1
TIMOTHY 3:1-3
QUALIFICATIONS
OF A BISHOP
PART
ONE
1
Timothy 3:1 This is a true saying, if a man5100 desire the office of
a bishop1984, he desireth a good work.
Susie: Since
I come from the point of view that a head pastor, the leader of a congregation,
should be a man, I was the one who suggested we look up the word used for “man”
in verse one.
The
New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible:
5100 –
tis – some or any person or object
Susie: I have
to admit I was surprised to find that the word Paul chose by the power of the
Holy Spirit did not necessarily have to mean a male person.
Susan: Culturally,
people would assume the leader of a church would be a man due to the general
status of women in their society. But this verse does not stipulate that only
males could be bishops/overseers of the church.
Susie: The
Jews were a patriarchal nation in which women had very few rights.
Susan: Men
and women were both created in the image of God, were to be equals and to
complement one another. However, after the Fall, part of the sentence God
pronounced over the woman was that her husband would “rule over her.”
Genesis
3:16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy
conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be
to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
Susan: However,
in Christ that equality is restored:
Galatians
3:28 (VOICE) It makes no difference whether you are a Jew or a Greek, a slave
or a freeman, a man or a woman, because in Jesus the Anointed, the Liberating
King, you are all one.
Susie: Whether
the one who leads the congregation is a man or a woman, he or she must meet the
stipulations of this passage with the key requirement being that the person be
blameless. But before we get into those, let’s take a look at the words
“desire” and “desireth.” John MacArthur’s note in the MacArthur Study Bible pointed out that the first word used for
desire was an outward action while the second was an inward motivation. His
entire (lengthy) note is worth your while to read, and can be found at www.biblegateway.com by
looking up this passage, clicking on “Study This” and choosing “MacArthur Study
Bible (NKJV).”
Susan: The
Holy Spirit plants the God-given desire to pastor inside a person. Then he or
she passionately pursues and reaches for this goal of becoming a pastor.
Susie: Bishop,
Overseer, and Pastor are all used interchangeably in the New Testament to
describe the same office, the same role in the local church.
1
Timothy 3:2 A bishop1985 then must be blameless, the husband of one
wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
Susie: I have
put in superscript the Strong’s numbers
for the words used for bishop in case you wish to look those up.
Susan: Blameless
means the person could not be found guilty in a court of law.
Susie: Their
lives were to be lived in such a manner that no evidence of impropriety could
be found against them. All that follows is Paul describing what “blameless”
looks like. Here we open our first can of worms—the husband of one wife. I looked up the words husband and wife.
Husband means the male partner and wife means the female partner. HOWEVER, I
concede that male leadership would be assumed due to the culture of Paul’s day.
Susan: The
main point Paul is driving home is that the person be of pure character,
morally and sexually.
Susie: Paul
is not stressing a certain marital status but a life of faithfulness and
purity. This does not say a man must be married to serve. Paul himself was
single.
1
Corinthians 7:8 I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, it is good for
them if they abide even as I.
Susan: Paul
is not excluding one who has been widowed and is now remarried. Paul promoted
remarriage of those whose spouse had died.
1
Corinthians 7:39 The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth;
but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will;
only in the Lord.
Susan: The
leader, of course, would be required to marry only a believer, a Christian.
Susie: I had
always been led to believe that this disqualified a divorced person from
serving as a bishop or even as a deacon. However, as MacArthur pointed out,
this was more about a morally pure lifestyle. The Bible does allow for
remarriage after divorce in certain cases, such as divorce due to
unfaithfulness:
Matthew
19:9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for
fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso
marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery. (emphasis added)
Susie: Another
instance is if an unbelieving spouse leaves/divorces a believer. Then the
believer is freed from that marriage:
1
Corinthians 7:15 But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a
sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.
Susie: However,
before a divorced candidate for the pastorate is considered, enough time and
healing should have transpired to ensure that the person is continuing to live
a life of sexual purity and if married again, faithful commitment to one
spouse.
Susie: The
question remains, does the requirement “husband of one wife” mean that a woman
cannot be a pastor? At face value, the words themselves seem to indicate a male
in the leadership role. I believe this statement, coupled with the fact that
God placed Jesus over the husband and the husband over the wife, would
indicated male leadership. However, Susan and I differ here (which is okay, by
the way).
Ephesians
5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the
church: and he is the saviour of the body.
Susan: Aquila
and Priscilla were a sanctioned discipleship team for Apollos. Paul discipled
this husband and wife and approved of their discipling others.
Acts
18:26 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and
Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of
God more perfectly.
Susan: Paul
often placed Priscilla’s name before that of her husband which was not the norm
in their culture which was a patriarchal society. This indicated respect for
her and the equality of Priscilla and Aquila as church leaders.
Romans
16:3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus:
Susan: Remember
that the Holy Spirit was writing these words through the Apostle Paul which
means there must be a specific reason for listing Priscilla first. It could be
that she was the one most comfortable sharing her faith and the gospel message.
Susie: I
agree that this shows a woman was active in discipling a specific man and was
active alongside her husband ministering in a church. However, I would still
note that she is not called a pastor, bishop, or overseer.
Susan: In the
last days, the proclamation of the Gospel message will require everyone’s voice, male and female, young
and old. After the Holy Spirit came upon the 120 believers in the upper room at
Pentecost, Peter preached and quoted the prophet Joel (Joel 2:28-32).
Acts
2:16-18 16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall
come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all
flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men
shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and
on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall
prophesy . . .
Susan: A good
article presenting women as leaders during the New Testament period can be
found at:
Susie: Moving
on to the other characteristics necessary for a biblical leader of the church.
A vigilant person is alert . . .
Susan: . . .
observant, one who pays attention to small details.
Susie: I
would even say the person is not easily deceived by Satan:
1
Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring
lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour . . .
Susan: He or
she must be discerning.
Susie: Sober
or sober-minded and of good behavior would indicated a disciplined person who
leads an orderly life and is capable of keeping order in the congregation. A
person who takes his role seriously.
Susan: A
person who leads a sober-minded life characterized by good behavior would be
one whom the congregation could safely model themselves after, as he or she
follows Jesus.
Susie: The
pastor should be given to hospitality as an example to other believers to do
likewise. The word indicates that he is a “lover of strangers.” Paul listed
hospitality as a trait of a believer in his letter to the Romans as well.
Romans
12:13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.
Susie: Opening
one’s home to people allows them to see the person’s true character in action.
Susan: People
are most themselves in their own homes.
Susie: The
pastor or overseer of a congregation must be able to teach, to present the word
of God in a way that helps others to understand and apply it in their lives.
Susan: The
person for this leadership position must be gifted to teach by the Holy Spirit,
to lay the scripture out line upon line. He or she must be able to communicate
in such a way that the congregation is eager to apply these biblical truths to
their lives in order to be a difference in the world.
1
Timothy 3:3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but
patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
Susie: This
does not say that the pastor can never drink a glass of wine. Paul himself
later suggests to Timothy that he take a little wine for his health (1 Timothy
5:23). However, the leader of the church cannot be addicted to wine or
characterized as a habitual “drinker.”
Susan: Alcohol
should be indulged in sparingly if at all.
Susie: In
order to lead a church well, the pastor must have a cool head. He cannot be one
who jumps to the point of fighting when there is a disagreement. He should be
able to settle things without coming to blows.
Susan: The
pastor of a church should definitely not be verbally or physically abusive to
nuclear family members or his/her church members.
Susie: He
should be gentle and patient, forgiving easily and not holding grudges.
Ephesians
4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even
as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Susan: The
pastor’s favorite function should be that of shepherd, nurturing and guiding
his/her flock as a parent guides their children. He should also promote unity
and harmony rather than being a rabble rouser.
Susie: The
pastor should not be greedy or covetous to the point of sacrificing integrity
for monetary gain. Pastors should be provided for by their congregations but
should not be “in it for the money.”
Matthew
10:10 Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet
staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.
QUESTIONS
1.
Does
the word “man” in verse one necessarily refer to a “male?”
2.
What
does it mean to be blameless?
3.
Must a
pastor be married?
4.
Was
Priscilla a pastor in the sense of being the head of a local body of believers?
Support your answer with scripture.
5.
What
do the words “sober-minded” and “vigilant” mean in the context of a pastor’s
character?
6.
Is a
pastor completely forbidden to drink alcoholic beverages?
7.
Look up
these key women in the New Testament and list their roles in the early church:
a.
Anna –
Luke 2
b.
Mary
Magdalene
c.
Chloe
– 1 Corinthians 1
d.
Lydia
– Acts 16
e.
Priscilla
– Acts 18
f. Phoebe – Romans 16
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