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3QUALIFICATIONS—THE REPUTATION OF THE MANCharacter is what you really are deep inside—Reputation is what others think you are. Reputation is based on the impressions you leave on others. There is a great need to leave the right impression with others in order that they might get the proper impression of what a child of God is. You will notice that all the qualifications in this group should be true of all Christians. The first qualification that we will look at in this group is "blameless." "A bishop then must be blameless (anepilhmtos), the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior," (1 Tim. 3:2). "If a man is blameless (anegklhtos), the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination. For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money," (Titus 1:6,7). Blameless (anepilemtos anepilhmtos) in 1 Tim. 3:2 is defined as:
It can be found in the following verses:
Blameless (anegkletos anegklhtos) in Titus 1:6 is defined as:
This word can be found in the following verses:
"Blameless" does not mean sinless perfection as we can see from the example of Peter. Peter in 1 Pt. 5:1-4 states that he was an elder (accepted by the Holy Spirit as such). Yet Paul blamed him for withdrawing from the Gentile Christians (Gal. 2:11-15). Notwithstanding, Peter was a qualified elder. In a scriptural sense he was blameless. Why? The simple point is that Peter was wrong in Gal. 2, but he had corrected the situation and had proven himself to possess the quality before he became an elder. It means that his life is not open to criticism. His life is such that charges made against him will not hold up. No charge can be leveled against him that diminishes his ability to lead the congregation. "A person against whom no evil can be proved. The word is a metaphor, taken from a case of an expert and skillful pugilist who so defends every part of his body that it is impossible for his antagonist to give one hit. So this Christian bishop is one that has so conducted himself as to put it out of reach of any person to prove that he is either unsound in a single article of the Christian faith or deficient in the fulfillment of any duty incumbent in a Christian." Adam Clarke
The second qualification this chapter is of "good report of those without." "Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into the reproach and snare of the devil." (1 Tim. 3:7) "Those out of the church who know him must consider him a good, honest, godly man. He must be right in his dealings with all men. The man who has the reputation for being self-willed, arrogant, contentious, whose word is no good, who cheats and steals in business, a drunk, etc., can not qualify for this work….It is almost impossible task to make any progress [in trying to persuade men to obey the gospel] where the men in the eldership have a poor and unfavorable reputation among people in general." H. E. Phillips The reason why is that "lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil." "We can imagine how, on the morning after this undeserving person’s election to office, the men who work with him will greet him with the mocking exclamation, ‘What do we hear now? Have they actually made you an elder…you?’ and the devil will rejoice….Such a person may easily become very bold, thinking, ‘If I can get away with this conduct of mine, and still be elected, I can get away with anything.’ Thus he will fall into the devil’s snare, that is, into the devil’s trap, hence, into his power." Hendriksen Since all Christians should want to be an influence for good with "outsiders", they must have a "good testimony among those who are outside." A third qualification in this category is "given to hospitality." "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). "But hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just holy, self-controlled," (Titus 1:8). "Hospitable" (philoxenos filoxenos) is defined as:
"Hospitable" (philoxenos – adjective) can be found in:
The idea is helping or taking care of strangers, not having the preacher or good friends over (though there is nothing wrong with that). Remember that in New Testament times there were no hotels like we have today and Christians would open their homes to other Christians (even if they did not know them) who were traveling from place to place. Lenski writes "It does not mean to entertain and to feast friends or even the poor but to take in Christian strangers or acquaintances when these are traveling, or when they are fleeing from persecutions and often are without means of any kind." The fourth qualification is "not a brawler." "Not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous;" 1 Tim. 3:3. "Not a brawler" (amachos amacos) is defined as:
The only other passage where "not quarrelsome" is used in the New Testament is Titus 3:2 "to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men." The idea here is that the elder must not be one whose disposition and attitude is that he battles and wrangles for opinions and self-interest. He is not one who is always in some sort of fuss, fight, and squabble. He is one who can differ without getting angry and hateful. The fifth qualification is "not greedy for filthy lucre." "Not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous;" (1 Tim. 3:3). "For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money," (Titus 1:7). "Not greedy of filthy lucre" (aischrokerdas aiscrokerdas) is defined as:
1 Pt. 5:2 – "Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by constraint but willingly, not for dishonest gain (aischrokerdes aiscrokerdhs – adverb form of aischrokerdas) but eagerly;". This word carries with it the ideal of being covetous. "For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God." Eph. 5:5. A man who has this problem, could be so busy trying to make lots of money that he does not have time to serve as an elder. Sometimes he will do things in a dishonest, underhanded way that would reflect poorly on the church. "Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give." 1 Tim. 6:17-18. The sixth qualification in this category is "not covetous." "Not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous;" 1 Tim. 3:3. "Not covetous" (aphilarguros afilarguros) is defined as:
The only other verse where this word is used in the New Testament is Heb. 13:5 – "Let your conduct be without covetousness (‘Keep your lives free from the love of money’ NIV) and be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." This word is closely related to "not greedy of filthy lucre." The difference is that "not greedy of filthy lucre" deals with the method of obtaining it, while "not covetous" deals with the love and attitude toward it. If a man is a "lover of money" he is carnally minded and does not have a spiritual interests at heart. Guy N. Woods states that "a person whose one interest in life is the accumulation of wealth would be so absorbed in his effort to this end that he would resort to practices and exhibit attitudes in the business world which would be detrimental to the church. Moreover, such a person is covetous and this is sinful. "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." 1 Tim. 6:10. The last qualification in this group is "not a striker." "Not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous;". 1 Tim. 3:3. "For a bishop must blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money," Titus 1:7. "Not a striker" (plektes plhkths) is defined as:
"It means a man who is always ready to fight those who are against him; one who strikes back with a blow." H. E. Phillips. "The man for the eldership must be a peaceable person who is not apt to strike others who may oppose him. He must not be ill-tempered, unable to govern his temper; or one who resents with insults or wrongs, real or otherwise, those who revile him. But he must be patient and kind even to all who insult him; not one who is ready to fight at the slightest provocation." Not a striker" describes a man who is not: 1. Ungoverned in temper. 2. Quarrelsome. 3. Ready to fight (He carries a chip on his shoulder). The elder is a man who is a peaceable and level-headed man. However, this does not mean that he will let people walk over him. "A striker is one who is quick-tempered, carries a chip on his shoulder, is ready with his fists." Lenski) All the qualifications in this group should be true of all Christians.
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