known for outlandish ideas or actions. He must be hospitable; his home must be a welcoming place for those of the flock who seek insight or respite.
In the contemporary climate among the churches, it seems easy to overlook that one major responsibility of an elder is that he be capable of teaching. Thus, the Word stresses that the elder must be able to teach. This requirement is stressed in multiple places throughout the Word of God. The elder need not be an entertainer, though he must be capable of presenting the message of the Word in a coherent manner. People must know that he is a student of what is written and able to guide them through the deep thoughts of God’s Word. In this case, the elder must be a careful scholar of the Word, rightly handling the Word of truth [see 2 TIMOTHY 2:15].
Then we are given several prohibitions for those who wish to be an elder. The elder must not be a drunkard, must not be violent but gentle, must not be quarrelsome, and he must not be a lover of money.
The Word of God insists that the elder must manage his own household well. This responsibility is to be carried out with all dignity, taking especial care to keep his children submissive. As an aside of significance, this does not mean, as some have imagined, that there will never be a crisis in the elder’s home as though the elder can run such a smooth household that there is never a crisis. It does mean that the elder is to be capable of responding to crises with firmness and with wisdom. It is folly to imagine that there will never be a child that fails to embrace the faith, or that an elder’s wife will always be able to play the piano and host teas for the ladies of the church.
I am humbled when I read of the animosity John Wesley’s wife held against him throughout his days of service before the Lord Jesus. Suspicious of other women, she wrongly charged Wesley with infidelity because of his demanding preaching schedule. She even gave his enemies material with which they would slander him. John Wesley was a victim of domestic violence and may even have been provoked to the point of retaliation. After twenty years Molly left John, never to return. Yet, the Lord was pleased to use him powerfully to touch the English nation for good and for God. [4]
The elder must not be a recent convert, since there is a very real risk that he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. While it is novel and may appear to be “cute” to see four-year-old preachers, we should be looking for one who displays more maturity. The danger is not merely that a neophyte will be unable to counsel those of older years, or that a young’un will not be able to confront threats to the health of the assembly, the grave danger as presented in this admonition is that the novice is liable to becoming conceited. And a conceited preacher is susceptible to falling into the condemnation of the devil. The conceited preacher can become a tool of Satan. Thus, when looking for one who should be received as an elder, sufficient time allowing the assembly to review maturity is a positive qualification.
In addition to all these qualifications, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil. It is not in sucking up to the world that is sought, but a life that does not lend itself to accusation of malfeasance.
Then, the Apostle will provide further instruction as he writes Titus, stating, “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it” [TITUS 1:5-9].
Therefore, in addition to the thirteen qualifications already mentioned, we can add that the one appointed to eldership must not be arrogant, which is related to the danger arising from being a recent convert. The elder must not be quick-tempered. In fact, he must be a lover of good. He must be upright. He must be holy. He must be disciplined.
We need to focus on the requirement to be grounded in the Faith. The Word informs us that he must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. The pastorate is no place to be formulating doctrine. The elder must already hold a firm understanding of the teachings of the Word of God before ever taking up the work of serving the congregation. This could mean a degree from a sound school or seminary, though such education is not absolutely required. Tragically, in some instances today, pastoral training may be a deficit, since so many schools are more concerned about social standing than they are with biblical fidelity.
The elder will be required to instruct the congregation over which he is appointed, but in addition, this work will require him to rebuke those who contradict the sound teaching of the Word. The message delivered to the assembly of the righteous is the message of the Living God, delivered so that those who are redeemed will know the will of God and be equipped to avoid those acts and attitudes that dishonour Him. The wayward will be rebuked and exposed for the error they have embraced. The froward will be admonished and the timid will be encouraged to stand firm in this holy Faith. All this will be done through the teaching of the Word delivered in the power of the Spirit.
PITFALLS AN ELDER MUST AVOID — “An overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil” [1 TIMOTHY 3:2-7].
In providing qualifications—divine standards, if you will—for those who would be received as an elder, the Apostle provides the faithful with several pitfalls that an elder must avoid. While the potential elder, or an elder serving over a congregation, is responsible for his action, the instructions are expected to be administered by the congregation. The membership must hold the elder accountable for his lifestyle. The three grave dangers Paul will name are not incidental foibles that may sometimes be seen in the life of an elder; they are grave dangers for the congregation if they are present in the man providing oversight. Therefore, a church is responsible to know who will serve as an elder.
It was one thing to state that an elder must be capable of managing his household, but the Apostle strengthens this requirement by admonishing those reading his words to think through the issue. In effect, we are returning to this issue as we consider the consequences for the church when an elder is incapable, or even unwilling, to provide oversight for his own household. If a man is unable to manage his own household, what hope is there that he will care for God’s church? And make no mistake, it is God’s church that the man is to oversee!
An adult child may fail to walk in the way of the Lord. The elder should not be held accountable for choices made by a child who is an adult. There may be cause for concern, and the elder is not necessarily without blame in such an instance, but the membership should exercise caution before they draw the conclusion that they are fully apprised of the causes for this failure in an adult child. I would suggest that church leaders conduct an examination to determine if there is cause for concern, just as we are taught when the Apostle writes, “Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality” [1 TIMOTHY 5:19-21].
It is preferable that the congregation take to heart the admonition that follows this instruction, where the Apostle cautions, “Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure” [1 TIMOTHY 5:22]. Careful examination before appointment to eldership would possibly avoid the problem in the first place. And it is always preferable to avoid a problem than to clean up after the problem explodes.
The Apostle also states that the potential elder must not be a recent convert. And the reason given for this caution is that he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Make no mistake, there is honour in the appointment to eldership. However, it is an honour that can be quickly squandered. How recent? There is no instruction concerning the length of time a potential elder should have been walking in the Way. There is some freedom in this matter.
What should be apparent is that the maturity of the elder should be apparent to all, and that would indicate that the man will have been tested through the challenges of life, and that the testing will be generally known to the congregation. These conditions would generate confidence in those over whom the elder is given charge.
Then, Paul states that the elder must be well thought of by outsiders. The reason for this admonition is so that he may not be susceptible to falling into disgrace, which is a snare of the devil. The requirements discussed demand that the elder must walk a narrow path. The elder must not hesitate to name sin, holding those who embrace such sin, or those who even tolerate such sin though they themselves do not engage in the sin to account. The Apostle urges Timothy in a later missive, “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” [2 TIMOTHY 4:1-5]. Yet, offsetting this is the fact that the elder must not be pugnacious.
Writing Titus, the Apostle writes, “The overseer must be above reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious” [TITUS 1:7 NASB]. The NET Bible deals with this proscription in this manner: “The overseer must be blameless as one entrusted with God’s work, not arrogant, not prone to anger, not a drunkard, not violent” [TITUS 1:7 NET BIBLE]. The elder must be in control of his temper, not easily riled. The congregation needs one who has a steady demeanor when it comes to attack and to insult.
There is a time for firmness, a time for standing boldly and holding in check those who oppose the teaching of the Word, but man’s anger does not honour God. Of all the members of the congregation, the elder must be an example of the Apostle’s instruction. “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” [COLOSSIANS 3:5-10].
Why should we be concerned about this teaching focused on the role of elders and focused on how elders are to be recognised? Most of us will never be an elder. There is no possibility of one serving as a preacher without a congregation, and therefore many would-be preachers will never fulfil what they imagine to be their calling because there is no one to who will hear what they say. What should be apparent is that when the Lord appoints one to preach, He will provide the means by which that one will be heard. And those who will heed what one presents while supposed to be an elder will want to know how reliable the speaker is. Regardless of the message that is delivered, the character of the one bringing the message is essential. For even though the message may be correct, if the messenger is walking contrary to the teaching of the Word, it is certain that he will soon deviate into error. Watch yourselves.
Of course, the ultimate message of the assembly of the faithful is that Christ Jesus is Lord and that all people must receive Him as Master over life if they will be delivered from condemnation. The Word of God is quite clear in teaching us, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved” [ROMANS 10:9-10]. Let all receive this gracious offer of life now. Amen.
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2] Lennon-McCartney, “Eleanor Rigby,” ©1966
[3] Philip Graham Ryken, 1 Timothy, Richard D. Phillips, Daniel M. Doriani, and Philip Graham Ryken (ed.), Reformed Expository Commentary (P&R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ 2007) 112
[4] See Doreen Moore, Good Christians, Good Husbands? Leaving a Legacy in Marriage and Ministry. (Christian Focus Publications, Fearn, UK 2004) 21-58; see also Marshall Shelley, The Healthy Hectic Home: Raising a Family in the Midst of Ministry, The Leadership Library (Christianity Today; Word Pub., Carol Stream, IL; Dallas, TX 1988) 152-155
