Qualifications for Elders, Part 2

Written by Ed Allen

1 Timothy 3:1-9, Titus 1:5-9
Part Three Of The Series

Based on Ed Allen's sermon given on September 2, 2001.

William Temple was right when he said, “The church is the only cooperative society in the world that exists for the benefit of its non-members.” This is almost certainly why Paul’s main concern for the leaders of the church was that they have a good reputation with outsiders. “Now an overseer must be above reproach,” he said to Timothy. “An elder must be blameless,” he told Titus. And in both cases, this is how he started his instruction concerning elders to them and this was his overarching interest. This is, of course, completely consistent with Jesus’ insistence that the core characteristic of leadership is humility.

So how do we find such people? Paul answers without hesitation. “You must look at their character!”

In the search for elders, Paul’s primary concern was not with gifts, but with godliness. His concern for godly character can be summarized in three points. 1) He suggests we be concerned about their family life. 2) He suggests that we be concerned about their personal character. And 3) he says we should be concerned about their doctrinal commitment.

In “Qualifications of Elder, Part 1” we discussed the family life characteristic. We observed that the sexual situation of potential elders, including their sexual history, should be uncomplicated and that they should be effective and godly leaders in their family. Today we will examine the personal character and the doctrinal commitment required of elders.

Qualification #2: Personal Character

We can organize Paul’s teaching on the personal character of a Christian leader into 5 general categories: self-control; gentleness; money management; godliness; and spiritual maturity.

Self Control

Let’s begin with self-control. This word when used as a verb means, “to be of sound mind.” So it implies restraint or control in your thought life - the ability to control your appetites and curb your desires. If you are familiar with the teaching of Jesus then you know that he shatters the artificial wall that we build up between the world of our thoughts and our actions. He told us there is a direct and unbroken line between thinking and what we do. For example, if a man thinks about a woman lustfully: Jesus equated that with actually committing adultery. He says that the two are made of the same material. Habitual meditation on desires and impulses that do not serve God are not a sign of leadership.

Paul also talks about discipline in the letter to Titus. This word implies control over the physical realm. The kind of person we are looking for is timely. They are in shape. They are in control of their schedule. They are not always over-planning, over-booking, and over-extended. Do they get any exercise? Do they spend regular time in prayer and Bible study? Can you count on them to be where they said they would be and when they said they would be there?

He tells Timothy that elders should be “temperate.” This word can mean “sober” as in not drunk. It can also mean restrained in your behavior. Not wild, but under control. If a person is in the habit of becoming unruly in public settings, always drawing attention to themselves, acting wildly, then we want to be careful about recognizing such a one.

Similarly, Paul tells both Timothy and Titus that elders should not be given to drunkenness. It is interesting that he does not tell them that they should be teetotalers. Such a concept was not unknown to his readers. Jews knew of men who had taken Nazaritic vows. In fact, John the Baptist lived by such a vow. But Paul does not require that. For Hebrew, Greek and Roman society wine was almost assumptional. They drank wine the way we drink coffee. So the dangers and damage of alcoholism were well known to them. It seems that it should not discourage us from recognizing someone as an elder if they keep a bottle of wine in their refrigerator. But if they have a conviction for drunk driving or if they are known to leave parties having had too much to drink, we should be careful about such a one.

When Paul speaks of self-control he means in control of our minds, our bodies, our behavior and our appetites. He advocates self control, I believe, because he does not want anything to damage the reputation of the church.

Gentleness

Paul says elders must be gentle. This is a beautiful word in Greek, which some commentators have suggested is almost untranslatable in English. It means “forbearing, considerate, not ruffled, gentle.” Someone suggested that the closest we can come in colloquial English is our expression “easy going.” In one place Paul relates this characteristic to meekness. He fills out the picture of what he means with a variety of other words.

Elders, for instance, should not be quarrelsome. Is he the kind of person who is constantly involved in a fight or a conflict? If his relationships are a series of conflicts we need to be careful before we recognize such a man. Does he always need to be right? Does he have a difficult time giving in or giving others credit? If so, we should be very careful before giving the responsibility of eldership to such a person. Does he take the blame or is he always shifting blame to others? President Harry Truman had a plaque on his desk that read, “The buck stops here.” Elders are the kind of people who accept the buck. They do not need to constantly cover themselves. Elders are those who say, “It’s in my hands. I have it. The responsibility is mine. It was my fault.”

Paul also says they should not be quick-tempered. Is this the kind of man who gets angry easily with his wife or with his children or with workmates? Is he impatient when things don’t go his way? The word here is orgilon meaning easily inclined to anger. It comes from the idea of unbridled passion. We get our word orgy from this word. Can he not manage his temper? Is he easy going when the going is not easy at all or does he get flustered?

In this same category, Paul warns Titus against those who are “overbearing.” This word literally means, “self-willed, stubborn, arrogant.” Does he need his own way? And does he blow his own horn? Paul would advice us to be careful about such a person. Remember Jesus’ teaching on leadership? Humility was at the heart of it, he said.

One of the best descriptions of the Greek word for gentleness comes from the philosopher Aristotle. He said a gentle man goes beyond what is legally right. Instead he seeks out what is just and noble. He does not claim what is rightfully his, but works to make sure everyone else has what is rightfully theirs. Into such hands we can place our spiritual well being with confidence.

Wise Money Management

It has been said that you can know a person’s priorities by what they spend their money on. Paul would go even further. He would say you can know a persons heart by how they view money. An elder must not be a lover of money. If someone spends too much time at work, it may be a sign that they are a lover of money and elders should not be lovers of money. If they have a difficult time being generous, they may be a lover of money. If they are excessively attached to material possessions, they may be a lover of money. And we should be careful about recognizing such a one as an elder.

This is not a warning against being rich. Contrary to what we may have believed, the Bible never sees poverty as a spiritual goal. But it is equally ridiculous to make wealth a goal. To make wealth our goal is like receiving a wedding ring from our fiancé and falling in love with the ring to the exclusion of the person who gave it. God gives all good gifts. All wealth that we have comes from Him. Our attitude toward wealth according to the Bible is to be characterized by contentment, honesty and generosity.

In fact, generosity is what Paul is implying when he says an elder must be hospitable. The word here in Greek is a compound word that means literally “stranger-lover.” An elder must not be a money-lover, but he should be a stranger-lover. He should be the kind of person who meets strangers with an open hand. Do people feel welcomed into our fellowship by this person? Is this person’s home warm and welcoming? This is the character of a Christian leader.

Not only should elders not be lovers of money, they should not pursue dishonest gain. This was such a common practice in the Ancient Near East that they had one word that summed up this whole phrase. Common, and yet unacceptable for an elder of Christ’s church. We should not be too concerned if we hear that someone bounced a check, but if this is a habit or, worse, if they have a conviction for embezzling money we should be very careful about recognizing such a man as an elder. An elder must be a wise money manager and that means being generous and content.

Godliness

In his advice to Titus, Paul uses three words together that are important, titanic words in his overall theology. The elder should love what is good, and be upright and holy. One dictionary gave an expanded definition of the word upright as “conforming to the standard, will and character of God.” This person makes you want to be like God just by being around them. Jesus said, “you’re in the right place if you hunger and thirst for righteousness.” The man who would be an elder in Christ’s church creates that kind of hunger in us all because he is that kind of person himself.

The word holy means pure, but it also means set apart, other-than. The holy person is set apart. In some ways they are counter-cultural. While others are worried, the holy person is prayerful. Where others want more, the holy person is content. Where most of us are driven by the desire to promote ourselves, the holy person is driven by the desire to promote God and others.

In his book, Dining With the Devil, Os Guiness offers the remark of a Japanese businessman as an indictment against Christian leaders. “Whenever I meet a Buddhist leader,” the Japanese man said, “I meet a holy man. Whenever I meet a Christian leader, I meet a manager.”

You know, the Bible devotes surprisingly little attention to the job description of elders. The Bible everywhere follows the belief that if you establish men of character in the position, then the position will serve and oversee the church in exactly the way God needs. If you fill the position with managers, then the church will perhaps become a finely-tuned organization. It may become a large institution. It may become a testimony to great accomplishments. But it will not give highest glory to God.

Elders must be godly or the church will never be what she is meant to be.

Spiritual Maturity

Finally, Paul says that an elder must not be a recent convert. Notice that there is no mention of age. Old age is not a requirement for eldership. In fact, Timothy is clearly occupying the role of elder and yet it is equally clear from many of the things Paul says to him that he is a young man at the time of this letter.

But Paul encourages us not to establish anyone in the office of elder who is young in his walk with God. This is not because a young convert will lack Biblical knowledge or experience in counseling others. These are certainly valuable, but Paul’s concern is not with the elders usefulness, but with his maturity. He does not want to see pride get the best of the potential elder.

Without question there is validation and affirmation in being recognized as an elder. People are saying they trust you with their spiritual well-being. To an extent, they are placing their hearts and minds and spiritual development in your hands. When we recognize elders, we want to recognize people who can quickly move beyond such feelings.

The NRSV translates the first part of this verse as “he may become puffed up with conceit.” The primary meaning of the phrase puffed up is “to be filled with vapor or smoke.” Paul may be saying the proud elder will have his vision clouded by his own conceit. The second part of this verse may be taken in one of two ways. First of all, the conceit that puffs him up may result in the accusation of the devil. If taken this way, the devil is pictured as accusing and potentially destroying the effectiveness and the testimony of the elder. Or this phrase may mean that his conceit results in the same kind of accusation and condemnation that the devil himself fell under. This is the way most of the English translations take it. The devil’s driving sin is pride and the prideful leader follows him down the same path.

In either case, the remedy is that the wise church will avoid the recent convert. This phrase recent convert was usually used to describe newly planted trees. We would be wise not to recognize someone as elder who is newly planted in the faith. All of us are on a journey. None have arrived. No one has all the answers. No one is immune to falling. But those who are newly planted are particularly prone to falling into pride, and pride builds the most effective landing strip for spiritual failure.

Qualification #3: Doctrinal Commitment

Paul writes Titus: “He must have a firm grasp of the word that is trustworthy in accordance with the teaching, so that he may be able both to preach with sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict it.” The life of faith works, but we believe it because it is true not because it works!

Those who will serve as our elders must have a firm grasp of “the word that is trustworthy.” They must know the Bible and they must have a grasp of the basics of the faith. The word translated “firm grasp” can also mean “be loyal to.” This is more than a casual intellectual accent to truth. Has this person built their life on the truths of the faith? Do they hold these truths unswervingly, in the face of struggles, in the face of difficulties, even in the face of their own doubts? I remember a time as a young boy when I was slipping down the edge of a creek bed. My father did not want me to get wet so he reached out and grabbed me. He had a firm footing on solid ground and a firm grip on me! He was able to pull me up. We are looking for men who have a firm grasp on correct doctrine – a grasp so firm that they can hold us during those times when we are slipping.

But this is not knowledge for knowledge’s sake. We are not looking for people who hold lots of Biblical information. We are looking for servants who will use this knowledge to promote and build up the saints and to refute those who oppose us. That is the point of Paul’s pivotal “so that” in this verse. Elders must hold to the trustworthy word so that they can preach with sound doctrine. Is this someone who can preach on Sunday morning and have your confidence?

And are they committed enough to the basics of the faith to be able to defend it? The next time someone knocks on your door to expose you to some other religion, can you call this person and get reliable information?

Elders are humble men who are above reproach. They are not recognizable based on their popularity. They are not recognizable based on their giftedness. They are recognizable based on their family relations, based on their personal character and based on their doctrinal commitment. May God bless us with such men.