Paul on Character
February 17, 2012
As we move into 1 Tim. 3, I have drawn verse 2.
Paul launches his list of qualifications for an overseer with a series of practical characteristics. At key points in 1 Timothy, Paul is concerned at the connection between true belief (under attack from false teachers) and correct behaviour. For Paul, the connection between the two is clear and tight; and overseers and elders are to be examples of precisely this.
The characteristics in verse 2 do not indicate that the overseer must be sinlessly perfect; but they do require a level of public respectability. He must be above reproach and respectable: in other words, he must live in a way that nobody can point their finger at some obviously egregious aspect of his life.
He must also be a man of moderation. Paul does not see moderation here as something relating to his beliefs. To be sober minded and self-controlled speaks of the man's demeanour. He should not be a bully, a thug, one who screams and shouts down the opposition, who adopts violent measures on the spur of the moment to impose his will. He must be someone who thinks carefully and intelligently before he acts.
This is one more reason why Paul typically assumes overseers and elders will be older people. The knowledge of which hills one must die on, which battles need not be fought, and that sometimes it takes a long time to move a congregation to where they should be, if one is to do it without hurting people - this knowledge is something that comes with age. I cringe every time I remember things I have done in the past and give thanks that God kept me out of the ministry until I was past the age of forty and had grown up a little bit. Put some thirty-something punk in a pulpit and guess what? He'll be playing ACDC during the worship service, using explicit language in his stand-up routine, dressing like a superannuated teenager, screaming down his critics as `haters' and refusing to visit the sick in hospital until they are in body bags. But hey, those things would surely never happen......
He must also be the husband of one wife. Paul is not saying that only married men can be office bearers in the church. Whether he is reacting against some polygamous Jewish sect, promiscuity in the wider context, the tendency of fallen men to have wandering eyes, or some combination of these, the basic message is clear: the overseer is to have his sexual ethics and behaviour determined by biblical teaching, not by anything else.
It is doubtful that churches face the issue of polygamy much these days. More significant might be the issue of divorce, which is why it is very useful for churches and denominations to have carefully reflected upon this issue. A still more pressing contemporary application of this might be the use of internet pornography. One is not disqualified from ministry by the occasional lingering glance at an attractive woman, if such is confessed to God and repented of; but an established, regular, long-term pornography habit is a different matter. The one who is comfortable with such simply does not meet Paul's criterion; the problem must be dealt with before he can hold office.
My guess is that this is probably the number one problem among candidates for the ministry. I also suspect that the way in which a biblical understanding of grace is being changed by some into a functional antinomianism is also exacerbating rather than healing the problem. Even Luther, the great hero of grace, had an ethic and understood the imperative of the Christian life , as his preface to his catechisms (not to mention his Old Testament exegesis) makes very clear. But we do not need Luther as the authority. Paul talks in 1 Tim. 4 about training in godliness - training which is intentional, constant and designed to equip us for this life and the life to come. A Christian life which knows no constant struggle is not a biblical Christian life; and the pornography user who does not struggle with that behaviour is not fit to be a minister.
Finally, the overseer must be able to teach and hospitable. Hospitality: there is nothing I remember more fondly from my time as student than kind people at my church giving me a Sunday lunch on occasion or inviting me round for a glass of wine every now and then. Like Fezziwig's ball, such things cost just a few pounds; but they can be more dramatic in shaping one's view of the church and of Christianity than many a sermon. Not that the ministry of the word is not the most important thing; it is. But hospitality is powerful too. That is why church leaders need to engage in it: it shows the love of Christ; and it burns good memories into the minds of those who receive it.
As a postscript, I raised the issue of leadership and character in a seminar yesterday, asking the students how it could be addressed at a presbytery level. A couple of students told me that their presbytery now requires references from a candidate's neighbour before proceeding to licensure. I was struck at what a great way of addressing some of these issues that might be.
Paul launches his list of qualifications for an overseer with a series of practical characteristics. At key points in 1 Timothy, Paul is concerned at the connection between true belief (under attack from false teachers) and correct behaviour. For Paul, the connection between the two is clear and tight; and overseers and elders are to be examples of precisely this.
The characteristics in verse 2 do not indicate that the overseer must be sinlessly perfect; but they do require a level of public respectability. He must be above reproach and respectable: in other words, he must live in a way that nobody can point their finger at some obviously egregious aspect of his life.
He must also be a man of moderation. Paul does not see moderation here as something relating to his beliefs. To be sober minded and self-controlled speaks of the man's demeanour. He should not be a bully, a thug, one who screams and shouts down the opposition, who adopts violent measures on the spur of the moment to impose his will. He must be someone who thinks carefully and intelligently before he acts.
This is one more reason why Paul typically assumes overseers and elders will be older people. The knowledge of which hills one must die on, which battles need not be fought, and that sometimes it takes a long time to move a congregation to where they should be, if one is to do it without hurting people - this knowledge is something that comes with age. I cringe every time I remember things I have done in the past and give thanks that God kept me out of the ministry until I was past the age of forty and had grown up a little bit. Put some thirty-something punk in a pulpit and guess what? He'll be playing ACDC during the worship service, using explicit language in his stand-up routine, dressing like a superannuated teenager, screaming down his critics as `haters' and refusing to visit the sick in hospital until they are in body bags. But hey, those things would surely never happen......
He must also be the husband of one wife. Paul is not saying that only married men can be office bearers in the church. Whether he is reacting against some polygamous Jewish sect, promiscuity in the wider context, the tendency of fallen men to have wandering eyes, or some combination of these, the basic message is clear: the overseer is to have his sexual ethics and behaviour determined by biblical teaching, not by anything else.
It is doubtful that churches face the issue of polygamy much these days. More significant might be the issue of divorce, which is why it is very useful for churches and denominations to have carefully reflected upon this issue. A still more pressing contemporary application of this might be the use of internet pornography. One is not disqualified from ministry by the occasional lingering glance at an attractive woman, if such is confessed to God and repented of; but an established, regular, long-term pornography habit is a different matter. The one who is comfortable with such simply does not meet Paul's criterion; the problem must be dealt with before he can hold office.
My guess is that this is probably the number one problem among candidates for the ministry. I also suspect that the way in which a biblical understanding of grace is being changed by some into a functional antinomianism is also exacerbating rather than healing the problem. Even Luther, the great hero of grace, had an ethic and understood the imperative of the Christian life , as his preface to his catechisms (not to mention his Old Testament exegesis) makes very clear. But we do not need Luther as the authority. Paul talks in 1 Tim. 4 about training in godliness - training which is intentional, constant and designed to equip us for this life and the life to come. A Christian life which knows no constant struggle is not a biblical Christian life; and the pornography user who does not struggle with that behaviour is not fit to be a minister.
Finally, the overseer must be able to teach and hospitable. Hospitality: there is nothing I remember more fondly from my time as student than kind people at my church giving me a Sunday lunch on occasion or inviting me round for a glass of wine every now and then. Like Fezziwig's ball, such things cost just a few pounds; but they can be more dramatic in shaping one's view of the church and of Christianity than many a sermon. Not that the ministry of the word is not the most important thing; it is. But hospitality is powerful too. That is why church leaders need to engage in it: it shows the love of Christ; and it burns good memories into the minds of those who receive it.
As a postscript, I raised the issue of leadership and character in a seminar yesterday, asking the students how it could be addressed at a presbytery level. A couple of students told me that their presbytery now requires references from a candidate's neighbour before proceeding to licensure. I was struck at what a great way of addressing some of these issues that might be.
