“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.
Second, an elder must be the husband of one wife. The statement literally means a one-woman man. The elder must focus his thoughts, speech and behavior upon his wife and no other woman. This involves the spiritual, the relational, the social and the physical.
Third, and elder is to be sober-minded. He is “not mixed with wine.” The Greek word lit. means “wineless,” but here used metaphorically to mean “alert,” “watchful,” “vigilant,” or “clear-headed.” Elders must think clearly about life and living according to the Word of God.
Fourth, an elder is to be self-controlled. This means to be prudent, sensible, and of sound mind (Gal. 5:22-23). A self-controlled elder is a man of temperance and wisdom. Temperance refers to restraint from anything resembling a lack of restraint. Wisdom is the practical application of God’s Word in the elder’s life. An elder is to disciplined, having biblical priorities, and one who is serious about biblical truth and its application in the believer’s life.
Fifth, and elder is to be hospitable (φιλόξενον; philoxenon) which means a friendliness towards strangers (Titus 1:8; I Peter 4:9). It is caring for people you do not know. Hospitality may be demonstrated in myriads of ways. It can be demonstrated by the classic Boy Scout example of helping little, old ladies cross the street. Hospitality is helping those who have a legitimate need for assistance and encouragement.
Dr. William Hendriksen writes, “A hospitable person is literally a friend of strangers (φιλόξενος). He “communicates to their necessities.” We can well imagine how deeply appreciated was such hospitality in a day when organized social welfare on any large scale was virtually non-existent; when widows and orphans were dependent on the kindness of relatives and friends; when persecutions with their imprisonments raged fiercely; when poverty and hunger were far more in evidence than they are today in the countries of the West; when messages from one section of Christendom to another had to be delivered by personal messenger, necessitating a great deal of travel; and when lodging with unbelievers was less than desirable. Hence, if hospitality was a requirement for every Christian according to his ability and opportunity to furnish it, it was all the more a requirement for the overseer.” [1]
Sixth, an elder must be able to teach (διδακτικόν; didaktikon). This refers to an elder’s skillfulness in teaching God’s Word. The characteristic does not refer to someone who has the ability to speak before a crowd. Many people have this aptitude, but are not godly individuals qualified to lead a church. An overseer must have the skills and training to accurately instruct people from the Scriptures (2 Tim. 2:15). See also 1 Tim. 5:17; 2 Tim. 2:2; 2:24; 3:14;
“Every overseer or elder should possess this gift to some extent. No one, moreover, will be able to teach (διδακτικός) unless he himself is taught (διδακτός). Having been instructed by “faithful witnesses” one imparts this instruction to others, who in turn must teach still others,” explains Dr. Hendriksen. [2]
The Apostle Paul emphasized the importance of preaching and teaching in his second letter to Timothy. He wrote in 2 Timothy 4:1–4 (ESV) the following words.
“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”
In the book Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, author and pastor Mark Dever set forth the importance of expository preaching.
“The first mark of a healthy church is expositional preaching. It is not only the first mar; it is far and away the most important of them all, because of you get this one right, all of the others should follow. If you get the priority of the Word established, then you have in place the single most important aspect of the church’s life, and growing health is virtually assured, because God has decided to act by His Spirit through Hid Word.”
Expositional preaching is that preaching which takes for the point of a sermon the point of a particular passage of Scripture. That’s it. The preacher opens the Word and unfolds for the people of God. Expositional preaching is preaching in service of the Word. As loquacious as some preachers may be, preachers are not commanded simply to go and preach. They are commanded specifically to go and preach the Word. That’s what preachers are command to preach,” concludes Dever.”
John Calvin concludes, “In the epistle to Titus, doctrine is expressly mentioned; here he only speaks briefly about skill in communicating instruction. It is not enough to have profound learning, if it be not accompanied by talent for teaching. There are many who, either because their utterance is defective, or because they have not good mental abilities, or because they do not employ that familiar language which is adapted to the common people, keep within their own minds the knowledge which they possess. Such persons, as the phrase is, ought to Sing to themselves and to the muses. They who have the charge of governing the people, ought to be qualified for teaching. And here he does not demand volubility of tongue, for we see many persons whose fluent talk is not fitted for edification; but he rather commends wisdom in applying the word of God judiciously to the advantage of the people.”
May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.
Soli deo Gloria!
[1] William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of the Pastoral Epistles, vol. 4, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 123.
[2] Ibid. 124.
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