AM Bible Study Group; April 30, 2014
1 Timothy 3:1-7
Theme: Paul describes the qualities that are to characterize those who serve the church as deacons.
(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).
In the Scriptures, three words are used to describe the same office in the church: "pastor", "elder", and "bishop". These three words highlight different aspects of this one important office—the word "pastor" or "shepherd" tending to emphasize personal care and nurture of God’s people (1 Peter 5:2); the word "elder" or "presbyter" emphasizing the spiritual maturity and moral character that befits the one holding that office (note how, in 1 Timothy 3:5, Paul mentions "elders", and then goes on to describe moral qualifications in verse 6); and the word "bishop", emphasizing the function of providing for the spiritual oversight of the church (note how Paul then says, "For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God . . ."; that is, as one into whose hands God has entrusted the care of His church).
These three functions are often very clearly used in the same few verses to describe the same office. In Acts 20; Paul calls the "elders" of the church of Ephesus together and tells them, ". . . Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock [i.e., emphasizing the role of "shepherd" or "pastor"], among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers [i.e., "bishops]" (v. 28). The apostle Peter mentions all three when he writes, "The elders who are among you I exhort, I whom am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers . . ." (1 Peter 5:1-2). In Titus 1:5-9, we find that Paul writes that Titus should appoint "elders" and gives their specific qualifications (v. 5); and then says, as the reason for this command, that "a bishop must be blameless . . ." (v. 7).
The New Testament, then, presents these three words as describing one office. But "elders" and "bishops" do not appear to have been considered distinct offices in the church until the Second Century. Since that time, many traditions in Christianity (including Anglican, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Scandinavian Lutheran) retain a distinct office of "bishop"; but they do so on the basis of tradition—not on the basis of a clear distinction in the Scriptures. Hence, some churches have a distinct office called "bishop"; while churches that have their roots in the reformed tradition simply see "bishop" and "elder" as describing one office. Many churches include "pastor" as a word to describe this office as well (Ephesians 4:11)—particularly as a ‘teaching elder’ as distinguished from a ‘ruling elder’ (see 1 Timothy 5:17).
"Bishops" then—to use the word that Paul uses in our passage—are leaders in a church who are "appointed" to their role (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5); whose serve by providing the spiritual oversight of God’s household and seeing to the care of its people (1 Timothy 5:17). They are to do this in a shepherd-like manner under the authority of Christ (1 Peter 5:1-4), with an accountability to other elders and to God (1 Timothy 5:17-21; Hebrews 13:17). They are responsible to teach (1 Timothy 5:17), appoint others to ministry (1 Timothy 4:14), shepherd God’s flock (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:1-2), set the example for the people of God in faith and Christian conduct (1 Timothy 4:12; 1 Peter 5:3; Hebrews 13:7), preserve the church’s doctrine and teaching (1 Timothy 4:13), prioritize the ministries of preaching the word and of prayer (Acts 6:2 ; 2 Timothy 4:1), and—when necessary—rebuke false teaching and defend the truth from false teachers (Titus 1:5, 10-11; 2 Timothy 2:23-26).
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Given the significance of their duties, it’s no wonder that Paul writes so carefully about the necessary qualifications of those who would be appointed to this important work. Note what he tells Timothy in our passage this morning about . . .
I. THE ‘GOOD WORK’ OF AN OVERSEER (v. 1).
A. Paul begins by stating, "This is a faithful saying . . .", that is, what he is about to stress about bishops; that "If anyone desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work." Many young men have been inspired by those words to seek training for the ministry and to enter into Bible Schools and Seminaries. There truly is no more noble work than that of a bishop. It is a genuinely "good" work that has many great rewards (1 Peter 5:4). If a man is truly called by God to it, he should aspire to it with all his energies, and give himself to growing in it (1 Timothy 4:13-16).
B. But it’s important to note that Paul calls it a "work". It’s not a place for laziness. Nor is it a work that a man should seek when he is not truly qualified. To enter into this immeasurably good work ‘badly’ is a spiritually hazardous thing to do. The precious souls of the saints—purchased by the blood of Jesus—are impacted by this work; and to do it with selfish motives or in a false or half-hearted way will bring about judgment from God (2 Timothy 2:15; James 3:1; Hebrews 13:17). That’s why the qualifications are high; and none of them should ever be left out. A man should only serve as an elder if he proves to be truly called of God; and should not go into this ministry if he is not biblically qualified for it.
II. THE NECESSARY QUALITIES FOR THIS GOOD WORK (vv. 2-7).
A. His general qualification (v. 2a). He must be "blameless". This is a general qualification in that it has a bearing on all the others. He should be a man of unquestionable character. This doesn’t mean, of course, that he must be sinless—since no man could ever be. But it does mean that he should be carefully examined before appointed; and that he must not have anything in his past history or in his present lifestyle that would give anyone cause for hesitancy.
B. His marital qualification (v. 2b). He must be "the husband of one wife". Obviously, this would mean that a bishop must be a male. (In fact, all the descriptions in this passage are in the male gender). Some view this particular qualification as expressing the idea that a bishop must be a married man. It’s good if he is; because a believing wife can add much to his effectiveness in ministry. This qualification probably isn’t meant to mean an unmarried or widowed man cannot serve as a pastor; however. Rather, it seems more likely to mean that he is not a man who has been unbiblically divorced and unbiblically remarried (see Matthew 5:31-32; 1 Corinthians 7). To bring ‘past-marital baggage’ into the role of an overseer a great hindrance to the work.
C. His mental qualification (v. 2c). He is to be "temperate" (that is, not controlled in a distracted way by various causes or agenda that fire him up and interfere with his true calling), "sober-minded" (that is, serious about serious things and not prone to treat sacred things in a clownish way), "of good behavior" (that is, well-arranged, orderly and organized in the important matters of life), "hospitable" (that is, welcoming in his home and generous with his pulpit), and "able to teach" (that is, knowledgeable about the truths of the faith and able to pass them on meaningfully and clearly; a man who is able to communicate truth effectively).
D. His character qualification (v. 3). He should be characterized as "not given to wine" (the implication being that he is not given to excesses in addictive things), "not violent" (that is, not a person who makes threats and settles things with bullying), "gentle" (that is, characterized by patience, forbearance, and a readiness to yield when it’s appropriate to do so—someone who doesn’t ‘need’ to have the last word), "not quarrelsome" (that is, not prone toward debates), and "not covetous" (that is, not materialistic, able to live within his means, and not focused on monetary rewards—the phrase "not greedy for money" not appearing in the best texts; though no one would argue with the idea).
E. His domestic qualification (vv. 4-5). He ought to be a man who rules his own children in a dignified way. A man can be known not only by how obedient his children are, but also how he makes them behave that way. How he treats his own children is an important indicator of how he’ll treat the saints.
F. His moral qualification (v. 6). He should not be a novice—that is, a recently converted man who is still learning what it means to walk with Christ. Pride can be his downfall—just as it was for the devil (see Isaiah 14:12-15).
G. His reputational qualification (v. 7). He should have a good reputation with those who are not believers. The ministry of the church is no place for a man to hide a bad name in the world. It’s a real plus if an bishop has had a reputation for honest business dealings through experience in secular work. A bad reputation with people on the outside can put a weapon in the hands of the devil that he will surely use against the cause of Christ.