A key thing I want to point out here before diving into this message:
Not everyone is called to be teachers. We know that James 3:1 says “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.”
But just because you may not be called to these roles, or you yourself don’t think you are ever going to be a teacher, does not give you an “out” to tune out this message. That is not a reason we should not take this message any lighter than the others.
This message applies deeply to us as much as it does your leaders in the church. Because even if you may not be in these spots, you are 100% on the receiving end of those who are in these positions. How effective the people in these positions are, can dictate your walk with Christ. How our leaders look, have a reflection of how we act. And so a teacher or deacon that is unfit for these positions can unknowingly set your life off course if we aren’t careful. Which leads to our main point.
Overseers and deacons have a list of Godly characteristics that they are to measure up to if they are to effectively lead the church.
Paul starts the chapter with: “The saying is trustworthy” - meaning what he's about to say is the truth, and has no room for speculation.
He says, “The saying is trustworthy” If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.”
Beginning the study of the words of Jesus Christ our Lord is not an easy feat. To be vulnerable with you all, every time I get the opportunity to teach a text I am immediately nervous. It is a heavy call to break down a text to help people better understand it and pull application so we may be able to apply the doctrines of God.
In order for me, a Tipton County graduate, to break down a divine and alive book, inspired through men to write by an all-knowing, all-mighty, many-mysteries God, is an overwhelming task not to be taken lightly.
This is an honor that cannot be described by any means. This is the reason I had to learn a valuable lesson: I have to rely on His strength for everything.
I rely on Him to write my messages and relay His words through my voice.
I rely on His strength to get up every day and go to work heartily.
I rely on His strength to make me strong.
I rely on His strength to get me to take a step.
I rely on His strength to even take a breath.
And that's why Paul says that being an overseer is a noble task, he is showing that being a leader over anything that involves God’s people is NOT something you can just hop into and do effectively. Its not something that should be taken lightly. And most importantly, not something you can do on your own. Paul saying that to be an overseer desires a noble task, is a miniscule way to describe the measure of an overseer. But what is an overseer anyway?
Overseer/elder - A leader appointed to watch over and care for the church. They are someone that is teaching sound doctrine and shepherding over the flock of God. Its who we commonly call pastors of the church today. These 3 titles in todays church are very similar and used together to talk about the same position.
Acts 20:28 biblically describes this role. - “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.”
This sets a harsh goal for pastors. Think about how often we try to balance our own lives. An overseer has to balance their personal lives, their relationship with Christ, their families, their household, and now they also are to pick up the responsibility of caring for the entire congregation, teaching them in sound doctrine effectively. That alone is noble.
Verse 2 we get to see our favorite word, “Therefore”, what is it there for? This tells us we need to look back. And looking back, so far you have noticed that we have been building up this overseer role to be quite an important role for the church. So like anyone who is filling an important position, it has some weighty duties, which we see Paul dive into. Paul says that overseers “must” meaning that EVERYTHING he lists in these next few verses are not just recommendations for overseers, but requirements. These characteristics are something that an overseer of the church needs to have if he is going to lead a church effectively.
Above reproach (v2)
We’ve used this saying many times. It means they are to be without blame. Meaning that their life, their interactions, their work for the church. All these things should not disgrace Jesus. Or the church body as a whole. They are to live a righteous life that can be seen as righteous by others.
Being above reproach does not mean you are to be sinless, absolutely not. We know that no normal man can go without sinning here on Earth. But instead, above reproach means that because they are going to be looked upon greatly, because they are set to shepherd a congregation, their lives should be lived with high integrity. They live out what they teach. They have faith in God, they trust in the Holy Spirit’s guidance, so the result is they live out what God’s word says.
Hebrews 13:7 - “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.”
Pastors will be an influence over their congregation, so it's important that they live a life according to the scriptures so that the church imitates true faith.
The husband of one wife (v2)
This should be obvious for most, but he means no cheating. No pologamy (the practice of marrying multiple spouses). No adultery. They are to be faithful to one woman.
A man who can’t be faithful to one woman that he loves, is likely not to be faithful to God who he claims to love and follow.
Sober-minded and Self-controlled (v2)
Soberminded (nēphalios) = someone that is temperate. Abstaining from wine. Self controlled (sōphrōn) = of a sound mind, sane, in one's senses, temperate.
Both of these imply that they are in the right head space and have control over their thoughts and actions. Someone that is not sober, is most likely not controlling their thoughts and actions. They are to be able to think clearly and with clarity.
Respectable (v2)
The Greek definition means someone that is orderly, well-arranged. Someone that is modest, of good behaviour. Respectable means someone whose life is organized and his conduct earns the respect of others. A leader should have a respectable conduct that earns their respect in their position.
Hospitable (v2)
They are willing and are able to open up their home to both friends and strangers. There is scripture all over that implores hospitality. Romans 12:13 - “Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.”
1 Peter 4:9 - “Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.”
Hebrews 13:2 - “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”
Titus 1:8 - “For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable,-”
Hospitality is required of those who lead the people of God.
Able to teach (v2)
Being able to teach in the Greek means having the physical ability to teach God's word. But it also means they are to be knowledgeable in teaching the scriptures. Not saying they need to have gone through seminary or have the degree/plague that says “I can teach God’s word.” No, this is signifying the importance of being called to teach God. Again look at James 3:1 - Not everyone shall become teachers.
Not a drunkard (v3)
This isn’t talking about just the consumption of alcohol, this is talking about having an addiction to intoxicating drinks, or wine. Though it's not saying they can’t have these drinks, it’s saying that they should not strive to have an over abundance of. Look back at sober minded, you can’t be sober minded if you like to get tipsy or intoxicated.
Not violent but gentle, Not quarrelsome (v3)
This speaks of someone who is not given to violence, and instead relies on God to fight his cause. James 4 talks about the source of quarrels, fights, conflicts in the church stem from those who seek their personal passions and desires. A leader over the church can not be easily influenced by the world and his own desires. This shows that overseers should have inherent trust in God over themselves.
We can also reference the fruits of the spirit, as gentleness is one of them. We only obtain this from following the guidance of our indwelt Holy Spirit.
Not a lover of money (v3)
The pastor should not look for monetary gain from his position. We will see this talked about again later in this book about false teachers in 1 Timothy 6:10: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” We have seen this effect happen with some of the mega churches today. We have seen many pastors use their position of high authority over church to use the church resources ineffectively. They use it for selfish gain. This is something an overseer DEFINITELY can’t be, and is a clear sign of someone unfit to lead the church.
He must manage his own household well (v4-5)
You as an overseer are to be attentive to the flock, take care of God’s people. Yet your own home is in distress, full of chaos, and disorder. This is Paul’s call to priorities, to be a man of God and an overseer, he must follow strict guidelines in his priorities.
God
Wife
Children
Church
If any of these are obscured or out of place he cannot lead with all effectiveness. If he can not put God first, to lead his wife or his children, then he can not lead his church effectively.
Not be a recent convert (v6)
Paul here is talking towards the spiritually young christian, and why they should not be in this kind of important role. KJV translates “Recent convert” to “novice’, and like most positions, if a novice gets into a leadership role that doesn't have a full grasp on his position, they are not going to do their job effectively.
The result of a young convert taking an important position like this can result in them being “puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.”
“Puffed up in conceit” literally means they can become blinded by pride, wanting an authoritative position, striving for selfish glory, power, whatever it is. They chase it so badly that they fall right into the same prideful judgment as the devil. Wanting the power of God. And look where it ended up for him. The devil was only looking towards himself, for selfish gain. And in that same way, a prideful leader is not looking outwardly at their congregation, but instead looking inwardly. Looking for their own gain. It is much easier for someone new to the faith to fall into the sin of pride. They are more likely to fall or trip into things that more spiritually mature Christians have stumbled on and after many years, have overcome. That's why he calls for it to be someone of more maturity.
Well thought of by outsiders (v7)
Paul here is talking about a overseer’s reputation. If you have ever heard the saying: “Your reputation precedes you.” This is literally Paul saying that outsiders of the church should see the impact of God in their life. They should live out the Godly characteristics to his congregation, but to the “outsiders”. The ones who might need God the most.
It would be hypocritical for a teacher to say they walk in the spirit and do so for the congregation, but the people around him at his job, and his family doesn’t see that in the household. Or if they say not to go out and get drunk, and yet they are seen at the bar getting tipsy. If any or all of these are the case, like Paul says, they will “fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.”
Meaning that suddenly like a trap, they will lose their respect from the congregation, and bring shame to the body of Christ and his image. He will lead outsiders astray from the truth behind the word of God.
Precept Austin says it like this: “-unresolved sin can rob a person of the honor of being known for doing good. - Those who want to be known for walking with Christ must face and deal with anything that would disqualify them from receiving that honor.”
Now after going over all these characteristics: do you notice the common theme between all of them?
All these characteristics are of God. Meaning that without God in the picture, they will not be above reproach, they will not be able to teach effectively, they will easily fall into temptations.
This means that a pastor can’t be passive in their role, but instead, they need to be active. An overseer of the church must be constantly active in holding to these Godly characteristics. And because they are Godly characteristics, they are not something we can live up to on our own strength. They must constantly be relying on the indwelt Holy Spirit to provide them the strength to live up to these characteristics.
If they don’t do this, it not only affects themselves, their family, their household, but it also affects their entire congregation they have influence over:
Sin will often go unaddressed.
Doctrine will become neglected.
They will lose direction on where to guide the church.
The church as a whole will become less equipped.
They do not lead God’s people correctly, or effectively.
They become passive in their leadership role. This passive leadership produces poor perseverance.
And this passiveness isn’t just for pastors or overseers. It applies to deacons too. We see Paul now in the 2nd half of the chapter go into deacons, and how they are also set to a high standard of character.
I had to really sit down and think to myself, what is a deacon? I don’t know if it's just me but I know OF the deacon role, but not what they truly do.
Deacon = A servant who helps meet the needs of the church. The deacon position was developed originally to deal with the practical issues in the church. A ig you look throughout the bible, it does not not distinctly say what they are required to do but in short, they are to serve the church in what its needs are. But just because deacons handle physical tasks, their spiritual integrity is crucial as well.
This role that they are filling is distinctly different from a pastor position. They are not over a congregation the same way as an elder or pastor might be. That's why Paul separates deacons from pastors because a pastor can’t also fill the deacon's role at the same time. They tried this back in Acts 6: 1-6, and it did not go well. I recommend you read it but in short, if a pastor is to teach God’s word to the flock, meet all the needs of the church like finances, administration, classes, in today's time social media, whatever it may be. All these responsibilities ON TOP OF being a leader in their own home and over their family would be impossible to do effectively.
They would be stretched thinner than they already are. So there needs to be positions like deacons to delegate this duty to. But just because it's a delegated position, doesn’t make it any less important.
Paul says deacons “Likewise” (hōsautōs) meaning in like manner, or in the same way. This term likewise is Paul pointing to the fact that deacons are like overseers, called to a high standard. They may be different roles with different responsibilities, but the standards are still the same.
Notice again before we dive into the list, Paul again uses the word “must” signifying the requirement of these characteristics.
Dignified
Dignified meaning reverent, a man of dignity. Someone that shows respect. Not only to man, but to God. Someone that is looked at with high respect. Someone that is controlled, serious, and calm.
Not double-tongued
Double tongued refers to saying one thing and meaning another. Or saying something and doing the opposite. A deacon can not be hypocritical. They must be truthful. A leader should say what they mean and be someone you trust, not someone that's insincere or deceitful.
Not addicted to much wine
Like when we talked about self control and soberminded overseers, a deacon can not be addicted to anything, not a drunkard. Someone that is of sober mind. A deacon that is held in responsibility of meeting the needs of a church can’t make correct decisions if he is not of sober mind. They must master self control. (again fruit of the spirit)
Not greedy for dishonest gain.
This is said to deacons in this way because it's often that a deacon might handle church resources, with money being one of the biggest ones. So it's important that they do not have a love for money, or be someone that is greedy. The church resources are to be used to grow the church, not to elevate the deacons.
Hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience
The deacon must hold to the truth of the gospel with a pure heart. So although they are not the teachers over the congregation, they must fully understand, and hold to God's word as truth.
This shows that a deacon like a pastor, is not a role that anyone can just fill.
GotQuestions says: “The man who serves the church should be a believer who is mature, who has a firm grasp on the basic elements of the gospel, and whose life matches his profession of faith.”
The previous attributes are all the external things that come from the source that is this internal characteristic. Holding to the truth of the gospel in their heart.
Be tested and proved (v10)
Although deacons are not the shepherds of God’s Word over the congregation, they are the result of living out the taught word in action.
A deacon does not walk in and begin doing the large church responsibilities immediately without being held up to similar standards as the overseer. They are to be put to the test with small responsibilities, to see if they are dignified, trustworthy with what they say, not a lover of money, hold to the truth of the gospel, and blameless, above reproach.
The Wives of Deacons (v11-12)
This is one of those sections where context is important. Because scholars debate on verse 11 specifically on who Paul is actually talking to here. For example, listen to each of these translations: KJV - “Even so must their wives” NAB “Women, similarly, should be” CSB - “Wives, too, must be” NIV - “In the same way, their wives are to be-”
So is Paul talking to specifically the wives of deacons, or is Paul talking directly about women in any position of leadership? I can see both ways. But let's put scripture against scripture. Look at verse 12: “'Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well.” In the context of these verses, he is directing this towards the deacon husband having one wife. And we have learned that the man’s leadership in the home can be evaluated in part, by his wife’s conduct. So I am inclined to believe in Paul speaking to the wives of deacons' views.
But no matter what view you have, (i urge you to study this verse for yourself) The statement still is a calling to the women to be “dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things.”
As Christians, we understand that our character and conduct—whether in public or in private—cannot be separated. God sees every part of our lives and is concerned not only with what we do, but also with the attitudes of our hearts. The qualifications given for overseers and deacons reflect this truth, addressing both the public and private aspects of a person's life. Because of this, the standard for church leadership is intentionally high. A man's life should clearly demonstrate that Jesus Christ has transformed him from the inside out before he is entrusted with this ministry.
All of these attributes are what we as Christians are striving to achieve. That’s the sanctification process. We strive to be more like God everyday, we slip and fall, and we get back up again. But specifically for this text, overseers and deacons are looked upon highly amongst the church. They are influential to the church. They are influential to what the people of God will learn, understand, and imitate.
So these things that are standard of our sanctification process, become a noble task for those who seek for these positions.
I want to keep this in mind. The purpose of this text was not to scare people from being leaders. And no, it is not wrong for Christians to seek a position of leadership in the church.
The important thing we need to understand through this text is that this reveals to us what kind of responsibilities fall on those who God trusts to oversee the church.
An effective church leader understands James 3:1, where it says they are judged with greater strictness. An effective church leader understands that these positions are not something you can hop into and just begin to do correctly and effectively. An effective church leader understands that they are in a position of leading and handling the flock of God’s people. An effective church leader understands the noble task that is at hand. It takes someone that is of godly character to fill that role, so that we as the followers can pursue the same characteristics they live out.
David Guzik says "Going to seminary doesn’t make one qualified for spiritual leadership. Being a good talker doesn’t make one qualified for spiritual leadership. Natural or spiritual gifts in themselves do not qualify one for spiritual leadership. What one gives in money or volunteer time does not qualify them for spiritual leadership. What qualifies a man for spiritual leadership is godly character – and godly character established according to these clear criteria."
Our church leaders’ characteristics should be measured up to God’s characteristics for church leaders.
Make sure that our leaders match the characteristics of God.
Pursue the same godly character in your own life, whether or not you serve as a church leader.
Do our pastors and deacons we trust, measure up to the noble task?