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QUALIFICATIONS—CHARACTER OF MAN

 

Character is what a person is. As we study the character of a man who is qualified to be an elder, we see that other than the first qualification, these are to be characteristics of all Christians.

The first qualification that we will look at is that he must have a desire to be one. "This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work." 1 Tim. 3:1. "Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by constraint but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly;" 1 Pt. 5:2. Desire (epithumeo – verb) is defined as:

Moulton – to set the heart upon; to desire, long for, have earnest desire.

Vine – to desire earnestly, stresses the inward impulse rather than the object desired.

Thayer – to have a desire for, long for.

Zodhiates – To have the affections directed toward anything; to desire, long after. To desire in a good sense (Mt. 13:17; Lk. 22:15; 1 Tim. 3:1; Heb. 6:11; 1 Pt. 1:12). To desire or long for as a matter of natural course (Lk. 15:16; 16:21; 17:22; Gal. 5:17). To desire in a bad sense as coveting and lusting after (Mt. 5:28; Rom. 7:7; 13:9; 1 Cor. 10:6, cf. James 4:2).

The word "willingly" (hekousios) is defined as:

Green – voluntarily, spontaneous.

Vine – voluntarily, willingly.

Thayer – voluntarily, willingly, of one’s own accord.

Zodhiates – voluntarily, intentionally.

So we see that one of the qualifications is that a man must want to be an elder, and not be forced into being one.

The second character qualification is that a one must be holy. "But hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled," Titus 1:8. Holy (hosios - osios) is defined as:

Kubo – holy, devout, pious.

Vine – signifies religiously right, holy, as opposed to what is unrighteous or polluted.

Thayer – undefiled by sin, free from wickedness, religiously observing every moral obligation, pure, holy, pious.

Green – pious, devout.

Zodhiates – holy, righteousness, unpolluted with wickedness.

Holy (hosios) is found in the following Scriptures:

Acts 2:27 – "Because You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption."

1 Tim. 2:8 – "Therefore I desire that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting;"

This denotes one who is devoted to God and faithful in his duties to God. While this is a qualification of an elder, it should be a characteristic of all Christians.

The third character qualification is that one must be just. "But hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled." Titus 1:8 Just (dikaios - dikaios) is defined as:

Thayer – rendering to each his due; and that in a judicial sense, passing just judgment on others, whether expressed in words or shown by the manner of dealing with them.

Green – just, equitable, fair.

Zodhiates – it refers to the one who acts conformably to justice and right without any deficiency or failure.

Just (dikaios) is found in the following scriptures:

Gal 3:11 – "But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is for ‘The just shall live by faith.’"

Phil. 4:8 – "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things."

Bro. H. E. Phillips makes the following comments on this qualification: "the elder of God’s household must do nothing by partiality, but always strive to render a just and upright decision in all matters…He must be upright, fair, and honest in all dealings with other people, rendering to each man his due without partiality. He must be proper and exact in his actions." This is another qualification of the elders that should be true of all Christians.

The fourth qualification of character is that one must be patient (gentle). "not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous." 1 Tim. 3:3. Patient (epieikes - epieikhs) is defined as:

Kubo – gentle, kind.

Vine – equitable, fair, moderate, forbearing,…; it expresses that considerateness that looks "humanely and reasonably at the facts of the case."

Thayer – equitable, fair, mild, gentle.

Green – suitable; fair, reasonable; gentle, mild, patient.

Patient (epieikes) can be found in the following in the following Scriptures:

Phil. 4:5 – "Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand."

Titus 3:2 – "to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men."

James 3:17 – "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, without partiality and without hypocrisy."

1 Pt. 2:18 – "Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.

As Bro. H. E. Phillips comments, "The elder must be a very kind and meek character in relations and considerations of all others, rather than a bitter, unkind, stern and disagreeable. Once again, this is to be a characteristic of all Christians.

The fifth qualification involving his character is "of good behavior." "A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach." 1 Tim. 3:2.

"Of good behavior" (kosmios komios) is defined as:

Kubo – respectable, honorable.

Green – decorous, well-ordered.

Vine – orderly, modest.

Thayer – of a man living with decorum, a well ordered life.

Zodhiates – Orderly, decent.

It has been translated "respectable" (NASV) and "respectable" (NIV).

The only other place that it is used in the New Testament is found in 1 Tim. 2:9 "in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing."

"The type of man described here is a well-arranged, dignified, courteous and chaste man in the whole manner of his life. This is very important to leadership and example… in business…in dress…language…in all phases of his life he must be a well-behaved person." H. E. Phillips.

The sixth characteristic of the character of the elder is that he is to be a "lover of good." "But hospitable, a lover of good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled." Titus 1:8.

"Lover of good" (philagathos filagaqos) is defined as:

Kubo – loving what is good.

Vine – loving that which is good.

Thayer – loving goodness.

Green – a lover of goodness, or, of the good, a foster of virtue.

Zodhiates – One who loves and practices what is good (Titus 1:8). It combines not only the affinity to be kind but also the inclination to do good.

This is the only time that this word is used in the New Testament. However, the word is the opposite of what we read in 2 Tim. 3:3 "unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,".

"Good is contrasted with evil. What is not good is evil, and what is evil is not good. To love good will help to form good habits and characters, but to love and seek those things which are not good will corrupt the person and cause him to grow more and more like the evil he loves. The elders of the church must not be men who love and promote good men as well as good things rather than evil." H. E. Phillips. An elder will seek to develop the good (which he loves) in every Christian and encourage them to do even more for the cause of Christ.

"An elder should be a lover of good deeds, good things, good people, good in general. He cannot develop good qualities in others if he has no real love for such." L. R. Wilson

"A ‘lover of good’ is a person whose nature and disposition is attuned to the good as opposed to the evil, and who finds happiness and joy in good things.

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