You Are Not the One to Build, Part 6A: Persons given to the Church and formal “offices.”

Addresses the subject of the roles of the people said in Ephesians 4 to be "given" to the Church by Christ and the qualifications and roles of church officers mentioned in the New Testament--overseers, officially recognized elders, and church servants (deacons). Also discusses the role of elders--older people in the church--even when not formally recognized as leaders, with application to me, the author of this presentation.

This is a printed script to accompany a YouTube video with the same title. Here is the link to that video:

https://youtu.be/tfBahkwhuSM

Title Slide: 

You are not the one to build, Part 6A: Persons given to the Church and persons performing functions not described as “Callings” or “Gifts.”

Slide 2:

PERSONAL DISCLAIMER—AUTISM AND LITERALISM

1.  Formal Diagnosis—Asperger’s Syndrome (2001) as an adult

2.  One thing this means is I didn’t develop certain hard-wired social behaviors the same way most children do when I was 2 or 3 years old.

3.  Two of these behaviors that aren’t “normal” in my case are the innate knowledge of when other people do not intend me to understand statements literally, and the innate knowledge of when society itself demands that statements not be understood literally (even though those who made them intended them literally).  Excessive literalism is very common among autistics.

4.  I have developed an appreciation of simile, metaphor, symbolism, exaggeration, meaning in fiction, and purposeful dissimulation as intellectual abilities, but they are not as hard-wired as they are in most people.

5.  Therefore, I tend to take statements—including those in Scripture—literally, unless convinced that they should not be.  And I tend to see literal meanings even in places where most people have been thoroughly socialized to ignore them.  Literalism is both a blessing and a burden!

You may already have noticed this.

If not, you will begin to see it clearly in this part, as I point out what certain passages that churches have historically “narrowed” to a single application on a single issue, actually, literally say.  I will ask the question why much of the literal meaning of these passages is ignored–and why, if we must insist on literal application of one part, we should fail to even notice other parts with which we no longer wish to comply. 

SLIDE 3:

Now, a bit of autism-driven hermeneutics!

1 Corinthians 11:13-15 (NASB).

As a kind of trivial example, when I was growing up, in the 1960s, American church culture insisted on a literal application of 1 Corinthians 11:14—men should not have long hair!  They tended to ignore the rest of this particular context—except for the parallel insistence that women wear hats in church.  Real men wore military butches, or, at most, short, conservative haircuts.  Even nature itself teaches it is shameful for a man to have long hair, doesn’t it?  Paul said it did—and it did, in Hellenistic society in his day.  But social perceptions of what “nature teaches” about hair styles and head coverings differ from time to time and from place to place. (In Paul’s day, women wore veils, not decorative hats). Over the last 50 years, even most conservative American churches have largely abandoned their insistence on the male “butch” and on women’s hats (thank God!).  And, even more to the point of my ability to see very literal applications others don’t see, verse 13, in the same context of hair and head coverings, appears quite clearly to prohibit women from praying in the shower (unless they are wearing a shower cap)!  Sorry, Ladies!

Slide 4:

Matthew 17:24-27 (CEV).

This is another fairly trivial example of my ability to form incorrect, hyper-literal interpretations others wouldn’t see at all—and, therefore, to detect when others are unknowingly doing the same thing.  When he was told that Peter had agreed to pay the temple tax, Jesus told Peter to go fishing!  Read very literally, this can be seen as an instruction to us to do exactly the same thing—that is, go fishing on tax day every year, expecting to find the means to pay our taxes in the mouth of a fish! But the details of Jesus’ instructions to Peter were for Peter on that one occasion alone, and I think everyone reading the passage recognizes this. Most people, myself excepted, would not even see the absurd literal application of Jesus words. The words, though God’s words, were not of universal, eternal application.   But there are preachers I’ve heard who generalize these words to just a little bit less than the absurd (“always go fishing on tax day”) and come very close to saying that we don’t need to plan to pay our taxes, because God will always provide them miraculously when they are due.  And there are even more teachers who have improperly generalized Jesus’ earlier words “then their own people don’t have to pay,” as teaching that Christians don’t have to pay taxes, or can withhold taxes that support things they don’t support.  That’s a very good way to get in a lot of trouble.  Paul told us to pay the taxes we owe, Romans 13:6-7. The point of Jesus’ exchange with Peter really was that we voluntarily subject ourselves to our rulers for a different reason than other people do—not because we fear our rulers’ power, but because we don’t want to make trouble for them.  We are free, but we use our freedom to serve. As Paul wrote, those in government are God’s agents serving him for our good. We should not hinder them.

Slide 5:

Back to the main topic:

This part will be presented in two sections:

1) God’s Gifts to the Church (based on Ephesians 4:1-13, the whole context of Ephesians 4:11).

2)  Necessary functions that are not expressly described as callings or gifts.

I had originally contemplated a third section for the present part, one dealing with the contentious question of gender in the service of Christ.  But, because I’m male, this issue, though connected to the questions in this part, is not necessary to my primary purpose of working out my own calling.   And I quickly concluded that the topic will take a rather long separate presentation to deal with properly.  The language and hermeneutic treatment of the passages involved is dreadfully complex, and the social implications evoke reactions that are nothing short of murderous, no matter what conclusion I reach.  I say “murderous” advisedly, as I am aware that, on 6 July 1415, Jan Hus went to the stake, thus ushering in the age of the Reformation, in part for the alleged heresy of teaching that women who believe are members of the body of Christ and should be allowed to preach. The partisanship and the emotional intensity of the issue hasn’t changed much in the last 600 years.  So I will come back to the gender issue in Part 10 of this presentation, God willing, but not speak to it at all in this part.

Slide 6:

Ephesians 4:11 in context:  God’s gift to the Church.

Slide 7:

“Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,  with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,  being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  There is one body and one Spirit, just as you also were called in one hope of your calling;  one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.” Ephesians 4:1-6 (NASB).

The overall context of Ephesians 4:11 isn’t at all about the exalted position of certain gifted people God has given to the church.  It’s about all of us who believe living worthily, consistently with God’s call for us. This is, in fact, the theme of the whole passage.  We have been called into one body in Christ, sharing one Spirit and having one Lord.  Living worthily of this requires consistent effort—diligence—to keep the unity of that one Spirit.  This does not come easily and naturally, and requires exercising the humility, gentleness, patience and love the Spirit gives us and constantly overlooking offenses, bearing with each other’s weaknesses.

Slide 8:

“But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.  Therefore it says, “When He ascended on high, He led captive the captives, And He gave gifts to people.”  (Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth?  He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.)” Ephesians 4:7-10 (NASB).

Continuing the theme, living worthily of our calling is something God has given us the ability to do.  He has given us his grace—in this instance, power, an ability we didn’t deserve—“according to the measure of Christ’s gift.”  By dying, going to the place of the dead, and then rising for us, Jesus gave us the gift we need to overcome and to live worthy of our calling.  He did this so that he might fill all things. 

Slide 9:

“And He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:11-13 (NASB)

This is where the people specially given to the Church come in.  The five groups of people named—apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers—and probably some others that are not named, that do not fit neatly into any of these pigeonholes—are given to the Body of Christ to “equip” us  to do the works of service that are consistent with our callings.  These people given to the Body of Christ are not given to us to do all of the works of ministry for us, in our place.  It is to equip us to do what we have been called to do.  Their ministry is mainly to us, and, if it is effective, our ministry is mainly to the world around us.  Thus, for example, it is to be expected that a person given to the Church as a prophet would speak mainly to the Church—not to the world—words of encouragement and correction that improve our ability to minister to the world effectively, together.  One given as an evangelist will not so much draw large crowds of unbelievers to events and crisis “salvation” experiences as train the rest of us how to live out our own callings to reach the world around us with Christ. We, the Body, are the ones who actually do  the “evangelism,” ideally with every moment of our lives.  And I will speak to teachers and teaching in a later part of this presentation, as Western education has given us a mostly incorrect idea of what it means to “teach.”  Teachers live life with their disciples, teaching both a way of thought and a way of life.  This includes teaching “facts” and much, much more.  The result of the efforts of a true New Testament “teacher” is a group of disciples who have learned that way of life and are living worthy of their calling.  So this passage describes not so much gifts—special abilities—given to these individuals as the purpose for which these individuals are given to us as the Body of Christ.  This distinguishes it from other passages like Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 which speak to special abilities given to individual believers by the Holy Spirit, either permanently or on specific occasions when they are needed.

Slide 10:

Heading:  Other Functions Not Described as “Callings” or “Gifts”.

Subheadings: 

Overseers. 

Elders—old people—various functions. 

Arbitrators/ Peacekeepers. 

Church Servants (‘deacons”).

In this section, I will examine some functions within human church organizations which are recognized in the New Testament but which are never called “gifts”—either to individuals or to the Church—and are not explicitly associated with a “call.”

Slide 11:

 “Now at this time, as the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint developed on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food.  So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, ‘It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables.  Instead, brothers and sisters, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task.  But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”  Acts 6:1-4 (NASB).

This passage represents the first instruction in the New Testament about how a group of people formed from within the church body for a special purpose is to be chosen.  The only such special-purpose group which had existed within the Church previously was the Twelve, and Jesus had personally chosen them.  The occasion for which this new group was needed was the need to have people to wait tables for meals provided to widows in the church.  The new board of “deacons”—that is, table waiters—did just that, they waited tables, making sure food was impartially distributed to those who needed it.  It was a minor task, and one that modern churches might think any volunteer could do.  But the example set by the Apostles was that, even for this minor task, each of those chosen to perform this ministry to the Church should have a “good reputation,” should be known for living under the control of the Holy Spirit and should be known for their wisdom.  I will return to this idea frequently in what follows.  There are spiritual qualifications for waiting tables!

Slide 12:

“Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: sexual immorality, impurity, indecent behavior, idolatry, witchcraft, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.  Now those who belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Galatians 5:19-24 (NASB).

This passage in Galatians is the shortest summary in scripture of the qualities which flow from the Holy Spirit being in control of a life—the “fruit of the Spirit”—and, on the other hand, of the kinds of behavior and attitudes which are visible in a life which is not under the Spirit’s control.  I bring them into this discussion because, in setting spiritual qualifications for overseers, elders and deacons, Paul essentially prescribed shorthand versions of these lists as tests for church service.  I will be going through each of these passages below.  The main qualifications for each of the identified positions of church service is that the person chosen 1) should be manifesting the fruit of the Spirit and not manifesting behaviors or attitudes characteristic of the works of the flesh, 2) should have a good reputation with outsiders and 3) should demonstrate wisdom.  These basic qualifications are exactly the same as those prescribed for the very first board of table waiters, with concrete tests of the Spirit’s control substituted for the general instruction that the person chosen must be “full of the Spirit.”

Slide 13:

Heading: Overseers

Some translators, and denominational organizations, also use the words “superintendent,” “supervisor” or “bishop” for this role.

Slide 14:

This slide quotes excerpts from a standard Greek lexicon, Arndt & Gingrich’s translation and revision of Walter Bauer’s Greek lexicon (which was originally published in German).  This part and Part 10 are the only parts of this presentation that should require this level of linguistic detail. 

On this slide, I quote the principal definitions of the verb episcopeō,  and two nouns derived from it, episcopē and episkopos.  The principal meanings of the underlying verb are 1) to look at, take care, see to it [that something happens]; and 2) to oversee, to care for.  As Arndt and Gingrich note, this verb developed a church meaning, to care for “in a distinctly Christian sense of the activity of church officials.”  But this “distinctly Christian sense” developed only after the church started first to use it for people who took care of others on behalf of the church and who took care of church business, then developed fixed offices for the people who did these things.   Before that time, the term had only its common meaning.  The abstract noun episcopē generally means a “visitation” and is used in scripture to refer to one of three different things: 1) a visitation of divine power for the good of those visited; 2) a visitation of divine power of an unpleasant kind, in judgment; and 3) the position or office of an overseer, as opposed to the person or activity of the office-holder, in the Church, the office of a bishop or overseer.  Arndt and Gingrich also note that Judas Iscariot had an episcopē, which he vacated by his treason. Finally, there is the word used to describe the person of the office-holder: episcopos. According to the lexicon: “In pre-Christian usage: overseer.  1. [When used] of God, [translated] guardian.  2.  Of persons who have a definite function or fixed office within a group, including a religious group… superintendent, guardian, bishop.  All of these words were common words with fairly broad ranges of meaning in secular usage before the Church took them over.  None of them were invented by any church organization to name a specific officer in that organization. 

Slide 15:

“The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.  [An elder] must be blameless, faithful to his wife, [a man] whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.  Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain.  Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.  He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.”  Titus 1:5-9 (NASB).

This passage is particularly interesting because it discusses “elders” and “an overseer” back to back, and may—or may not—be treating them as the same people. In any event, the principal qualifications—blamelessness, faithfulness, and holding to the truth, appear to be the same.

The text on the screen places brackets around two pairs of words that were added by translators, as explained in the following note:

Slide 16:

Note: Singular, plural and sentence breaks in Titus 1:5-9.

The words “an elder” at the beginning of verse 6 were added by the translators to make verse 6 read well as a separate sentence.  In the original, verses 5 and 6 were a single sentence which becomes a prohibited run-on sentence in English but is grammatically permitted in Greek.  Verse 6 in fact refers to the plural “elders” who were the subject of verse 5.  The words “a man” were also added by the translators to improve the English grammar of the rendering and should probably be read as a plural pronoun or as “elders.”  A singular subject isn’t encountered until verse 7.

Slide 17:

Now, continuing the explanation of the passage:

Here, note particularly that:  1) the qualifications dealing with the person’s family speak to the spiritual fruit of faithfulness and to wisdom in directing children. 2) “Blameless” describes persons who have good reputations who also have no skeletons in their closets that may destroy that good reputation if revealed (as they certainly will be, eventually).  The negative characteristics named are quite directly works of the flesh named in Galatians 5.  This is true even of “pursuing dishonest gain”—that is, greed, which is idolatry.   The positive characteristics named also correspond to components of the fruit of the Spirit.  Hospitality is an element of kindness and goodness and also demonstrates peace and patience. Loving what is good is exactly goodness.  Holiness—being set apart undividedly to God—is the main component of faithfulness.  Uprightness is what causes a good reputation to come into existence, and also corresponds to faithfulness if it is real and not faked.  Self-control is a named component of the fruit of the Spirit, and being disciplined is what brings it into existence.  Holding to the true message—in both words and actions—is what happens if the Spirit is in control. 

Slide 18:

(Most deviations from the true message start their existence as someone’s need to justify actions that aren’t under the Spirit’s control—but that is a subject for another day).

“Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task.  Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.  He must manage his family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect.  (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil.  He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and the devil’s trap.”   1 Timothy 3:1-7 (NIV).

The qualifications for an overseer Paul gave to Timothy are, not surprisingly, very similar to those he gave to Titus.  Presumably the shifts in emphasis were due to differences in local conditions between the churches to which Titus and Timothy were ministering.  However, Paul’s discussion of overseers in his letter to Timothy did not start with the persons of overseers at all, but with the abstract office of an overseer, as described in this note: 

Slide 19:

1 Timothy 3:1, semantic note, “Overseership,” “Overseer”

The verse literally begins with the words “if anyone overseership aspires to…”  The first sentence deals with the abstract office, not the person occupying it.  “Overseership” is an abstract noun.  As previously noted, it is derived from a verb which means to visit someone to see how they are doing or to visually inspect something.  The best translation here is probably “overseer,” “supervisor” or “inspector,” i.e., “one whose function is to visit and look over or inspect others and their work.”  However, exactly the same word is translated as “visitation” in Luke 19:44 and 1 Peter 2:12 in the NASB, in both instances dealing with a time of divine “visitation” to exercise judgment. In these two passages, it clearly refers to the act or occasion of judgment itself, not to the person doing the judging.

Slide 20:

1 Timothy 3:1-7, returning to the passage:

The list of qualifications Paul gave Timothy for an overseer is essentially the same as the one he gave to Titus, with none omitted and four additional qualifications stated: 1) an overseer must be “able to teach;” 2) the overseer must “see that his children obey him;” 3) overseers’ must teach their children to obey “in a manner worthy of full respect;” and 4)  overseers must be experienced believers, not recent converts.  As I will discuss in detail in a later part of this presentation, the requirement that an overseer must be “able to teach” means that he is one whose way of life invites others to learn it, not just—as we Westerners might think—that he is skilled at giving sermons or lectures that teach correct objective facts.  The added instructions about the children of overseers go to the overseers’ faithfulness and wisdom, and to their ability to teach those closest to them. (This has been one of my failures).  The instruction that they must teach their children obedience “in a manner worthy of full respect” blends the requirements of faithfulness, wisdom and a good reputation, and so incorporates the expectations of the society in which the overseer lives as to what methods are worthy of respect.  A person who uses parenting methods honored 150 years ago, but now considered to be abusive, likely would not qualify as an overseer under this test.  The reason a new convert should not be made an overseer—even if the person is a successful executive in a secular role and has achieved wealth or power through these abilities—is the danger that it will lead to destructive pride, taking charge instead of giving the Spirit control.  Paul then repeats the instruction that an overseer must have a good reputation, so as not to be caught in the devil’s trap. I have already explained this requirement and its application at length in Part 1 of this presentation. (Text version).

Slide 21:

Heading:  Elders

It is noteworthy that the only passage that names qualifications for church officers denominated as “elders,” as such, is Titus 1:5-9, which I discussed above, which seems to specify the same qualifications for “elders” as for “overseers.”

Slide 22:

More excerpts from Arndt & Gingrich’s lexicon:

Presbyteros, the most common word translated “elder:” [Is a ] compound of presbys [“old”].  [So primary meaning has to do with age].  1. Of age—a) of an individual person, [the] older of two… In contrast to the younger generation, hoi presbyteroi,  the older ones… [also notes in some texts a ] double meaning, old person and “elder”… [and in a few others] presbutyros, old man, and presbytera, old woman [sometimes as a symbol of the Church].  b. of a period of time… [pertaining to] the ancients… 2.  As designation of an official (cf. Lat. Senator), elder, presbyter. a. Among the Jews the congregation of a synagogue in Jerusalem used presbyteroi to denote its officers before 70 AD… α. for members of local councils in individual cities… β. For members of a group in the Sanhedrin… b. among the Christians (for their use of the word as a title one must bear in mind not only Jewish custom, but also its use as a [title]… among the ethne in connection with associations of the ‘old ones’ and to designate civic as well as religious officials…

Slide 23:

More excerpted definitions:

Noun, masculine, presbytēs, old man, aged man: a man of 50-56 years.  [But also:] ambassador.  (as cities would send their oldest, wisest men to be ambassadors) [There is an unresolved question as to whether these meanings are related to each other, both derived from presbeyō, to be an ambassador].

Noun, feminine, Presbytis:  old woman, elderly lady.

All this meant to show that “elder” is not basically a church word, either, but was used commonly to describe old people and offices they were allowed to hold because they were old and so thought to be wise.

Slide 24:

“Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.” Acts 14:23 (NASB).

This is the first use of the word “elders” in Acts, and asserts only that Paul and Barnabas appointed the first set of elders in every church they planted, and that they took this responsibility very seriously, making the choice only after prayer and fasting.  The language may also imply that Paul and Barnabas had the congregation join them in prayer and fasting while they were making the selection of elders, which would certainly be consistent with the high importance of the choice being made.  But no qualifications are stated in this passage.

Slide 25:

“Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: ‘Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.’ This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them.  So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question… When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders to whom they had reported everything God had done through them.  Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, ‘The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.’ The apostles and elders met to consider this question.”  Acts 15:1-2, 4-6 (NIV).

This passage shows that the great decisions of the church in Jerusalem were committed to a body known as the “apostles and elders.”   Who the “apostles” were in this situation is fairly obvious from other passages—they were the remaining living members of the Twelve appointed by Jesus, plus at least Mattathias, chosen to replace Judas Iscariot in Acts 1:26, James the blood brother of Jesus, and a small number of other witnesses of Jesus’ earthly life who had been chosen to join them (see, e.g., Romans 16:7).  Who the “elders” were is totally unspecified except through the use of the description “elders”—they were apparently old men, with the emphasis on “old,” both chronologically and in the Lord. They were recognized as having the age and experience to have learned wisdom and to be able to discern when matters really came from God. The decisions of the Jerusalem church, including, in this passage, the vitally important decision regarding the conditions under which Gentiles would be accepted into the Church, were made by the “apostles and elders” acting together. 

Slide 26: 

“Do not rebuke an older man [elder, presbyterō]  harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father.  Treat younger men as brothers, older women [elder, feminine, presbyteras] as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.”   1 Timothy 5:1-2 (NIV).

I bring in this text here as an example of the fact that the word translated “elder” can also be, and sometimes is, translated merely “old man” or “old person.”  It does not always imply formal recognition as a leader.  Even so, older men (like me!) are to be treated with respect, not rebuked harshly.  This passage also shows that the word translated “elder” has an entirely normal feminine form, which refers to older women, and that the rule of respect for them is essentially the same as that which applies to older men.  Wisdom does come with age, and this should be respected, even if it does not lead to formal recognition as a leader.

Slide 27:

“The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.  For Scripture says, ‘Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,’ and ‘The worker deserves his wages.’  Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses.  But those [elders] who are sinning you are to reprove before everyone, so that the others may take warning.  I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism.”  1 Timothy 5:17-21 (NASB).

The first thing to note about this passage is that there are subclasses of “elders.”  This is shown by the grammar of verse 17:

Slide 28:

Semantic and Grammatical Note, 1 Timothy 5:17 & 20

 Verse 17: The actual word order at the beginning of this verse is “The well-ruling elders” [Hoi  kalōs  proestōtes  presbyteroi  …] This implies that some don’t rule very well.  It likely also implies that not all elders have “ruling,” directing the affairs of the church, as one of their functions.

Verse 20: The word “elders” was added by translators to make the English grammar correct; the pronoun “those” (plural) by itself is enough in Greek.  However, it may not refer only to formally recognized “elders:” the word “elder” in verse 19 is singular in the Greek and the NASB accurately translates it as the singular “an elder.”  Thus, verse 20 may be more general, saying merely to rebuke “those sinning…”

Slide 29:

Further comments on 1 Tim. 5:17-21. 

Verse 17 appears to show that there are at least three subgroups of “elders” and possibly more.  The first subgroup is elders whose function comes entirely from their age and experience, and whose functions in the church do not ordinarily include administration, teaching or preaching.  Among the larger group of elders, there are also elders whose functions include administration—directing the affairs of the church—and elders whose functions ordinarily include teaching and preaching.  The language of the passage is actually somewhat ambiguous—perhaps deliberately—about whether all elders who teach also preach, and vice-versa, and whether all elders who teach and/or preach are also automatically administrators. 

There is no reason to think that a person gifted as a great preacher will also be a competent administrator, or that a great administrator will also be a competent preacher, and there are churches which separate these functions.  The language of this passage appears flexible enough to support either combining or separating the functions, depending on the needs and circumstances of the particular congregation.  But all of the persons in these roles are “elders”, with all that implies.  Verse 18 supports the practice of paying for the support of elders whose “work” is in administration, teaching, or preaching. 

Verses 19 and 20 then shift focus somewhat—from “elders” whose “work” is in administration, teaching or preaching to all formally recognized “elders”—and, possibly, in view of 1 Timothy 5:1-2, to all “elders,” older people in the church, whether formally recognized “elders” or not—who are accused of wrongdoing.  Accusations against elders are not to be lightly made or received.  They should not be repeated at all unless supported by witnesses.  If they are found to be properly supported, the church should take appropriate corrective action. Contrary to modern thinking, respect for the learned wisdom of elders is important to the functioning of the church and should be maintained both by abstaining from gossip about them and by openly correcting them when this becomes necessary. (This definitely has application to me!)   

Slide 30:

“Is anyone among you sick? Let them call for the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.  And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up.  If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.”  James 5:14-15 (NIV).

This text names a function of elders that does not involve church administration, teaching or preaching.  Elders have a special role in assisting church members who are sick in seeking God’s grace for healing and in recognizing and dealing with any sins or weaknesses which may have contributed to their illnesses.

Slide 31:

“To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.”  1 Peter 5:1-3 (NIV).

This passage appears to name another function of elders that doesn’t necessarily involve church administration, teaching or preaching: “shepherding” a flock placed under their care.

Slide 32:

1 Peter 5:2 note, “shepherding”

Verse 2: Lit “Shepherd the flock of God among you” [ poimanate to en hymin poimnion tou Theou], “exercising oversight” [episkopountes]. “Shepherd” appears only as a verb, not as a noun, as does “oversight.”  However, the verb translated “exercising oversight” or “watching over” is the verb that corresponds to the noun “overseer”—an “overseer” being one who “exercises oversight”, in Greek as in English.  So the concepts are related. Whether this implies that all those who are given flocks to shepherd—shepherds—must also be formally recognized “overseers”—isn’t directly answered by the choice of words in this verse. The verse does, however, clearly say if you have a flock, shepherd it!  

Slide 33

Further comments on 1 Peter 5:1-3.

This passage supports at least the idea that every formally recognized “elder” of a church has a flock which he is responsible to care for, to shepherd.  But nothing in the passage or its context in 1 Peter suggests that Peter’s exhortation is limited to formally recognized elders.  If anything, the opposite may be true—it would make very good sense to read Peter’s words as instructions to all of the “older people” in a church.  Like it or not, we all have a flock to shepherd, just by virtue of our age and experience.  Younger Christians “look up” to us, even if our congregation hasn’t given us any formal title.  Therefore, Peter urges us to recognize our position and be good shepherds to those who respect us, willingly taking care of them, eager to serve.  The qualities we are to show are demonstrations of the Spirit’s control in our lives, just as they would be if we were being considered for a formal office in the church. 

Though I am not formally recognized as an elder, I am an elder (an old man), and should be “an example to the flock.”  Ouch!!!

Slide 34:

“In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders.  All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.’  Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”  1 Peter 5:5-6 (NIV).

In this passage, James is clearly using the word “elder” in its broader sense—an “older person,” not a church officer.  He directs younger believers to submit to their elders, as a demonstration of that same humility all believers—including the elders—are to show toward God.  All that really matters is God’s favor, his grace, which is given to those who submit to his will. I must humble myself under God’s hand, leaving it to him to advance me as he will. 

Slide 35:

Heading:  Arbitrators/ Peacemakers

Slide 36:

“If any of you has a dispute with another, do you dare to take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the Lord’s people?  Or do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases?  Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!  Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, do you ask for a ruling from those whose way of life is scorned in the church?  I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers?  But instead, one brother takes another to court—and this in front of unbelievers!”  1 Corinthians 6:1-6 (NIV).

This passage appears to suggest a class of people who seem hardly to exist at all in the modern Western church—arbitrators or peacemakers.   Their absence leads to exactly the problem Paul noted in Corinth—Christians suing each other in secular courts, multiplying bitterness and bringing disrepute on the church.  I freely admit that I don’t know how, as a practical matter, peacemakers can be made to operate in the modern church without reproducing the hidebound legalism of the Medieval canon law courts.  But this passage suggests that there are people in each church who would know how to do this, if left free to do so.

Slide 37:

Heading:  Church Servants (“Deacons”)

Slide 38:

Lexical Definitions (Arndt & Gingrich, 2nd Ed.)

Verb, diakoneō, … 1.  wait on someone at table… 2.  Serve, gen. of services of any kind… 3. Care for, take care of…  4. Help, support someone…. 5.  Of the ecclesiastical office, serve as deacon…

Noun, masculine but with feminine usages (and also takes feminine endings), diakonos.  1.  Masc[uline]—a. servant of someone… of apostles and other prominent Christians: servant of the gospel…   b. gener.  helper… c. deacon as an official of the church…  2.  Fem[inine]… a.  helper, agent… b. deaconess…

Slide 39:

“So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, ‘It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables.  Instead, brothers and sisters, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of the task…”  Acts 6:2-3 (NASB).

We’ve seen this passage before.  The main points are that 1) the first “deacons” were being chosen to perform the tasks of a menial household servant, waiting tables; nevertheless 2) the church was told to choose only people of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, to perform this menial task.

Slide 40:

“In the same way, deacons are to be worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain.  They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience.  They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.  In the same way, the women are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.”  1 Timothy 3:8-11 (NIV).

The main point here is that, just like overseers and recognized elders, those appointed to perform menial tasks in the church—deacons, who are still waiters—have spiritual qualifications that must be met before they are allowed to serve:

Slide 41:

1 Tim. 3:10, semantic note, “serve as deacons”

Verse 10:  The phrase translated “let them serve as deacons” is a single word in Greek, the verb form “diakoneitōsan.” As an inflected verb—third person plural present imperative, active voice—it has no grammatical gender.  The focus is on the service as a church servant, which is only to be permitted to those who have been “tested.”   

Slide 42:

Further comments on 1 Timothy 3:8-11 (NIV).

Verse 10 lies between verses 8 and 9, the subject of which is the grammatically masculine “deacons” and verse 11, the subject of which is the “women” who serve in the church.  The truly critical message of this passage is that stated in verse 10—namely, those accepted to serve in the church, whether male or female, must be tested before they are put into service, to see that they are trustworthy, temperate, of good reputation, true to the faith, and worthy of respect. This is something the modern church tends not to do very well. 

Slide 43:

“A deacon must be faithful to his wife and must manage his children and his household well.  Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.”  1 Timothy 3:12-13 (NIV).

The critical qualification here is faithfulness.  It is shown by faithfulness in marriage and in household management, which is a proxy for the spiritual fruit of faithfulness in general.  The important qualification here is not marriage, but faithfulness.

Slide 44

Overall Conclusions—Leadership and Service Qualifications

1. Initially, the qualifications for church servants (“deacons”) were to be of good reputation, and full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom

2.  Without these qualifications, people weren’t even admitted to service waiting tables!  Novices didn’t wait tables! 

3.  Under later conditions, in which leaders and church servants had to be chosen from among people the Apostles or other church leaders hadn’t known for a long time, the requirement of being filled with the Spirit was partly replaced with a set of negative tests—people were disqualified from service if they showed behaviors or characteristics that showed the Spirit wasn’t in control of their lives.

4.   These qualifications were applied to all classes of church leaders—overseers, recognized elders, and church servants.

5.  The requirements of being of good reputation and being known for wisdom remained.

Slide 45:

Personal Applications:

1.  I am not a formally recognized member of  church leadership, and likely never will be, due to my inability to ever meet the requirement of a good reputation, as explained in Part 1.

2.  I do not have any skeletons in my closet.  I have been careful to remove them from the closet and not hide them. 

 3.  Though I will never be in formal leadership, I am, nevertheless, an elder—an older believer that younger believers are watching. 

4. As such, a have a flock to shepherd, not by formal appointment, but merely because of my status as an elder.

5. I’m subject to the same expectations as any other elder, essentially, the expectation that I will continue to grow in living by the Holy Spirit, so that the fruit of the spirit will be visible in me, and the expectation that I will shepherd my flock willingly, eagerly, and for the right motives. 6. This will also involve giving the Spirit more room to develop abilities (“gifts”) he has given me and to expose the wisdom the often painful and disappointing years of my life have given me in ways that make others able to benefit from it.   

Next: You Are Not the One to Build, Part 6B: Spiritual Gifts: God Works through us for His Purpose 

The Voice of God (God Speaking to Us) Outline

The Ephesians 4 “Offices” are Jesus’ Gifts to the Church, not Fixed “Offices” of Authority