Abundant Joy

“An overseer, therefore, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, self-controlled, sensible, respectable, hospitable, able to teach…”

Paul says that anyone aspiring to be an overseer desires a noble work in verse one. What does the word ‘noble’ mean? According to the American Dictionary of the English language, it means “great; elevated; dignified; being above everything that can dishonor reputation.” We see several examples of this throughout scripture. In the Old Testament, Boaz is described as a man of noble character (Ruth 2:1) and Ruth, a woman of noble character (3: 11). King Lemuel describes a wife of noble character in Proverbs 31. And in Acts, Luke describes the Bereans as a people of a more noble character than the Thessalonians, “since they received the word with eagerness and examined the scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (17:11).

Paul is going to lay out fourteen qualifications for an elder in the next five verses. We will start today with the first verse which covers seven of them. Remember our definition of the word ‘noble.’ Part of it is to be above everything that can dishonor reputation. These qualifications are in place, not just for the elder’s reputation, but because he is representing Christ. Paul will give similar lists to deacons and widows later in this letter. We are all Christ’s ambassadors here. It is good to remember Jesus’s words from the Sermon on the Mount. “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

An overseer must be above reproach. In the parallel passage of Titus 1:6, Paul writes “An elder must be blameless…” There must be nothing in his life that can cause criticism. He must have a proven character. One commentator suggested that this first term serves as an umbrella for all the qualifications that come after. Indeed, it fits the definition of ‘noble’ perfectly.

The second thing an elder is to be is the husband of one wife. There is some confusion about this phrase. Does this mean a pastor must be married? Most likely not, since neither Jesus nor Paul were married. Is it permissible for a pastor to remarry after his wife dies (or even after a biblically permissible divorce)? While it is not entirely clear, one thing that most commentaries that I read agree on is that this verse is saying that the overseer must not practice polygamy or have concubines but does not exclude single men from serving.

As a side note, I am shocked in the recent rise of the popularity of polygamy, and even of “Christian” men arguing for it. Yes, I did put quotes around Christian, because while these men claim to be Christian, they are taking verses out of context to have their sinful desires fulfilled. Polygamy was never part of God’s plan, as much as these men want to argue that it is. God created Adam and Eve in the beginning and Jesus reiterates this in Matthew 19. “’Haven’t you read,’ he replied, ‘that he who created them in the beginning made them male and female, and he also said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate’” (4-6). They become one flesh. We are born with a full respiratory system, a full skeletal system, a full cardiovascular system, but only half of a reproductive system. It is God’s beautiful design that a male and female join to create one flesh. Polygamy is a result of the fall, and there are no positive results of it in the Old Testament examples we read. While God allowed it in the Old Testament, it was not ideal. Gotquestions.org says this. “… God may have allowed polygamy to protect and provide for the women who otherwise may have been left destitute. A man would take multiple wives and serve as the provider and protector of all of them. While definitely not ideal, living in a polygamist household was far better than the alternative of prostitution, slavery, or starvation.” In the New Testament, Jesus brings us back to God’s original plan from Genesis. And here in Paul’s letters to both Timothy and Titus, he writes that an elder must be the husband of one wife. In his letter to the church at Ephesus, he talks about husbands loving their wives and in verse 31 he quotes the same verse that Jesus quoted in Matthew 19, clearly talking about one man and one woman becoming one flesh.

Next, we read that he must be self-controlled, sensible, and respectable. I am going to put these three together. I immediately thought of the fruit of the Spirit when I read this list. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things” (Galatians 5:22). Of course it makes sense that an overseer of the church would need to display these qualities. And other people would need to recognize these things in him-not just people in the church. He needs to be respected by those in his community.

The next characteristic is hospitable. Walter L Liefeld explains in the NIV Application Commentary, “Being hospitable was important in the first century because of the miserable travel conditions often encountered. Considerate people would be hospitable to visitors. The word implies far more than having friends over for dinner.” We see this verse in 1 Peter, when he writes, “Be hospitable to one another without complaining” (4:9) and in Paul’s letter to the Romans, when he writes, “Share with the saints in their needs; pursue hospitality” (12:13). It got me thinking that in this era of “superstar” pastors who are not accessible to their congregants, I am thankful to be part of a church body that has pastors that meet all the 1 Timothy and Titus requirements!

An elder must be able to teach. There does seem to be some differentiation between teaching elders- what I would think of as a pastor- and the other leaders in the church. Paul writes later in the letter, “The elders who are good leaders are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.” (5:17). There are many places in the New Testament that mention a plurality of elders (Acts 15:2; 16:4; 20:17; Philippians 1:1; Titus 1:5). The pastor is an elder/overseer and of course must be able to teach. But other elders should also know the Bible well enough to be able to explain it in a way that makes sense. John Barry writes, “Overseers who meet this qualification can refute false teachings and protect the church community on sound doctrine. They must be so familiar with the truth of God’s word that they can do this.”

In verse three, Paul will move on from the positive traits to four negative traits that an elder/overseer must not display. As you can see, being the leader in a church is a serious thing. I am going to leave you with this verse from Hebrews as a reminder to pray for your pastor this week. “Obey your leaders and submit to them, since they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they can do this with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you” (13:17).

Grace be with you!