Qualifications - Pt. 1

1 Timothy 3:1-2a

The overseer/bishop/pastor must show himself committed to both Christians and non-Christians alike: committed to the Lord and to his people. It is a noble calling to be chosen to watch over the spiritual welfare of a church. It is a calling that requires the highest personal and moral qualifications.

Paul said that he must be blameless. Now this is a good place to make this point: the qualifications are high but they are not unattainable; the call is to be blameless, but blames does not mean perfect. “All have sinned,” Paul said in Roman 3:23. Even he was forced to admit that he struggled with doing things he should not do. Please do not hold your pastor to the qualification of sinless perfection because only Jesus has accomplished that level.

So what does it mean to be blameless? Other translations say “above reproach.” The word Paul used means “chargeable with no misconduct.” In itself, the word has to do with personal integrity. In our day, many pastors are giving up because of the pressure they feel to be perfect. Much of that pressure comes from our own minds, but there is a great deal of expectation coming from church members. We need to get back to the biblical basis for expectations which means that the pastor must live a life that is beyond legitimate accusation and public scandal. He must be a person of integrity, and, yes, Paul emphasized that this is a “must.” Living this kind of life is absolutely necessary for the pastor to be effective in ministry.

Having said all of that, what does it mean to be blameless? I think that is what Paul described for us in the rest of these verses. Over the next several days, we will look at his description:

·         Husband of one wife – would you believe me if I told you that there are five basic interpretations of this four-word qualification? That’s true. Count them: 1) faithful to his one wife; 2) married to one wife at a time; 3) married once and never remarried; 4) never divorced; 5) must not be single.

Can you say, “Wow?” Let me shock you just a little bit. I don’t think that Paul was dealing specifically with marital status. I believe he was dealing with moral and sexual purity. We have seen it too many times, so we know that this is the area where Christian leaders are prone to fail. From big-named preachers to pastors of small local churches, most of us know the names of men who did not remain above reproach because they gave in to sexual temptation. So let me give you my take on this qualification. Simply put, the pastor must be a one-woman man, totally devoted to his wife, maintaining that singular affection and sexual purity in both thought and deed. You see, he must be an example to the world, so he must model what marital fidelity is all about. Even in the most difficult of times, he must persevere.