1 Timothy 3:1-7 Godly Leaders

1 Timothy 3:1-7 Godly Leaders

THE PROMISE (1 Timothy 3:1)

“This saying is trustworthy: “If anyone aspires to be an overseer, he desires a noble work.”” (1 Timothy 3:1, HCSB)

The work of a pastor is not an easy work, but it is a noble work. Whether the pastor is full-time or bi-vocational, the work is still considered a noble work. Why is this so? Because the work affects the spiritual development of other people.

THE POSITIVE REQUIREMENTS ( 1 Timothy 3:2)

1. Above criticism

No man living is sinless, but we must strive to be blameless, or “above reproach” (NIV).¹

2. Husband of one wife

There are four views related to this requirement:

View #1 – Prohibiting remarriage

Reason #1 – Widows and deacons have the same requirement

“No widow should be placed on the official support list unless she is at least 60 years old, has been the wife of one husband,” (1 Timothy 5:9, HCSB)

Reason #2 – Divorce prevents the elder from being above reproach

When promoting faithfulness in marriage in other contexts, Paul always addresses women and he says they can remarry after a death of the husband. As a result, it seems that this re-enforces the need for Godly leaders as elders to have a faithful husband who has never been divorced. (1 Timothy 5:14, 1 Corinthians 7:39, Romans 7:2-3)

View #2 – Promoting faithfulness

They also prefer the interpretation that Paul meant for the overseers and deacons to be faithful to one wife, not someone known for flirting and philandering.²

View #3 – Requiring marriage

View #4 – Prohibiting polygamy

There are those who, on the basis of this verse, say that a bishop, pastor, or elder must be married. But the ultimate minister was Jesus of Nazareth. And He was single. Therefore, this verse doesn’t mandate marriage. It does, however, mandate complete faithfulness for those who are married.³

There is no discussion about the requirements of the wives of elders. However, there are requirements for the wives of deacons. In 1 Timothy 3:11. Each of the offices are separated by the word “likewise”. Elders likewise; deacons likewise; and wives (of deacons) likewise. As a result of this, there is a discussion about the possibility that there can be female deacons. However, there is no discussion about female elders.

On the other hand, reasons to suppose Paul was referring to women serving as deacons include the distinguishing function of “likewise” separating overseers, deacons, and “women” as distinct categories, the lack of a possessive pronoun making the wife relationship explicit (i.e., “their wives, likewise”), the absence of a feminine form for diakonos to use for specifically referring to women as deacons (compare Rom 16:1 where the woman Phoebe is called a deacon), and the absence of a parallel statement about the wives of overseers (see Marshall 1999, 493–94; Arichea and Hatton 1995, 75). The reference to Phoebe in Rom 16:1 makes it seem likely that women could serve as deacons. Also the work encouraged for widows in 1 Tim 5:9–10 is very similar to what was expected of those serving as deacons—being wife of one husband (see 1 Tim 3:2, 12), showing hospitality, helping the oppressed, washing the feet of the saints, and being devoted to good work.

While determining whether female deacons or wives of deacons was intended here, the passage does present a high ethical standard for women in the church and contrasts sharply with the negative qualities listed in 1 Tim 5:11–15 and 2 Tim 3:6–7 (Fee 2011, 89).⁴

3. Self-controlled

4. Sensible

5. Respectable

6. Hospitable

7. Able teacher

Each of these characteristics (from self-control to an able teacher) shows a man who is in control of his emotions. He is under the control of the Spirit. All seven of these requirements are ethical qualities. The reason each of these are listed is because when one is a leader, he is an example for others to follow.

THE PREVENTIVE REQUIREMENTS (1 Timothy 3:3)

1. Addicted

2. Bully (Violent)

3. Argumentative

4. Greedy

These requirements will prevent a man from being a good pastor. Each of these are an outlet of being out of control. In each of these cases, a man is out of control of his senses. When a person desires to be an overseer, he needs to be able to be civil. He needs to let God have control, not be out of control.

THE PARENTAL REQUIREMENTS (1 Timothy 3:4-5)

Related to the husband of one wife requirement, the pastor must also be a competent parent. His children are not to be perfect, but they should be healthy – emotionally, spiritually, and relationally. One cannot build a healthy family when the husband and wife are living in separate families. This is the requirement that directly relates to the leadership in the church. Other people can go to a job, work 9-5, and then go home. What they do home has no bearing on their job performance. That is not so for the pastor. He must be willing to be judged outside of working hours. This leads us to the last two requirements.

THE PREPARATORY REQUIREMENTS (1 Timothy 3:6-7)

1. In the church (3:6)

2. In the community (3:7)

In both cases, an elder who is appointed too soon can fall under the Devil’s temptation. These two requirements have the danger of falling into the Devil’s trap. The pastor must be a man of the community and have favor with them. He must also have favor with people in the church. He must be compatible.