The Church:
Elders—Qualifications
1.
List of qualifications from Paul: 1 Timothy
3.1-7; Titus 1.5-9[1]
|
1
Timothy 3
|
Titus
|
|
Above
reproach
|
Above
reproach
|
|
The
husband of one wife
|
The
husband of one wife
|
|
Sober-minded
|
|
|
Self-controlled
|
Self-controlled
|
|
Respectable
|
|
|
Hospitable
|
Hospitable
|
|
Able
to teach
|
Hold
firm to the trustworthy word as taught—give instruction in sound doctrine and
also rebuke those who contradict it
|
|
Not
a drunkard
|
Not
a drunkard
|
|
Not
violent
|
Not
violent
|
|
Gentle
|
|
|
Not quarrelsome
|
|
|
Not
a lover of money
|
Not
greedy for gain
|
|
Manage
his own household well, keeping his children submissive
|
His
children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or
insubordination
|
|
Not a recent convert
|
|
|
Well thought of by outsiders
|
|
|
|
Not arrogant
|
|
|
Not quick-tempered
|
|
|
A lover of good
|
|
|
Upright
|
|
|
Holy
|
|
|
Disciplined
|
·
“When reading the qualifications for an elder or
overseer, one is immediately struck by the relative simplicity of the
qualifications. In fact, the qualifications for an elder
are the basic characteristics that are expected of all Christians. The only exceptions are that an elder
must not be a recent convert and must be able to teach. The focus of the qualifications is on
who a person is more than what a person does.”[2]
2.
Situational
Qualifications—relate to one’s situation in life; not really moral or spiritual
qualifications but, rather, reveal one’s desire and ability to serve.
a.
Desire to serve (1 Timothy 3.1)
i. Those
chosen should want to serve
ii. Good
to select people already serving in the body
b.
Able to teach (1 Timothy 3.2; Titus 1.9)
i. Must
know the Scriptures and doctrine well enough to exhort and refute those who
contradict
1.
Elders must know their Bible and theology!
2.
Elders should be tested in these areas
·
If deacons are to be tested (1 Timothy 3.10)
then how much more should elders be tested!
ii. All
elders should be involved in some kind of teaching
iii. Not
all need to preach or teach in front of the whole church
1.
Small group discipleship
2.
One-on-one counseling
c.
Not a recent convert (1 Timothy 3.6)
i. Danger:
become prideful and “fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil.”
ii. Time
is needed to allow the convert’s faith to season and be seen by the rest of the
body
iii. Not
set time given—application may be contextually related
1.
1 Timothy—Ephesus: more established congregation
2.
Titus—Crete: newer congregation and yet Titus is
still to install elders
d.
Husband of one wife (1 Timothy 3.2; Titus 1.6)
*Note: There are at least four ways to understand this qualification
i. An
elder must be married—probably not correct
1.
Focus of phrase is on faithfulness to wife
a.
Greek is literally: “one-woman man” (mias gunaikos andra)
2.
Paul teaches that singleness has advantages over
being married (1 Corinthians 7.32-35)
3.
Paul could have more specifically written that
an elder must be a man with a wife
4.
This understanding would eliminate Paul,
Timothy, and the Lord Jesus from being eligible to serve as elders
ii. An
elder must not be polygamist—probably not correct
1.
Paul uses similar phrase for widows who are
eligible for financial support in 1 Timothy 5.9 (“one-man woman”)
a.
This phrase is unlikely to refer to polyandry
since this was strongly rejected by both Jews and Romans
b.
Parallel construction, thus, rules out polygamy
2.
“If polygamy was rare, if it existed at all
among Christians, it does not seem likely that it would be singled out in all
three lists (1 Tim. 3:2; 3:12; Titus 1:6) and put at the head of both lists
dealing with elders. Consequently,
it is unlikely that the phrase ‘husband of one wife’ was intended to address
polygamy.”[3]
iii. An
elder must have only one wife his entire life—probably not correct
1.
The other moral and spiritual standards are the
same as for any Christian in the church but this understanding would make it
different since believers are allowed to marry again after the death of a
spouse (1 Corinthians 7.8-9, 39)
2.
Wrong to treat divorce and remarriage as
unpardonable sins. “If a former
murderer is able to be forgiven and later serve as a spiritual leader (like the
apostle Paul who was guilty of murder [Acts 9:1; 22:4; 26:10]), then it would
seem rather arbitrary that a person who remarries cannot serve in such a
capacity.”[4]
3.
Parallel with widows
a.
1 Timothy 5.14: young widows should remarry
b.
1 Timothy 5.9: widows to be officially enrolled
for financial assistance must be the “wife of one husband.”
c.
If the younger widows followed Paul’s counsel
then they could not be eligible for assistance later if this phrase is
understood as having only one husband in one’s life.
d.
If the phrase is understood as being faithful to
one’s husband while alive this would allow for more than one husband but still
allow for assistance when older.
iv. An
elder must be faithful to his wife—probably correct view
1.
Manifest faithfulness to his wife; prohibits
polygamy, promiscuity, and homosexuality.
2.
“The emphasis of the qualifications given in 1
Timothy and Titus stress the present situation of a man’s moral and spiritual
character. The real issue is not
so much where he has come from but who he is now by God’s grace.”[5]
3.
Divorce should give us caution for a number of
reasons; wisdom needed to assess differing situations.
“The situation of a divorced man must be treated seriously, however. If he was the ‘innocent’ party in the
divorce and was not unfaithful, some time is still needed for him to prove
himself in his new marriage. The
same is true if he was divorced before he became a Christian (whether he was
unfaithful in the relationship or not).
But if a professing believer was unfaithful to his wife and was later
divorced, then extreme caution must be exercised. The sin of unfaithfulness and divorce, like all sins, can be
forgiven, and the person can become renewed. Thus, after a period of many years in his new marriage, it
may be possible, though perhaps not advisable, for a divorced man to become an
elder.”[6]
e.
Manage his own household well (1 Timothy 3.4-5;
Titus 1.6)
i. Avoid
an undue literalism: he doesn’t need multiple children living at home!
ii. Does
he manage his household well—this should be evident; not perfection but evident
faithfulness
iii. Does
this mean all the children must be believers? Probably not.
1.
Word in Titus 1.6 can be translated “faithful”;
referring to behavior not necessarily the status of child
2.
Comparison with 1 Timothy 3.4 favors this
interpretation: “keeping his children under control”
3.
Crete was a newer church than Ephesus. Would Paul place a more stringent
requirement on a newer church?
Doesn’t seem likely.
4.
Fathers are not in ultimate control of their
children’s salvation.
3.
Moral
Qualifications: Positive and Negative
a.
Above reproach (1 Timothy 3.2; Titus 1.6)
i. Not
perfection
ii. Godliness
iii. Free
from blemishes of character or conduct
b.
Sober-minded (1 Timothy 3.2)
i. Mental
sobriety
ii. Can
think clearly and spiritually about important matters
c.
Self-controlled (1 Timothy 3.2; Titus 1.8)
i. Disciplined
exercise of good judgment
ii. Having
discretion
d.
Respectable (1 Timothy 3.2)—a life worth
following
e.
Hospitable (1 Timothy 3.2; Titus 1.8)
i. Open
to others; relational
ii. Opens
their home to minister to others
f.
Gentle (1 Timothy 3.3)
i. Not
overbearing or harsh
ii. Patient
when wronged
g.
A lover of good (Titus 1.8)—willingly helping
others and seeking their good
h.
Upright (Titus 1.8)
i. Righteous
ii. Abide
by God’s righteous standards in his Word
i.
Holy (Titus 1.8)
i. Devout
and dedicated to God and his Word
ii. Lives
and thinks this way even in the midst of an unholy time
j.
Disciplined (Titus 1.8)
i. Similar
to self-controlled
ii. Engaged
in spiritual disciplines in order to fight against sin
iii. Not
lazy in the pursuit of God, his word, or his righteousness
k.
Not a drunkard (1 Timothy 3.3; Titus 1.7)
i. Shows
a lack of self-control
ii. Not
a call for total abstention
1.
Timothy told to drink a little wine for his
stomach: 1 Timothy 5.2
2.
Churches should not require leadership to
abstain from alcohol; adds requirements to God’s word
l.
Not violent (1 Timothy 3.3; Titus 1.7)
i. Avoid
over-eagerness to fight
ii. Watch
for verbal abuse
m.
Not quarrelsome (1 Timothy 3.3)
i. Quarrelsome
people divide congregations; not peacemakers (Matthew 5.9)
ii. 2
Timothy 2.24-25; Titus 3.2
n.
Not a lover of money (1 Timothy 3.3; Titus 1.7)
i. 1
Timothy 6.9-10
ii. Can’t
be a lover of money and a lover of God (Matthew 6.24)
iii. One
of the big three problem areas where leaders fall into sin:
1.
Money
2.
Sex
3.
Power
o.
Not arrogant (Titus 1.7)
i. Arrogance
is noticeable—not just a hidden sin in the heart
ii. Elders
must be able to work together on a team
p.
Not quick-tempered (Titus 1.7)
i. Need
to be patient
ii. Able
to control one’s temper; they will be sinned against
