“He must not be a new convert, or he might become conceited and incur the same condemnation as the devil. Furthermore, he must have a good reputation among outsiders, so that he does not fall into disgrace and the devil’s trap.”
We will now move into the last two qualifications for an elder/overseer. The first thing that I noticed about both is the warning attached! We will take them one at a time.
The first qualification is that a leader must not be a new convert. This was early in church history, and there were probably many new converts in every city Paul visited. Ephesus was no exception. While new converts are excited about their faith, they lack the knowledge to properly teach others. They also need to be discipled first so that they understand and are mature in the faith before they can lead others.
Paul gives a warning about what might happen: “… he might become conceited and incur the same condemnation as the devil.” This passage may seem a little confusing. Does this mean that if a pastor commits the sin of pride (the way the devil committed that sin) that he will receive the same judgement? The only way that this is possible is if the elder was not a believer to begin with. But the passage says that he is a new convert, so it seems he is a believer. I like this explanation from gotquestions.org. “If a new believer is elevated to a position of leadership too quickly, he may become prideful and thus disqualify himself from that position, just as the devil was disqualified from his position.”
This warning can also go for elevating anyone to a spokesperson status too soon after becoming a new believer. We do this to celebrities and online personalities too often. They become new believers, and everyone gets so excited by their newfound faith. Because of their fame, we want them to be a spokesperson for Christianity. But they haven’t had a chance to be properly discipled and many times the things they are saying or teaching do not mesh with the Bible. They may be mixing their old beliefs with their new, they may not want to offend their followers, or it may be lack of biblical literacy. As believers, we need to give them the space and time to grow their faith before we put them in the spotlight.
The last qualification that Paul lists is that he must have a good reputation among outsiders. And again, Paul issues a warning “… so that he does not fall into disgrace and the devil’s trap.” Paul does not think that it is only elders that need to have a good reputation with unbelievers. In his letter to the Colossians he writes, “Act wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person” (4:5-6). In and in 1 Thessalonians, “In fact, you are doing this toward all the brothers and sisters in the entire region of Macedonia. But we encourage you, brothers and sisters, to do this even more, to seek to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, so that you may behave properly in the presence of outsiders and not be dependent on anyone” (4:10-12). It is important for all of us to be good ambassadors for Christ, but it is especially important for those in leadership positions to be above reproach.
If a pastor has all the qualifications that Paul listed prior to this one, he is going to have a good reputation. John Barry, in his commentary writes, “Paul provided a list of qualifications so that the church would maintain a good reputation among unbelievers. The church’s good standing in society helps believers to maintain healthy relationships and preach the gospel.” On the other hand, they must be on the lookout against pride because “the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour” (1 Peter 5:8). He would like nothing more than to destroy the reputation of the church.
Unfortunately, today we do have very public Christian leaders who are bringing disgrace to the name of Christ and discrediting the church among outsiders. They have allowed their pride to fool them into thinking they are above reproach. When they are called out on their sinful behavior, they take verses out of context to say that other believers should stay silent. Two verses that I have seen are 1 Chronicles 16:22 and Revelation 12:10. The verse in Chronicles says, “touch not my anointed ones…” and Revelation talks about the “accuser of the brothers.” Many of these pastors (and their followers) accuse those who call them out for their sinful behavior by saying we should not touch God’s anointed ones, and we should not accuse brothers in Christ. Both verses are taken out of context. 1 Chronicles 16:22, when read in context, is about David praising God and giving a history of Israel. He is describing how God protected the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) while they were few in number and prevented the powerful kings from surrounding lands from harming them. And the accuser of our brothers written about in Revelation is the devil.
We are very clearly told to call out false teachers in almost every book of the New Testament, and Paul often does this by name. Later in this letter, Paul will give instructions on how to handle accusations against an elder and what to do if the sinful behavior is proven true. “Don’t accept an accusation against an elder unless it is supported by two or three witnesses. Publicly rebuke those who sin, so that the rest will be afraid” (1 Timothy 5:10-20). We are to publicly expose those who sin as an example. This isn’t an opportunity for gossip and slander, but for correction and hopefully restoration. Restoration to leadership may not be appropriate or possible, but restoration to fellowship is always desirable.
I will end with this explanation of Paul’s qualifications for elders/overseers by Andreas J. Köstenberger in his commentary. “Historically this was the time when the aging apostle sought to make provision for the continuing administration of the Christian Church. Clearly Paul thought the character of church leaders to be of primary significance. Also, Paul primarily focused on a man’s character rather than external characteristics, in particular his marriage and leadership of his family. In short, such a man must be mature, command the respect of others, and exhibit self-control. The strategic importance of church leadership cannot be overestimated. In any age, people neglect this issue at their own peril and will likely pay a price for doing so.”
Grace be with you!
Abundant Joy 