“Therefore, an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,” (1 Timothy 3:2 (ESV)
Having considered the importance of the office of an overseer, what qualifications must a godly man possess in order to be considered to be a church elder or pastor? Money, popularity, social standing, vocation, or political persuasion have nothing to do with an elder’s or pastor’s qualifications. Then what does?
First, an elder must be a man who is above reproach (ἀνεπίλημπτον; anepilempton). This means irreproachable, blameless, impeccable, unimpeachable, and impossible to fault. This is the foremost trait. It is displayed in all the remaining qualities. This does intend to mean an elder will ever be perfect and without sin. Rather, the direction of his life is one of consistent obedience to Christ, even though it will never be perfect obedience before Christ.
Second, an elder must be the husband of one wife. There has been a lot of confusion and discussion regarding what this phrase meant to the Apostle Paul and means to the church today. Hopefully, the true meaning of this statement the husband of one wife is clearly presented in this essay.
The husband (ἄνδρα; andra) is a man who is married to a woman. The woman is his wife (γυναικὸς; gynaikos). She is the only wife the husband has. The word one (μιᾶς; mias) means single one. The statement literally means a one-woman man.
There are those who teach a divorced man can never serve as an elder. This position is based upon this phrase from today’s featured text. However, the phrase refers to a man who is singularly focused upon his wife. He literally is a one-woman man who does not fantasize about other women: past or present. When tempted, he immediately rejects the solicitation and repents if there are ungodly thoughts and emotions. He is careful to guard his heart (Prov. 4:23-27).
“The elder is to be “the husband of one wife” (1 Tim. 3:2), literally, “a man of one woman.” This certainly cannot mean that only married men are qualified to be elders because Paul and probably Timothy as well were single men who ruled over the Lord’s church. It also does not prohibit divorced men from holding the office — if their divorce had biblical warrant (Matt. 19:1–9; 1 Cor. 7:12–16). Otherwise, we make divorce a sin even in cases where God permits it,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.
“The husband of one wife. Lit., in Greek a “one-woman man.” This says nothing about marriage or divorce. The issue is not the elder’s marital status, but his moral and sexual purity. This qualification heads the list, because it is in this area that leaders are most prone to fail,” states Dr. John MacArthur.
“Various interpretations of this qualification have been offered. Some see it as a prohibition against polygamy—an unnecessary injunction since polygamy was not common in Roman society and clearly forbidden by Scripture (Gen. 2:24), the teaching of Jesus (Matt. 19:5–6; Mark 10:6–9), and Paul (Eph. 5:31). A polygamist could not even have been a church member, let alone a church leader. Others see this requirement as barring those who remarried after the death of their wives. But, as already noted, the issue is sexual purity, not marital status.”
“Further, the Bible encourages remarriage after widowhood (1 Tim. 5:14; 1 Cor. 7:39). Some believe that Paul here excludes divorced men from church leadership. That again ignores the fact that this qualification does not deal with marital status. Nor does the Bible prohibit all remarriage after divorce (Matt. 5:31–32; 19:9; 1 Cor. 7:15).”
“Finally, some think that this requirement excludes single men from church leadership. But if that were Paul’s intent, he would have disqualified himself (1 Cor. 7:8). A “one-woman man” is one totally devoted to his wife, maintaining singular devotion, affection, and sexual purity in both thought and deed. To violate this is to forfeit blamelessness and no longer be “above reproach” (Titus 1:6–7). Cf. Prov. 6:32–33,” concludes Dr. MacArthur.
Finally, Dr. William Hendriksen states, “The meaning of our present passage is simply this, that an overseer or elder must be a man of unquestioned morality, one who is entirely true and faithful to his one and only wife; one who being married does not in pagan fashion enter into an immoral relationship with another woman.”
The standard for elders is high and lofty. The standards cannot be compromised. The qualifications cannot be ignored. Therefore, the position of elder or overseer is only for the few, godly men in the church and not the many.
May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.
Soli deo Gloria!
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