QUALIFICATIONS—HABITS OF AN ELDER

Habits are acts which we have acquired and which we do automatically. These are embedded parts of our personality. They, of course, can be changed and should be if they are bad ones. The elder is required by God to have some habits, which are good and necessary for the proper directing of His flock. Every Christian should strive to develop these same habits in their lives.

The first qualification in this category is "vigilant." "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).

"Vigilant" (nephalios nhfalios) is defined as:

Kubo – temperate, sober.

Green – in the N.T. met. vigilant, circumspect.

Thayer – sober, temperate.

This word can be found in the following passages:

1 Tim. 3:11 – "Likewise their wives must be reverent, not slanders, temperate, faithful in all things."

Titus 2:2 – "that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in the faith, in love, in patience;".

"Vigilant" "mean not only a man with sound mind and moderate habits, but one who is circumspect or vigilant as the result of these qualities." (H. E. Phillips) "It denotes that temperate use meat and drink which keeps the mind watchful and on the alert." (Pulpit Commentary) "It means the bishops must be a self-controlled, watchful, alert man, having a foresight to know the end of a course being followed; a man who has developed the quality of being able to watch himself and others sin, and who is able to scripturally take advantage of every opportunity to promote the cause of Christ."

Acts 20:28-30 and Heb. 13:17 tell us what the elders should watch for in the performance of their duties.

The second qualification is "temperate". "But hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just holy, self-controlled," Titus 1:8.

Temperate (egkrates egkraths - adjective) is defined as:

Kubo – self-controlled, disciplined.

Vine – denotes exercising self-control.

Green – strong, stout, possessed of mastery; master of self.

Thayer – self-control…(the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions, especially his sensual appetites).

"But the fruit of the Spirit is …gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law." (Gal. 5:22-23). "But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control (egkrateia – noun), to self-control perseverance godliness," (2 Pt. 1:5-6).

As one can see according to the definitions of this word, an elder as well as all Christians are to be control of himself. He is not to allow anything such as drugs, alcohol, tobacco, his tongue, his temper, or any "run-away appetites" (be it food, tobacco, drink, or recreation) is not suitable as an elder.

The third word in this group is sober. "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).

Sober (sophron swfrwn) is defined as:

Kubo – prudent, thoughtful, self-controlled.

Thayer – a. of sound mind, sane, in one’s senses. b. curbing one’s desires and impulses, self controlled, temperate.

Vine – denotes of sound mind…; hence self-controlled, soberminded.

Green – of a sound mind, sane; staid, temperate, discreet.

Zodhiates – Discreet, one who has a sound mind; a person who limits his own freedom and ability with proper thinking, demonstrating self-control with the proper restraints on all the passions and desires; one who voluntarily places limitations on his freedom.

The only other place in the New Testament that "sober" can only be found is in Titus 2:2, 5: "that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience;…[the young women] to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed."

He "follows sound reason, and who is not under control of passion. The idea is, that he should have his desire and passions well regulated." Barnes "It means that quality to be calm, even tempered, cautious, circumspect, and wise in the full use of the mind and body under all circumstances to the point that good sense is shown in all judgment, reason and understanding….must be one of a sound and well-balanced mind, possessing good common sense." H. E. Phillips

The fourth qualification in this group is "not soon angry." "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 soon angry" (orgilos orgilos) is defined as:

Kubo – inclined to anger, quick-tempered.

Green – prone to anger, irascible, passionate.

Vine – angry – prone to anger – irascible.

Thayer – prone to anger, irascible.

An elder who is soon angry can produce serious effects upon the peace and harmony of the congregation. The man selected for the eldership must not be hot-headed and quick tempered. He must not be easily affected with anger, not easily irritated, provoked, wrathful, or resentful, but he should be a man slow to wrath. "Therefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;" James 1:19. "But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, Raca! shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire." Mt. 5:22. Anger destroys the love and affection men may have for the elder, hinders rather than helps the overseer.

"Elders will have a great deal of pressure. When they face such moments they must be able to act calmly. They must look reasonably at all problems. An elder cannot be a man who easily or quickly looses his temper." Arthur W. Adams

Instead of being a quick tempered bully who is ready to strike others, he must forbearing and considerate of others. He must be mild, fair, and equitable. Ron Daly

"A man who is quick to ‘fly off the handle’ and make rash statements will make many enemies for himself and the church." L. R. Wilson

"The eldership is a place for cool and calm minds—not for hot heads who possess a fiery and uncontrollable temper. Judgments rendered in the heat of fiery anger are not very likely to contain practical prudence or rational wisdom.

The fifth characteristic in this group is "not self-willed." "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 self-willed" (authades auqadhs) is defined as:

Kubo – self-willed, stubborn, arrogant.

Green – one who pleases himself, willful, obstinate; arrogant, imperious.

Thayer – self-pleasing, self-willed, arrogant.

Vine – self-pleasing…denotes one who, dominated by self-interest, and inconsiderate of others, arrogantly asserts his own will, ‘self-willed," Titus 1:7; 2 Pt. 2:10…, "one so far overvaluing any determination at which he has himself once arrived that he will not be removed from it.

Zodhiates – One who is pleased with himself and despises others, insolent, surly, the opposite of maintains his own opinion or asserts his own rights but is reckless in regard to the rights, feelings, and interests of others.

The only other verse that this word is found in the New Testament is 2 Pt. 2:10 "And especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed; they are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries,".

The kind of man who should never be permitted in the eldership is the person who is presumptuous, arrogant and demanding for the selfish reason; one that wants and demands his own way in all matters regardless of the outcome. He does not have the "rule or ruin" attitude. An illustration of this type of attitude is what happen in a church where my father preached one time. The men decided in a business meeting to have Daddy to work with them for another year. The following Sunday morning Daddy mentioned the agreement at the beginning of his sermon and immediately the man who made the announcements got up and went up to the front row where he spoke to the song leader. Then after the invitation song, he spoke to the congregation and made it clear that as far as he was concern that the decision for Daddy to work with them was not final and that the first chance he got he would change that decision. Sure enough the first Sunday that several men were gone, he called a business meeting for the sole purpose of reversing that decision and as a result the church divided. The "reason" was so that a certain preacher could start working with that church. However, the preacher had already made it clear he was not going to leave the church where he was already working with. Within a year, the church that Daddy had worked with ceased to exist because of this self-willed man.

"Self-interest is not to be his prime mover. He is NOT to be inconsiderate of others. He is NOT to be arrogant in the assertion of his own will." Robert R. Taylor, Jr.

"This does not mean that he is not to be firm and steadfast in his purpose, but that he must not be of such a stubborn spirit that he clings to his own will and refuses to listens to reason or facts. One in such position must have the sincere desire to fully investigate all sides, to know the full truth, and then be guided by it, and not by the self-will of his own." David Lipscomb.

The last qualification in this group is "not given to wine." "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.

"Given to wine (paroinos paroinos) is defined as:

Kubo – drunken, addicted to wine.

Vine – lit., tarrying at wine.

Thayer – given to wine, drunken;…give it the secondary sense, quarrelsome over wine.

Green – properly pertaining to wine; given to wine, prone to intemperance, drunken; hence, quarrelsome, insolent, overbearing.

"It literally means not subject to wine—not drunken. It refers to what takes place over wine; one who is subject to wine." H. E. Phillips The man for the eldership must not be subject to wine or other intoxicating liquors of any kind. He must not participate in strong drinks so that he becomes a drunken brawler. His reputation and mind must be free from all influences of evil and intoxication; nothing must unbalance the mind or body.

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