Elders: Who Are They?

Summary Statement: “Elders are men of integrity who desire to pastor and teach the church.”

1. Elders are Men (1 Tim. 2:12-13)

1 Timothy 2:12–13 NASB95

But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve.

“I do not allow”

Some say this phrase means that it is Paul who does not allow women to teach and have authority over men, not God. They say this command here is simply Paul’s opinion and therefore we don’t have to abide by it.

This, however, flies in the face of the nature of Scripture. The ultimate author of Scripture is God. If there is a command in Scripture, then we are to follow it no matter what human wrote it down.

Also, and very significantly, when we take a closer look at the text, Paul is saying the very opposite:

In verse 7 of the same chapter, Paul says, “For this reason I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying) as a teacher of the Gentile in faith and truth.” Then, in the following verses (8-12) he gives commands to the church. The point is that Paul is saying that he has apostolic authority. What kind of authority is apostolic authority? It is authority that was given to Paul directly from Christ Himself to teach the faith and practices of the church. As such, Paul’s commands here are not just his opinion, they are commands given to him by Christ to teach to the church.

Therefore, when Paul says, “I do not allow,” he is saying, “Upon the basis of the authority given to me by the Lord Jesus Christ, I am commanding you that a woman is not allowed to teach or have authority over a man.”

What is not allowed?

“A woman to teach or exercise authority over a man”

Two things are prohibited: teaching and having authority

(1) Who fulfills the role of teaching and having authority in the local church? Elders. Last week we saw that in Eph 4:11-16 with Paul’s reference to the office of “pastors-teachers.” Women, therefore, are being prohibited from fulfilling the role of elder/pastor.

(2) This also makes sense in light of the context here in 1 Tim. The very next subject Paul discusses is eldership in chapter 3.

(3) Also, prior to this prohibition of women teaching and having authority, Paul lays out what men ought to be doing in the church.

(4) Finally, he ends this topic in 1 Timothy 3:14–15 “I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.”

“Remain quiet”

This phrase stands in contrast to “teach or exercise authority over a man.” The idea is to receive instruction without being disruptive and submit to the leadership of the church.

It cannot mean absolute silence because we know that women prophesied, taught, and prayed in the Corinthian church and elsewhere.

The point: the leadership of the local church is limited to men.

Why?

1 Timothy 2:13 “For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve.”

1 Timothy 2:14 “And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.”

2. Elders Desire to be Elders (1 Tim. 3:1)

1 Timothy 3:1 NASB95

It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do.

“aspire” - to strive for, reach one’s hand out for

First of all, a man must have a desire and passion to be an elder.

Having a desire and passion for such a leadership position is often an indicator that the Holy Spirit has gifted a person to be an elder.

A couple things follow from this:

Such a man should be identified and encouraged to serve in such a role.

As a result, it is not enough for the elders simply to be teachers; they also must be purposefully equipping the next generation of elders to minister alongside them or to plant new churches in the community.

Benjamin L. Merkle

The desire and passion to serve as an elder should not be:

Out of obligation

Leadership in the Christian church should not be a matter of obligation or oughtness but of a willing desire. It should likewise not be from a goal of achieving personal gain but from a sense of calling to serve others.

Gerald L. Borchert (in commentary on John)

To want power

Elders are not to enter the ministry so they can boss others around but so they can exemplify the character of Christ to those under their charge.

Thomas Schreiner

You do not lead by hitting people over the head— that’s assault, not leadership.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

To fill a vacant spot

3. Elders are Above Reproach (1 Tim. 3:2-7)

1 Timothy 3:2–7 NASB95

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.

“Above reproach” - derived from the idea of a boxer who guards himself so well with his fists that his adversary can not seriously hurt him. An elder will be, then, one who:

Is not subject to serious criticism that would undermine his authority

Is respected by others because of the life he lives

Has reached a level of spiritual maturity that the congregation respects him as a spiritual leader

In His Family Life

Husband of One Wife -

The main point here is that an elder ought to be a man who has a record of being faithful to his wife. In this case, the overseer (elder) is required to live an exemplary married life. This would rule out polygamy, a track record of divorces, homosexuality, transgenderism, and any form of sexual perversion.

This also means that those who had been divorced and remarried before becoming a Christian would not necessarily be disqualified.

What about those who have been divorced for a biblical reason (Matt. 19)? They would not necessarily be disqualified, but we must keep in mind that the idea is that the man has lived an exemplary married life.

What about widowers? Such men would not be disqualified as long as they were known as being faithful to their wives when they were alive.

What about a man who is not even married? Not necessarily disqualified:

1 Corinthians 7:8 “But I say to the unmarried and to widows that it is good for them if they remain even as I.”

A Good Manager of His Home -

1 Timothy 3:4–5 (NASB95)

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?),

Children become important proof of his spiritual leadership.

John F. MacArthur

Not only above reproach in family life, but must also be above reproach in his character:

In His Character

Temperate, Prudent, Respectable, Hospitable (1 Tim. 3:2)

Temperate: Here the word is used with the idea of having balance in one’s life in all things—a balanced approach to food and drink, physical pleasure, work, sleep.

Prudent: “self-controlled” (NIV) - “Sober-minded” (NKJV) - Idea is that a man “curbs one’s passions”

Respectable: a man who has a well-ordered life

Hospitable: The word literally means a “love of strangers.” Idea is to be generous to guests.

Finally, above reproach in his actions:

In His Actions

Not addicted to Wine, Pugnacious, Lover of Money

Not addicted to wine: alcoholic, given to drunkenness

Pugnacious: “violent” (NIV): quarrelsome, “ready with a blow.”

Lover of Money: Does not let desire for money influence his actions or priorities. Has an attitude of contentment. Not unethical in the way he obtains money.

We should note something very significant that Paul says about elders being above reproach:

Inside and Outside the Church

1 Timothy 3:7 “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.”

The office of elder is not just a “church office,” but a public one in a sense. An elder is to be respected not only in the church but outside. The world watches the leadership of churches, and the one thing that the world would love to do is point out their faults (esp. hypocrisy).

This “snare” is the devil’s oldest trick in the book to discredit the Lord and His church. How many times have we seen news reports of pastors and leaders in the church discredited due to embezzlement or an affair?

4. Elders are Grounded in the Faith (1 Tim. 3:2, 6)

1 Timothy 3:2, 6 “An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach. . . . and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil.”

Able to Teach

This does not mean he must always be teaching or serving as a teacher. It means that he is capable of teaching the truths of the faith.

Further elaborated in Titus:

Titus 1:9–11 “. . . holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict. For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain.”

“holding fast” - endure, stand one’s ground

The Greek New Testament, Fourth Revised Edition (with Morphology) (Chapter 1)

ἀντεχόμενον τοῦ κατὰ τὴν διδαχὴν πιστοῦ λόγου

Why? SO THAT he may:

“exhort” in sound doctrine

“refute” those who contradict - “expose, cross-examine, question, prove”

Not a New Convert

1 Timothy 3:6 “. . . and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil.”

“New convert” - lit. “newly planted” (νεόφυτον), where we get our word “neophyte.”

Main danger with an elder being a new convert would be conceit, or pride. This is what the false teachers were (6:4): filled with pride. Such people will fall under the same judgment as the devil. The judgment given to the devil for his pride will be given to those elders who may be prideful. So, humility is also a necessary quality for an elder.

Why Is This Important? (Application)

The Church will follow the leadership (as the pastors/elders are, so the church is)

Howard Hendricks observes, “The greatest crisis in the world today is a crisis of leadership, and the greatest crisis of leadership is a crisis of character.”

Aubrey M. Malphurs

If there is an elder who is not temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable but is given to fits of anger, critical spirit, and treating his family poorly, church members have a higher probability of being the same.

Illustration: This has even been shown to be the in scientific studies:

In 2010, the University of GA published a study that indicates that self-control (or lack thereof) can be contagious. From the article:

“Researchers have found that watching or even thinking about someone with good self-control makes others more likely exert self-control. The researchers found that the opposite holds, too, so that people with bad self-control influence others negatively. The effect is so powerful, in fact, that seeing the name of someone with good or bad self-control flashing on a screen for just 10 milliseconds changed the behavior of volunteers.

“The take home message of this study is that picking social influences that are positive can improve your self-control,” said lead author Michelle vanDellen, a visiting assistant professor in the UGA department of psychology. “And by exhibiting self-control, you’re helping others around you do the same.”

[Sam Fahmy, “Self-control is Contagious, Study Finds,” UGA Today 1/13/2010; accessed 11/8/2024; https://news.uga.edu/self-control-is-contagious-study-finds/]

Just as Pastors/Elders Use Their Gifts and have a Passion to Serve, So should We.

Although this passage is about who elders are to be, all of us ought to be using our gifts and serving (talked about this last week).

You do not get paid to use your gifts and to serve one another. You serve in the church because you love the Lord and love one another.

In our American society, we want to be paid for everything we do. We think we ought to be paid or get something in return for everything we do for someone else.

If it is not money or some kind of material gain, our society expects recognition.

But this is Americanism; that is worldly thinking. This is not McDonald’s or Burger King, where you get to have it your way. The church is not about consumerism, taking, taking, and taking, or wanting something in return for your service.

We are to love God and others without strings attached. We are to lay down our lives for others. This is agape love.

Moreover, when we serve and minister in the church, we are doing merely what we have been called to do. No special accolades are required.

Luke 17:7–10 (NASB95)

“Which of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come immediately and sit down to eat’? “But will he not say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat, and properly clothe yourself and serve me while I eat and drink; and afterward you may eat and drink’? “He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he? “So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’ ”

The point that Jesus is making here is that ministering and serving him calls for an attitude of humility and unworthiness of recognition for merely fulfilling one’s duty to serve and minister.

Serving and ministering in the church is not about what we get out of it; it is about others.

Do you remember what Jesus taught concerning prayer and tithing? If you give, do it in secret—do not let the left hand know what the right hand is doing.

Matthew 6:2 “So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.”

If you pray, go into your closet. Matthew 6:5 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.”

Just as Pastors/Elders are to be Above Reproach, so should We.

We need to be striving to be Christians of integrity in our family life, character, and actions.

Again, we do not do this because we are going to be saved by doing these things. We do them because we are saved, to be like Christ, to love others, and to draw others to Jesus.

Matthew 5:16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Just as Pastors/Elders are to be grounded In the Faith, So should We.

How many hours do we spend per week in reading and studying God’s Word? In prayer? In meditation?

Unfortunately, the question would probably be more accurate if we asked, “How many minutes per week . . . ?”

The Leadership of the church (pastors/elders) have set off specific times to equip all of us for the work of service (as Paul says in Eph). We have Bible studies, small groups that meet in homes, Sunday school, etc. Do we take advantage of these times of equipping?

About 15% of our church shows up for Wed evening Bible study (85% do not show up).

About 25% attend Sunday school (that’s 75% who do not).

There is a philosophy of ministry that says if such low percentages turn out for Bible study, etc., then they ought to be eliminated. In fact, this is why many churches (esp megachurches) no longer have SS or Wed Bible studies. Do you remember the Sunday evening services? Well, this is why those were eliminated as well. The typical megachurch has merely Sunday service.

Is this the kind of church we want to be? Such a church will not be grounded in the faith. Such a church does not equip Christians for work of service.

Certainly, there are legitimate reasons why sometimes we cannot take advantage of the set aside times to be equipped in our faith. But we also have to be honestly with ourselves: are we really making Christ and his church a priority?