This lesson is designed to reveal clearly that the Lord is not silent on the issue of the caliber of men He wants to oversee His people. The two clearest passages in scripture are First Timothy chapter three and Titus chapter one. We will examine both of these chapters.

First Timothy 3:1-7

1 This [is] a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.

Continuing his instructions on how the church should conduct itself, Paul turned to the crucial matter of leadership qualifications. He wanted to encourage respect for the congregation’s leaders, so he cited what was apparently a familiar maxim and commended it as a sound one. Two implications emerge: (1) It is valid to aspire to church leadership, and (2) church leadership is a noble task. The term overseer (episkopos), sometimes translated "bishop," is only one of several words used in the New Testament to describe church leaders. "Elders" (presbyteroi) is by far the most common. Other terms such as "rulers" (proistamenoi, Rom. 12:8; 1 Thes. 5:12), "leaders" (Heb. 13:17) and "pastors" (poimenas, Eph. 4:11; cf. also Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:2) are also used. Though each of these terms may describe a different facet of leadership, they all seem to be used interchangeably in the New Testament to designate the same office. This office is different from that of deacons (cf. comments on 1 Tim 3:8). The first quality of sound leadership (Pastoral in this case) is that he must have an obvious desire, love, and longing for ministry in his life. Don't be deceived by many who say they are called into the ministry! I believe that a genuine man of God is one who is called and qualified to enter into that office. It is important to note that if God wants these kinds of men to fulfill this high calling, then these are the men that the church should be looking for. The pastorate is a good work for any who may want to pursue it, but desire is not enough and many churches settle for what I would call an unqualified desire. A man may want the office of one who oversees the church, but desire is not enough. He MUST qualify, BY GOD'S STANDARDS!

2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

More is required of an overseer that mere willingness to serve. In verses 2-7 Paul listed 15 requirements for a church leader: (1) above reproach. He must be blameless in his behavior. This Greek word translated, "above reproach," is used in the New Testament only in this epistle (v. 2; 5:7; 6:14). It means to have nothing in one’s conduct on which someone could ground a charge or accusation. Being blameless is the encompassing trademark of one who attempts to qualify for this great office. Everything else on this list describes what it means to be blameless. It is needful that a candidate must be above reproach. This does not mean that people will not accuse you, rather, it means that any accusation made against you cannot be founded to be factual.

A one woman man: A man must be devoted to his wife. The Greek text reads, a one woman man, which speaks of his devotion to his wife. If a man is a skirt chaser, an adulterer, a flirt, etc., he cannot qualify for the office of the pastor.

Husband of but one wife, literally, a "one-woman man." This ambiguous but important phrase is subject to several interpretations. The question is, how stringent a standard was Paul erecting for overseers? Virtually all commentators agree that this phrase prohibits both polygamy and promiscuity, which are unthinkable for spiritual leaders in the church. Many Bible students say the words a "one-woman man" are saying that the affections of an elder must be centered exclusively on his wife. Many others hold, however, that the phrase further prohibits any who have been divorced and remarried from becoming overseers. The reasoning behind this view is usually that divorce represents a failure in the home, so that even though a man may be forgiven for any sin involved, he remains permanently disqualified for leadership in the congregation (cf. vv. 4-5; 1 Cor. 9:24-27). The most strict interpretation and the one common among the earliest commentators (second and third centuries) includes each of the above but extends the prohibition to any second marriage, even by widowers. Their argument is that in the first century second marriages were generally viewed as evidence of self-indulgence. Though Paul honored marriage, he also valued the spiritual benefits of celibacy (1 Cor. 7:37-38) even for those who had lost a mate (1 Tim. 5:3-14). Thus he considered celibacy a worthy goal for those who possessed the self-control to remain unmarried. According to this strict view Paul considered a widower’s second marriage, though by no means improper, to be evidence of a lack of the kind of self-control required of an overseer, in much the same way that a similar lack disqualified a widow from eligibility for the list of widows (5:9).

Vigilant: The candidate who qualifies must learn to be circumspect. It is the state of mind which is free from the excessive influence of passion, lust or emotion.

Sober: Understanding, sound of mind, disciplined in one's freedom.

Of good behavior: An inward lifestyle reflecting grace and dignity that is revealed in outward behavior.

Given to hospitality: Lover of strangers. Being kind to other people, especially other believers.

Apt to teach: Able to communicate Christian teaching. Apt or skilled in teaching the word of God. Apt to teach means, able to teach and it speaks of a leader’s ability to handle the Scriptures. He must be able both to understand and to communicate the truth to others, as well as to refute those who mishandle it (cf. Titus 1:9). Not all must necessarily do this publicly, of course; some may conduct this aspect of their ministries more informally in private settings. Yet all leaders must possess an aptitude for handling the Word with skill

3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;

Not given to wine: One addicted to wine. One who leans on the wine. A drunkard.

No striker: A violent person with words. Contentious and a quarrelsome person.

Not greedy of filthy lucre: A person who is eager to gain money even if such gain degrades his moral character.

Patient: Fair, yielding, unassertive.

Not a brawler: The opposite of a brawler. Not contentious or quarrelsome.

Not covetous: Without love of money, not fond of money.

4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;

One that ruleth well his own house(hold): Manage his own family well. Paul’s specific focus here was on the children. The most reliable (though not infallible) means of determining the quality of one’s potential leadership is by examining the behavior of his children. Do they respect their father enough to submit to his leadership? Is the candidate a good superintendent over the affairs of, and the people in, his own household?

Having his children in subjection with all gravity: With proper respect (lit., "with all gravity") may refer, however, not to the children’s submission, but to the manner in which the father exercises his authority, that is, without due fuss or clamor. Having the children who live under his roof in obedience to him (action) with respect (attitude).

5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)

The man who would be an overseer of a church must be able to demonstrate to those who know him best, his family, that others would be willing to follow his leadership. The home is a mini-picture of the way he would lead in the church. The home life will be seen by others as the way the candidate would lead in the church. If the family which knows him better than anyone else will not follow him, why should anyone else do the same? The danger is that what you attempt to instruct others to do, your family negates by refusal to follow. This rhetorical question in verse 5 forms a parenthetical , or, qualifying support for the validity of the preceding qualification. Paul made an analogy between leadership or management of a home and that in a church (Eph. 2:19; 1 Tim. 3:15). Many of the same skills and qualifications are needed for both. Success in a family may well indicate success in a church; likewise, failure in a home raises a red flag about one’s ability to lead in a congregation.

6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.

Not a novice: No new convert to Christianity should ever serve in any position in the church and especially in the position of pastoral leadership!

Lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil: A man rushed into leadership without abilities of them will be swollen up with pride. Many churches are responsible for filling a young man's head up with the thought that he is as great as the people say that he is. The condemnation of the devil is the very pride that was his downfall. It will be the downfall of a new convert as well.

7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

Moreover, he must have a good report of them which are without: Those who are unbelievers must be able to have a good reputation to speak of concerning a candidate who would become pastor. Credibility is an essential witness in sound leadership.

Lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil: The pastor must keep himself blameless. This goes right back to verse 2. The pastor must be careful not to fall in disgrace with those whom he needs to be a witness before. He must not allow himself to fall into the trap of the devil and be ineffective because of reproach. Paul’s thought here seems to be that church leaders, as representatives of the congregation, are constantly susceptible to the snares of the devil. Satan likes nothing better than to disgrace God’s work and God’s people by trapping church leaders in sin before a watching world. It is important therefore that overseers achieve and maintain a good reputation before unbelievers.

Titus 1:7-9

There are many similarities that are in both chapters, but we want to look at some of the qualifications that were not addressed in First Timothy.

7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;

For a bishop must be blameless as the steward of God: A steward was one who was intrusted with the affairs of the masters household while the master was away. Our master will one day come for His own, but now we have the responsibility to take good care over the affairs of the Lord until He comes again. Twice in this epistle we are told that a bishop must be blameless. Here Paul switched from the term "elder" (presbyteros) to overseer (episkopos, commonly trans. "bishop"). The two words are plainly interchange able in the apostle’s thinking, referring to the same church office. The term "overseer" is singular here, but this certainly does not mean that there must be only one episkopos per congregation. Rather the word is used here in a generic sense. Paul was simply affirming that these qualifications are required of all overseers. The need for blamelessness is repeated from verse 6. The reason this quality is so important is that an overseer serves as a steward of God. Damage to a church leader’s reputation is damage to God’s reputation.

8 But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;

The elder must be hospitable (cf. 1 Tim. 3:2); one who loves what is good, self-controlled, or temperate and sensible, upright (dikaion, "just"); holy (these last two are, with blamelessness, two of the characteristics Paul himself had modeled [cf. 1 Thes. 2:10], but neither is mentioned in 1 Tim. 3); and (14) disciplined (in contrast to the vices of Titus 1:7; cf. 1 Tim. 4:7-8).

9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.

Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught: Holding fast means holding firmly or cleaving to the faithful, trustworthy and dependable word of God. Not only must an overseer meet moral and spiritual standards in his personal life, but he must also be a reliable man of the Word. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught. This last clause, "as it has been taught," actually comes first in the Greek, for emphasis. According to Paul, an elder is a conservator of the truth, one who must understand it, hold it fast; encourage others by teaching it; and refute those who oppose it. To be qualified as an elder a man must be a capable handler of the truth. The bishop must be one who is dependent on the word of God in his teaching, preaching and life.