In the seasons of appointing pastors, Paul has already reminded the church through Timothy that humility and patience are key. No one should be seeking self promotion. We should not neglect considering the needs of one another. We should continue caring more about others than ourselves. Be quiet. Be humble. Love one another. Only after he reminds us about these essential character qualities does he turn to the pastoral office and its qualifications. Paul begins,
It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do (1 Timothy 3:1).
The work of an overseer is a fine work. There are people who disagree, but in my mind the office of overseer, pastor-teacher, bishop, and elder are all the same office. In the Baptist church, we simply refer to the office as a pastoral office. The Bible doesn’t explicitly define the responsibilities of a pastor, though we can use our inductive reasoning to see that pastors are the primary teachers of the church (cf. Acts 6; 1 Timothy 1:2). They are to lead by the example of their lives and practice oversight in the church to some degree, yet without lording what authority they have (1 Peter 5:1-4). Arguments can be made about exactly what that looks like and the appropriate content of their teaching, but I’ll reserve that for another time since my purpose is simply to exposit 1 Timothy 3 here.
If anyone aspires to such work, Paul wants us to know it is a fine work. He does not say everyone who aspires is qualified or should do that work. Some translation say “any man,” and τις is masculine in this context, but I’m not sure that is enough to translate it “any man.” I believe the pastoral role is reserved for men. I just don’t think we can get that from the word τις in this verse. Paul simply means for us to know that the work of a pastor is fine work, as in good labor. Having done several different things with my life, I can say that pastoral work is, in fact, good labor if someone is not lazy and sincerely cares about people. So, if anyone desires to be a pastor, his character should be evaluated.
Notice that the Bible begins in a different place than we do in our corporate-esque churches. 21st Century corporate and democratic America didn’t exist in 1st Century Ephesus. We begin with a vacant position and there are seasons of church decline between pastors. We wait until we are in need before trying to find someone to fill a position in our corporation. The Bible begins with the calling on an individual’s life. If a person in your midst aspires to the office of overseer, it is good. In the biblical model, pastors are typically raised from within. It is the church, not academic institutions, that train and appoint. I am not opposed to academic achievement. It was my own idol for a long time, which is part of the reason I stopped just short of earning my PhD. Like Paul warned, knowledge certainly does puff up—which is why so many doctorate-holders say so many dumb things. God is here more concerned about a person’s character. He makes wise and puts to shame the foolish ways of the world in our small academic achievements (1 Corinthians 3:19). I’m not opposed to calling outside people to pastor because it is sometimes necessary. It’s not wrong or sinful. It can be, and is often, good. It is important to point out how easy it is to miss the context of Paul’s words by skipping to verse two and reading it like a 21st Century democratic corporation. These qualifications are for churches appointing pastors who come forward from within that congregation saying, “I aspire to the office of pastor.” They can be applied to ‘outside hires,’ but they are primarily for the local congregation—especially, and in context, in the effort to teach certain men not to teach strange doctrine (cf. 1 Timothy 1:3). It is meant for churches who have enough time with candidates to know their character—something that requires much time and not little. These men are already part of the congregation and in the direct focus of this text.
The qualifications we are about to read are also character qualifications, not a matter of works-based righteousness. Such has been Paul’s entire message so far—administration by faith, not works (cf. 1 Timothy 1:4ff). As we read each one, we think about the character of someone who aspires to be a pastor. For those like me who are obviously called to preach and serve a congregation, and for anyone who desires to sit on a counsel of elders, we consider his character. Since pastors are living examples to the congregation, we know these character pastoral qualifications are character qualities everyone in the congregation should strive for. If you don’t aspire to the office of overseer, this part of the Bible is still important. To have a life that looks like the pastoral qualifications is to live like a mature Christian, except for the one that applies only to the pastoral office—being able to teach.
An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil (1 Timothy 3:2-7).
Paul points us to the nature of the qualification again. An overseer must be above reproach. The list after clarifies what he means. Notice the present tense. Past mistakes are not considered. They have been forgiven, and it is inconsistent with the gospel of Jesus Christ to hold those against the person who aspires to be a pastor. Is he above reproach now? Has he been transformed and matured by the redeeming power of Jesus Christ? To be above reproach, the person must be:
- the husband of one wife,
If we consider this as a works-based qualification, we might be tempted to say no one can be a pastor if he has ever been divorced or if he is single or a widower. But, this is not a works-based qualification as if Jesus doesn’t change people. Further, Paul already set the context for us, showing us that a man’s current character, not his past, is to be considered. If this qualification is works-based, neither Paul nor Jesus would qualify to pastor our church by the extreme standards some organizations set. Jesus was never married. Paul was married and is yet without a wife as he writes this for the church. Husband is masculine, and wife is feminine. Paul is assuming, here, men are particularly in view. This man, since this is a character qualification, must be a one-woman type of man. He should not be a womanizer or habitually flirtatious. He should not view pornography or always be dating different women. He must be a one-woman type of man.
- temperate,
This candidate shouldn’t be led by his own emotion. He must be self-controlled and level-headed.
- prudent,
Prudence is practical wisdom. The candidate must have some level of foresight and be able to consider the outcomes of his actions so he can live and lead wisely.
- respectable,
He must not be in the habit of disrespecting others. He should be of such character that he considers others to be more important than himself.
- hospitable,
He must care such about others that he considers their needs and wants. Hospitality applies to more than merely home life and being inviting. It means caring about the desires of others. How do we serve others needs and wants well? Every so often, you’ll hear someone talk about how they only serve God. If people aren’t on-board with the vision, they need to get out of the way. That is not a Christlike attitude. We do care about the needs and wants of others. We act in a way that is good for others, not merely beneficial for attracting people to us—a difficult lesson that took me far too long to grasp.
- able to teach,
He must be able to teach because this is the responsibility of the pastors. Since this is a character qualification, it means he loves to study and translate God’s word for others as his service to the Lord and the church.
- not addicted to much wine,
Put simply, wine is not to be his master. Instead of getting drunk with wine, this man is to be filled with the Holy Spirit—giving control of his body and brain over to nothing but Christ. We should be careful not to do too much with this qualification. For, Jesus came eating and drinking (Matthew 11:18), and we wouldn’t want to disqualify Jesus from leading our church by making standards the Bible does not. As a matter of character, pastors must not be addicted to much wine.
- not pugnacious,
A candidate must not look for quarrels where they don’t need to exist. Even if he disagrees with others about something, a mature Christian is marked by his reservation. When we care about others, we don’t really make a habit of fighting with them. There are very few things worth fighting about. It is not the case that a pastor will never fight about something important. He may, and should if it matters. But, there are very few hills worth dying on.
- gentle,
A candidate must have a gentle demeanor rather than an overpowering or hostile one.
- peaceable,
Instead of facilitating controversy, he must care to seek out peace with others and be a peacemaker between others.
- free from the love of money,
Money, or any type of sordid gain, must not be his goal because he lives for the service of others. He should still be provided for, but his platform should not be used for personal profit in any way. Gain is not bad for him to have, but his position is one of service, and he should be free from the temptation of using others to gain in any way selfishly. He shouldn’t be the type of person who uses others for his own profit.
- a good household manager,
When we look at how a man manages his own household, we see how he will treat the church. This applies to his finances, yes, but also to the way he treats his children and wife. How he raises his children is a good indication about how he will treat the membership of the church. Pay attention to his character at home. “Keeping his children under control” is not a statement about his children’s behavior or decisions for their own lives. It is a statement about his ability to disciple and train his children—does he manage them well while they are under his paternal authority.
- not a new convert, and
It is easy for new converts to be puffed up in their knowledge. The longer we live with Christ, the more humility he provides in our hearts and minds. Pastors are not to be conceited, thinking too highly of themselves, because we don’t want them to fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil (literally “the slanderer”). Pride always leads to our downfall.
- reputable with those outside the church.
The candidate must be so intent on living a Christlike life that even people outside the church know what kind of person he is. He does not live differently outside of church than he does in the midst of the church. He is not a hypocrite. He is sincere and real with people wherever he is so he does not fall into the slanderer’s trap. Hypocrisy, living two lives, always traps us when people find out who we really are.
Not everyone reading this or 1 Timothy is interested in being a pastor or looking for biblical pastoral qualifications. A vast majority of people wonder what 1 Timothy 3 has do do with them. Paul has been addressing the whole congregation through Timothy. The pastors of the church are set up as examples to the congregation. People who aspire to the pastoral office must have these character traits to be considered. Those not aspiring to the pastoral office have these characteristics listed as traits they aspire to as mature Christians. What does the life of a mature Christian look like? 1 Timothy 3 is the answer. A mature Christian lives above reproach. He or she is faithful and monogamous, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. He manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity, and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. And he has a good reputation with those outside the church, not being a hypocrite, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
There are many people who think they are mature spiritually but don’t bear these characteristics. The truth is, the longer we live with Christ, the more will will sincerely exhibit these personal qualities. Strive for what is good, brothers and sisters. We are all at a different part of our journeys with Christ. No matter what point you are at, strive for greater maturity by the faith He has so graciously given.
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