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| Photo by David McSpadden 2014 |
As we have been studying, the apostle Paul wrote a letter
to his convert Titus, whom he left in charge of the churches in Crete, to
instruct him on the principles of church leadership and on how to select
suitable pastors. But as we further explore the book of Titus, we
discover that qualifications for church leaders apply in a broader sense to
older men in the church, and that these admirable character traits and
behaviors should also apply to our older sisters in Christ (Titus 2:2-4).
In the world today, there is great emphasis on physical
fitness, particularly among developed and wealthier nations. This is ironic, for
richer countries tend to overindulge in food and drink and have higher degrees
of automation in manufacture, agriculture, and transportation, resulting in a
more sedentary lifestyle.
Residents of wealthy nations therefore tend to be less
physically fit, even though the ideal epitomized by many celebrities and models
is not only facial beauty, but also sleek, svelte and strong physique. Billions
of dollars flow into health clubs, gym memberships, personal trainers, weight
loss programs, dietary supplements and monitoring devices that track our every
heart beat and calorie ingested or burned.
But Scripture warns us that although
exercise and physical fitness can be good, we should be far more concerned
about our spiritual fitness (1 Timothy 4:7-8). Those whom men thought of
as natural leaders because of their physical attributes, like King Saul (1
Samuel 9:2; 10:23-24; 18:12), Samson (Judges 16), and
Absalom (2 Samuel 14:25; 15-17), had spiritual weaknesses leading
not only to their own downfall, but to the detriment of those for whom they
should have been Godly examples.
Therefore, it is crucial that church leaders be
spiritually fit. Similarly, all members of the body of Christ, or those who are
born again (John 3:3-8) by their faith in His death, burial and
resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), should follow His example of
spiritual soundness in faith (Hebrews 11), doctrine (1 Corinthians 2:16),
and lifestyle (Ephesians 4:1).
At the head of Paul’s list of qualifications
for a pastor is that he be “blameless” (Titus 1: 6). In the natural, that
is impossible, for every pastor, bishop and pope are still human and must
contend with their sin nature (Romans 7:14-25). To serve God and lead
their flock, they must die daily to the desires of their flesh (1
Corinthians 15:31) and yield to the guidance of the indwelling Holy Spirit
(Romans 8:4; Galatians 5:16).
Every born-again believer who does this can also
be regarded as blameless, not because of their own merit, but because of the
righteousness of Jesus Christ credited to their spiritual account (Romans 3:22).
However, we must be sensitive to avoid even the appearance of evil (1
Thessalonians 5:22), rather than
using our Christian liberty (Romans 8:21) to become a stumbling block to
others (1 Corinthians 8:9), or to give them an excuse to criticize us (1
Corinthians 10:29).
Part of being blameless, or having a good
reputation (Ecclesiastes 10:1) based on sound character, integrity, and
especially faith, is being faithful, which is why Paul writes that the pastor
should be the husband of one wife (Titus
1: 6). We cannot peer into the hearts of others (Luke
16:15) to see if they are faithful to God, but we will ultimately find out
if they are unfaithful to their spouse (Luke 8:17). Marital infidelity
has brought down many a church leader and demoralized and scattered his flock.
So clearly a church leader should not be a
bigamist or an adulterer (Malachi 3:5; 1 Corinthians 6:9; Hebrews
13:4), and neither should any of us. But controversy arises over whether a
previous marriage disqualifies a potential candidate for pastor, as in the case
of a widower (even though he is allowed to remarry; 1 Corinthians 7:39),
or one who was divorced before being saved.
At first glance it may seem inconsistent that
Saul of Tarsus murdered Christians before he was saved (Acts 7:58) and
then became the apostle Paul (Galatians 1:1) after he trusted Christ,
whereas a man who was divorced before being saved and then remarried would be
unfit to become a pastor.
But in the case of a pastor, who is the undershepherd
of his flock, it may be wise to hold him to the highest possible standard so
that he is above reproach (1 Timothy 3). Conversely, Paul’s requirement
of the pastor being the husband of one wife (Titus 1: 6) disqualifies even
himself, for he was unmarried. Ordinances of the Roman Catholic Church or other
churches that prohibit priests from marrying are therefore unscriptural.
Interestingly, Paul also wrote that in terms of
Christian service and godliness, celibacy was preferred over marriage for those
who could remain single, for then they could devote their full attention to
serving and pleasing God without being encumbered by the needs of their family
(1 Corinthians 7:1-9; 32-40). Yet for those who might fall prey to sexual sins, Paul said it is better to marry than to be consumed by
lustful temptation.
Although Paul was chosen by God to write
fifteen books of the Bible, to evangelize the Gentiles (Romans 11:25),
and to plant churches on his missionary journeys (Acts), he never served
as a pastor, indicating that he himself followed the Holy-Spirit inspired rules
he set forth to Titus.
We can surmise many reasons why it would be
better for a pastor to be married with children, including having the
experience, wisdom and compassion needed to counsel church members going
through marital or parenting problems (2 Corinthians 1:4-6). In
addition, he and his family could be Godly examples and role models to the
congregation, and his wife could be a spiritual mother to women in the church (Titus
2).
For that reason, Paul writes that the pastor
should have “faithful children not accused of riot or unruly” (Titus
1: 6). If a pastor cannot lead his own children to love and serve the Lord,
their family, and their church, it is unlikely that he will lead his flock to
do the same. For example, the priest Eli had sons who loved the devil, causing
corruption, confusion and disobedience in the temple (1 Samuel 2:12-17) until
God raised up the prophet Samuel to restore love for His Word (1 Samuel 3).
Although this is specifically a qualification for pastors,
all born-again parents aspire to have children who are faithful to God and His
Word (Ephesians 6:1-4). We should therefore pray fervently and regularly
for our children, immerse them in God’s Word at home (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)
and in a Bible-preaching church (Hebrews 10:25), and be Godly examples
to them rather than asking them to “do as I say, not as I do.”
But if our children seem to turn away from God, we should
not lose heart. Even God, Who is the perfect Father, faced rebellion from Adam
and Eve (Genesis 3). Yet Scripture teaches that if we raise our children
to obey God, then when they are old they will follow His ways. Even Adam and
Eve, who brought the curse of sin on the world, were restored to fellowship
with God, for they believed His promise and taught their children to obey Him (Genesis
4:1-3; 25-26).
As we continue to study the qualifications of a pastor, may
we ask God for wisdom to see how we should similarly live out the Gospel in our
own lives, families and churches! May we be spiritually fit, training under
Holy Spirit direction to win the prize of the high calling of God in the race that is set before us! (1 Corinthians 9:24-25;
Philippians 3:12-14).
© 2017 Laurie Collett
