The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.
2 Therefore an doverseer1must
be above reproach, ethe
husband of one wife,2 sober-minded,
self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.
4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive,
5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?
6 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.
Paul begins by saying that the overseer, the elder, must be above reproach. “Above reproach” does not, of course, mean sinless. But the Bible often refers to the godly in such
terms. This is like the Bible calling us to live blamelessly, or the Psalmist who declares that he has and does live blamelessly. We are taught here that real righteousness of life is a visible quality and so can be made a qualification for office.
In the text, it was precisely this failing on the part of the false teachers, and perhaps some of the church’s leaders, that was dragging down the public reputation of the church
in Ephesus.
“Above reproach” comes first. The eleven traits or virtues that follow simply fill out what it means to be “above reproach” and not surprisingly, it begins with a reference to
his marriage. But none of these requirements are as simple as they at first appear. Let me show you what I mean.
There is much discussion about the phrase ‘the husband of one wife’. Some say this means the man couldn’t have a divorce in his background. There is also a very strong exegetical
and contextual argument suggesting that because polygamy was practiced in the culture including Judaism at this time, Paul is saying that the elders must not be those who participate in having more than one wife.
The phrase that Paul uses indicates a standard of marriage that illustrates beautifully the purpose and intention of God within marriage. The elder must exemplify Christian marriage.
The requirement of being “able to teach” has also proved difficult if one is being overly narrow about its interpretation. Listen to this commentator’s explanation, as I am convinced
this is the best way to look at this requirement:
In both 1 Cor. 12 and Romans 12 Paul lists “teaching” among the gifts that the Holy Spirit gives to some in the church. In those lists, however, there is also a gift of ruling
or leadership. In both of those texts it would overturn Paul’s argument to conclude that in order to use the gift of rule or leadership, for example, one would also have to possess the gift of teaching. No; his rule is emphatically this: whatever a man is
gifted to do, that is what he should do. So, if a man’s gift is ruling he should rule; if it is teaching, he should teach. That simple logic has led Christians through the ages to conclude both that there is a gift of ruling and that this gift is what qualifies
a man to be an elder of the church. Not all men who have the gift of making wise decisions and of giving sound counsel are blessed with the gifts of public speaking.
The elders are to be men who are endowed by God with humility, wisdom and discernment to rule and direct the church as gifted. Not being a drunkard or being violent might seem
so obvious as to not need comment. But I recently read of a missionary to Russia commenting that many of what we consider basic facts are not so much so in other contexts. The missionary said that churches across Russia have to learn things as basic as the
fact that husbands are supposed to love their wives and that they are supposed to be involved in the raising of their children.
These men have never had an example set for them of godly manhood in the home. Their own homes were examples of the wreckage of that non-Christian culture. They have to learn
the most basic things from scratch.
In our own day, experienced Christian men who ought to know better can be quarrelsome, can drink too much, or too often be angry with their wives or children. So perhaps the warning
is more necessary than we might at first imagine. An elder must manage his own household and his children are to be submissive to him. Paul puts it more pointedly in his letter to Titus when he says that the elder must have believing children.
In our day and time, this requirement has been and continues to be almost completely ignored. I have even heard ministers say that if we followed Paul’s admonition here, we would
empty the pulpits and elder boards across the country. Ok. So what’s your point?
Pastor Rayburn has spoken and written extensively on this issue much to the chagrin of ministers and elders across Presbyterianism: that an elder must have believing children.
At the same time, he has the discernment to add these words:
On the other hand, it is also important to note that the Apostle does not tell us precisely what he means when he says that a man must have believing or submissive children.
What if the child of that man is now forty-five years of age and he turns away from the faith? What if the man has six children and a nineteen year old son alone among them is living in rebellion? I can imagine elders examining that case and concluding that
the man, so far as they can tell, is a faithful father, that for that reason they have high hopes that the rebellious son will come to his senses.
Or I can imagine elders thinking that, given the man’s fatherhood, the amazing thing is not that one son has rebelled but that the other five children have not. That is the
sort of question that elders must answer and why they must be for that reason thoroughly acquainted not only with the Word of God but with the observation of Christian life and have proved themselves to possess sound judgment.
Paul continues, an elder should not be a novice, that is a new believer, one who has no scars and has not fought the fight long enough to have godly discernment and judgment.
Nor should he be the kind of man whose reputation among unbelievers would bring upon the church unnecessary abuse. A true and faithful Christian character has almost always been admired by the world but the world at the same time is always on the lookout for
the first scent of hypocrisy for which she can condemn the church and the Christians in the church.
Again, discernment is a must. There are many faithful, godly leaders who have terrible reputations with those on the outside and for which we praise and honor them. They are hated
for their faithfulness, for their refusing to bow to cultural pressures and threats. That kind of “bad reputation” is a badge of honor.
To be continued…
Prayer: Father, I confess my mind cannot grasp the depth of your love and the heart beak that is Yours at the rebellion of Your world. Help me Father to empty myself and be
filled with Christ that I might be a light in the darkness. Continue Your gracious work of overcoming the darkness that is still in me and as I see myself clearly, may I cling more tightly to Him who loved me and gave Himself for me, in Jesus name, Amen.
Hymn: The Son of God Goes Forth to War. Sing along with the saints at Christ Church!