Restoring  Biblical Eldership (5:17-25)

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Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing,” and “The laborer is worthy of his wages.” Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses. Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also may be fearful of sinning. I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality. Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily and thus share responsibility for the sins of others; keep yourself free from sin. No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments. The sins of some men are quite evident, going before them to judgment; for others, their sins follow after. Likewise also, deeds that are good are quite evident, and those which are otherwise cannot be concealed. (5:17-25)

During His life on earth, our Lord Jesus Christ founded only one organization: His church. That is also the only institution He specifically promised to bless (Matt. 16:18). The church was designed and chosen by the Father in eternity past, redeemed by the work of the Son on the cross, and begotten by the power of the Spirit. The church is the chosen channel through which God’s saving truth flows to the world. It has temporarily replaced Israel in that capacity, because of the latter’s apostasy (cf. Rom. 11:1-24).

The church is to maintain a purity and power that can penetrate the kingdom of darkness with the glorious light of the gospel. By so doing, it will rescue men and women from Satan’s control and draw them into the kingdom of light. The church is the body of Christ, the visible form of Christ in the world. It’s purpose is to reveal His glory and thus draw men savingly to Himself. The church is also to model godly virtue in an ungodly world by living according to God’s commands.

Peter summed all that up when he wrote, “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).

The church’s ability to fulfill its calling is humanly dependent on one crucial factor: the quality of its leadership. Hosea’s statement, “like people, like priest” (Hos. 4:9) applies today. Churches do not rise higher than the level of their leadership.

Our Lord’s plan for assuring that the church would be all He desired it to be was the same one He used when Israel was His witness people. God called Israel to proclaim His character and commands. To lead the nation, He raised up kings, priests, prophets, and elders. Their task was to model godliness and virtue as they gave their lives in the service of the sovereign Jehovah. By so doing, they would lead Israel toward the holiness that would enable her to effectively reach the world with the truth of forgiveness of sin by God’s mercy.

Tragically, the history of Israel is largely the history of the failure of its leadership. The story of Israel’s leaders is one of decline, apostasy, and defection, which led to the defection of the people. That in turn caused God to temporarily set them aside and cut a new channel for His truth—the church born at Pentecost.

Sadly, the history of the church has often paralleled that of Israel. The same pattern of defection from biblical truth that marred Israel’s leadership has too often marked the church’s leadership. Paul’s call in this text for a restoration of a biblical eldership is one the contemporary church desperately needs to heed since many, if not most, of the problems facing the church can be traced to the failures of its leadership.

The Scripture advocates a shared leadership. A plurality of godly men are to share in the leadership responsibility, though they may differ in their specific functions and giftedness. The Bible knows nothing of one-man rule by pastor-kings. Nor does it envision any authority beyond it to which the leadership of a local congregation must submit. God’s plan for choosing leaders in His church is simple. From within each congregation, the Holy Spirit gifts and identifies through their faithfulness a plurality of godly men. After being confirmed by the people, they share the burden of leadership responsibilities together.

The Ephesian church in Timothy’s day could trace most of its troubles back to ineffective leadership. In this passage Paul teaches Timothy, the Ephesians, and us how to restore a truly biblical eldership. He does not repeat the qualifications he has given in chapter 3; he is not concerned here with the character and qualification of the overseer, but how the church views him. In setting his thoughts on these features, Paul opens to us the obligation of the church to its pastors. In so doing, he notes four principles defining a biblical eldership: honoring elders, protecting elders, rebuking elders, and selecting elders. Where a biblical eldership has been abandoned, following the teaching of this crucial text can help restore it.

HONORING ELDERS

Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing,” and “The laborer is worthy of his wages.” (5:17-18)

The first principle and the first step toward restoring biblical eldership involves giving proper honor to those elders who serve faithfully in the church—a concept not unique to this passage. First Thessalonians 5:12-13 exhorts to the same end, “But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work.” The writer of Hebrews admonishes his readers to

Elders is a general term referring to those who are also called “overseers” in 3:1. That the titles elder, pastor, and overseer all describe the same person is made clear by the use of all three words to describe the same men in Acts 20:17, 28. The term “pastor” emphasizes their shepherding or feeding function, “overseer” their authority and leading function, and “elder” their spiritual maturity. This passage assumes such elders are qualified (cf. 3:2ff.).

Honor translates time, which generally refers to “respect,” or “regard” (cf. 6:1). As already noted in the discussion of 5:3, it can also refer to financial support (cf. Matt. 27:6,9; Acts 4:34; 1 Cor. 6:20 where it is translated “price;” Prov. 3:9 [LXX], which speaks of giving an offering to God). That usage is similar to the English word “honorarium,” which refers to money given someone to honor them.

Paul, as was his custom, does not refer to money directly (cf. 2 Cor. 8:6-7; 9:1, 12-13; Gal. 6:6; Phil 4:18). He prefers instead to deal with the heart attitude that will result in remuneration. Those who honor elders will not begrudge generosity in paying their support. All elders are entitled to financial support as well as respect. Though Paul chose to support himself in his evangelistic efforts in pagan cities, those who do not are in no sense inferior, and are to be supported by the church. The laborer is worthy of his pay, and those who live to preach should be paid for it. Paul defended that truth in the important text of 1 Corinthians 9:1-14:

The apostle himself also gladly received support on occasion. In response to the generosity of the Philippians he wrote,

While all elders are to be thus honored, Paul singles out some as being worthy of double honor. He differentiates between the general category of elders and those who serve with greater commitment, effort, and excellence. They are worthy of greater acknowledgment from the congregations they serve. Paul is not here saying they should receive exactly twice the pay a normal elder receives. Rather, they should receive ample, generous remuneration and respect beyond that of other elders whose labors are not as diligent.

Paul gives two qualifications that mark elders as worthy of double honor. First, they rule well. Rule is from proistēmi, which means “to stand first.” Elders are first in terms of leadership. They have the oversight of the church (cf. 3:1; cf. 1 Peter 5:2), and are to care for it (3:5). Because they are in charge (1 Thess. 5:12), they have a great responsibility (Heb. 13:17). When that privileged duty is discharged with unusual excellence, they should be compensated accordingly. Paul’s emphasis, however, is not on the verb, but on the adverb well. Kalos (well) could be translated “with excellence.” Excellence in ministry can be illustrated by a rehearsal of the qualities in 4:6-16.

Paul is not here setting up two categories of elders, those who rule and those who preach and teach. Nor is he contrasting holy and sinning elders. The latter would be disqualified and not be elders at all. Paul’s contrast is among faithful and gifted elders, to point out those who surpass the others in the excellence of their ministry.

The verb axioō (let … be considered worthy) reflects an estimate reached by the thinking process. It is to evaluate some elders and consider them worthy of double honor. The idea is that the double honor is not a gift, but something they deserve.

Paul further describes such men as especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. Malista (especially) means “chiefly,” or “particularly.” The assumption is that some elders will not work as hard at preaching and teaching as others. Their role may be less prominent in those areas. Work hard is from kopiaō, which means “to work to the point of fatigue or exhaustion.” It does not stress the amount of work, but rather the effort. A man’s reward from God is proportional to the excellence of his ministry and the effort he puts into it. Excellence combined with diligence mark a man worthy of the highest honor.

Mediocrity comes from unwillingness to make the effort required. J. Oswald Sanders comments, “Willingness to renounce personal preferences, to sacrifice legitimate and natural desires for the sake of His kingdom, will characterize those marked out by God for positions of influence in His work” (Spiritual Leadership, rev. ed. [Chicago: Moody, 1980], 170-71).

Preaching is from logos and literally means “speech.” It looks at public proclamation of the truth that includes exhortation and admonition. Teaching translates didaskalia. It emphasizes the idea of instruction more than proclamation. Preaching calls for a heart response to God, while teaching is a necessary bulwark against heresy. Not all elders will have the same burden of preaching and teaching. Some may teach or preach infrequently, some constantly. Those whose ministry demands all their attention should be freed from any need to earn a living and be cared for and even rewarded for their singular devotion.

Paul supports his point by quoting from both the Old and New Testaments. For the Scripture says is his usual way of introducing a biblical reference. You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing is a quote of Deuteronomy 25:4 (cf. 1 Cor. 9:9). The Old Testament law provided that the oxen who threshed the grain were entitled to eat of it. They were not to be muzzled to prevent them from doing that. Paul’s point is obvious. God required that animals who labored to provide physical food for others were to be fed. How much more would He want faithful pastors, who provide spiritual food to their needy flocks, to be provided for?

The second quote, The laborer is worthy of his wages, is from Luke 10:7. It is very noteworthy that Paul refers to Luke’s writing as Scripture. Here is a case of one New Testament writer affirming the inspiration of another (cf. 2 Peter 3:15-16). The early church recognized the canonicity and authority of the New Testament Scriptures even before their writers had died. This verse and 1 Corinthians 11:24 are the only times Paul quotes from the gospels. Both quotes are from Luke, reflecting Paul’s close association with him.

With the second quote, Paul moves up a level from an animal to a servant. The Bible insists that servants are to be paid (Deut. 24:14—15; cf. James 5:4). To refuse to support those who provide spiritual food is as unjust and heartless as muzzling an animal, or refusing to pay a hired man.

PROTECTING ELDERS

Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses. (5:19)

There are always people eager to falsely accuse a man of God. They may do so because they resent his calling, reject his teaching, resist biblical authority, resent virtue, or are jealous of the Lord’s blessing on his life. Ultimately, however, they demonstrate by making such accusations that they have become messengers of Satan. Such false accusations are one of his most dangerous weapons. Joseph, Moses, David, Jeremiah, Nehemiah, and our Lord Jesus Christ all suffered from false accusations. So did Paul, and he particularly addressed that issue in his second letter to the Corinthians. As the Puritan writer John Trapp put it, “Truth hath always a scratcht face” (cited in Geoffery B. Wilson, The Pastoral Epistles [Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1982], 78).

It is a sacred trust to be in the ministry. That trust is based upon a man’s integrity, credibility, and the consistent purity of his life. If he can be successfully attacked at that point and discredited, his ministry will be destroyed. It is imperative that his people be able to distinguish gossip and lies from reality.

Because false accusation is a very real danger, Paul gives Timothy instructions on how to deal with allegations against elders. First, unsubstantiated ones are to be rejected. Receive is from paradechomai. It means “to entertain,” or “to consider in your mind.” Such allegations are not to be investigated, but ignored. The simple act of turning a deaf ear to them is one of the best ways of protecting elders. Accusation translates katōgoria, a compound word from kata (“against”) and agora (“public meeting place”). Such a public accusation is not to be entertained.

Second, Paul gives the conditions under which an accusation against an elder is to be taken seriously. The church is not to do so except on the basis of two or three witnesses. The accusation may yet prove false, but it must at least be investigated. The intent of having two or three witnesses is to provide confirmation (cf. Deut. 19:15; Matt. 18:16). That is not meant to place elders beyond successful accusation, but beyond illegitimate accusation. They are never to be at the mercy of frivolous, evil accusers.

To attack someone in a position of authority is a very serious matter. After cutting off part of Saul’s robe, “it came about afterward that David’s conscience bothered him because he had cut off the edge of Saul’s robe” (1 Sam. 24:5). The Amalekite who thought to ingratiate himself with David by claiming to have killed Saul was executed instead (2 Sam. 1:1-16). Psalm 105:15 warns, “Do not touch My anointed ones, and do My prophets no harm.” Those who set out to falsely accuse God’s servants are treading on dangerous ground.

REBUKING ELDERS

Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also may be fearful of sinning. I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality. (5:20-21)

Elders are to be protected from false accusations, but are not to receive immunity from true ones. Those elders who continue in sin must bear the consequences. Paul does not mention here any specific kinds of sin. Any sin that caused an elder to violate the qualifications listed in 3:2-7 would be grounds for rebuke in the presence of all. There are no elaborate steps of discipline to be followed. An accusation is made and confirmed, then investigated. If found true, the elder is publicly rebuked. Elenchō (rebuke) means “to expose,” “to bring to open conviction,” “to correct,” or “to reprove.” There are no exegetical grounds for limiting all to the other elders. It means everyone, elders and congregation. A sinning elder has nowhere to hide.

The sins of a man in a leadership role are more serious, and are to be punished more severely (cf. James 3:1). Whether or not he repents is not the issue. Since his credibility is forfeited, he is disqualified from the ministry in either case. He must be publicly rebuked so the people understand why he is no longer in leadership. Attempts to hush things up and allow a sinning elder to leave quietly often create the chaos of misunderstanding in a congregation.

The ministry is thus a two-edged sword. Those who serve faithfully are to be honored and protected, but those who sin are to be removed and publicly rebuked. One of the purposes for that public rebuke is so that the rest also may be fearful of sinning. Loipos (the rest) refers to the others in the same class. The class in view here is that of elders. When one elder is publicly disgraced because of sin, that puts a healthy fear into the hearts of the others. It also puts that same fear into the hearts of the congregation (cf. Matt. 18:17). Fear, along with love, is a proper motive for avoiding sin and obeying God (Deut. 13:6-11; 17:12— 13; 19:16-20; Acts 5:5-11). Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Second Corinthians 7:1 admonishes believers to “cleanse [themselves] from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (cf. Acts 9:31; Eph. 5:21; Heb. 12:28; 1 Peter 2:17). Such fear is not sheer terror, but rather a sense of the ominous reality of God’s hatred of evil.

If churches everywhere maintained that high standard for elders, unqualified men would be barred from the pastorate. As the standard is being lowered in our day, it is too often true that when a sinning pastor is disgraced in one church, he finds a position of honor in another. The church needs to decide whether to protect men’s reputations, or God’s. To allow sinning elders to resume ministry before they have erased all vestiges of dishonor and distrust (not always possible; sexual sin is a reproach that never goes away according to Prov. 6:33) defies Scripture and implies that God tolerates sin. Those who repent are to be forgiven and accepted by the congregation. That does not mean, however, they are to automatically be restored to ministry. Depending on the severity of the sin, they may be permanently disqualified.

To publicly rebuke a sinning elder takes great courage. Lest he be tempted to shirk that responsibility, Paul commands Timothy in verse 21, I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality. Paul reminds Timothy that God the Father, Christ Jesus, and the chosen angels are watching. They are the ones to fear, not the reactions of men. All heaven is concerned with the purity of the church. The church that tolerates sinning elders to protect its reputation on earth will lose its reputation in heaven.

Our Lord in Matthew 18 also encouraged believers to confront sin. He assured them that when they deal with sin on earth, they are acting in accord with heaven. God the Father and the Lord Jesus Himself are in their midst, agreeing with such purging (w. 18-20).

The church must maintain these principles regarding sinning elders without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality. No one is to receive preferential treatment. The rebuke of sinning elders must be done with accuracy and integrity. There must be no effort to protect those who are famous, specially gifted, or popular, nor to expose those who are not. The attitude of those involved must be one of sorrow, not self-righteousness.

To rebuke sinning leaders is not easy. Yet God requires it because holiness in the church must be upheld. The question facing any church is whether it is more concerned about its reputation or God’s holiness.

SELECTING ELDERS

Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily and thus share responsibility for the sins of others; keep yourself free from sin. No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments. The sins of some men are quite evident, going before them to judgment; for others, their sins follow after. Likewise also, deeds that are good are quite evident, and those which are otherwise cannot be concealed. (5:22-25)

The best way to prevent unqualified elders from serving in the ministry is to not lay hands upon anyone too hastily. Some have argued that this phrase reflects an early church custom of restoring sinning elders to the church fellowship. That interpretation is improbable, however, for several reasons. First, there is no evidence that such a custom existed in the New Testament church. Second, laying on of hands in the New Testament usually is connected with ordination (cf. Acts 6:6; 13:3; 1 Tim. 4:14; 2 Tim. 1:6). Finally, this interpretation flies in the face of the New Testament teaching about forgiveness. The New Testament nowhere urges caution in restoring a penitent sinner. Rather, it teaches the opposite (cf. Matt. 18:21-22; Gal. 6:1-2).

To lay hands upon someone in this context was to affirm their suitability for and acceptance into public ministry. It expressed solidarity, union, and identification with them. The practice had its roots in the Old Testament (cf. Num. 8:10; 27:18-23; Deut. 34:9). It derived from the practice of laying hands on a sacrificial animal to identify with it (cf. Ex. 29:10, 15, 19; Lev. 4:15). Laying on of hands also symbolizes identification in the New Testament (cf. Matt. 19:15; Acts 8:17-18; 9:17; Heb. 6:2).

Ordination in the New Testament was done by three groups. First, the apostles ordained elders (Acts 14:23). So did close associates of the apostles, such as Timothy and Titus (Titus 1:5). In the third phase, the existing elders in a church ordained other elders (1 Tim. 4:14). Today, since the first two groups have passed from the scene, the responsibility falls upon the elders of the church.

To lay hands upon someone, then, is to set them apart for ministry. It must not be done hastily (cf. 3:10). Thorough investigation must precede ordination. To fail to do so leaves the church liable to share responsibility for the sins of others. Share translates koinoneō, the verb form of the common New Testament word for fellowship. Hasty ordination, without proper examination, makes those responsible culpable in the man’s sin. God’s chastening may be on a church not only for a leader’s sins, but also for the sins of those who failed to properly evaluate him.

By exercising proper caution in the matter of choosing pastors, Timothy would keep himself free from sin. Keep is from tereō, which means “to exercise watchful care.” The NASB translates hagnos as free from sin, but it literally means “pure,” or “honorable” (cf. 2 Cor. 7:11; Phil. 4:8; James 3:17). By not lifting up unqualified leaders, and thus avoiding participation in their sins, Timothy would remain pure.

Verse 23 is a personal note, a parenthetical aside to Timothy in which Paul clarifies his exhortation to purity in verse 22. By calling for Timothy to remain pure, Paul was not advocating a rigid asceticism. He did not want Timothy to injure his health, and so encouraged him to no longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments. Timothy had obviously committed himself to total abstinence from wine. He desired to be a model of spiritual virtue and never establish a pattern that could make someone assume a liberty that would destroy them (cf. Rom. 14:13-23; 1 Cor. 8:12-13). Paul instructed him not to let that commitment injure his health. Water in the ancient world was impure and the carrier of diseases such as dysentery. Paul’s advice to use a little wine would help safeguard Timothy’s health from the sickness-producing effects of polluted water. It was also in keeping with the medicinal use of wine in the ancient world. The Talmud, Hippocrates, Pliny, and Plutarch all spoke of the value of wine in countering stomach ailments caused by impure water (Gordon D. Fee, New International Biblical Commentary: I and 2 Timothy, Titus [Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 1988], 135). By advocating the temporary, curative use of wine, Paul does not ask Timothy to alter his commitment to the highest standard of behavior for leaders (cf. Num. 6:1-4; Prov. 31:4).

After the aside, Paul returns to his main emphasis of selecting elders. He gives four principles concerning that selection process.

First, the sins of some men are quite evident, going before them to judgment. Some are obviously unfit to serve as elders and can be rejected out of hand. Their sins are quite evident to all, and precede them to judgment. They rush in before them like heralds announcing their guilt in advance. The judgment in view here is not the final judgment, or the believers’ judgment. Rather, it refers to the church’s assessment of a man’s suitability to serve.

Second, for others, their sins follow after. Their sins are not evident beforehand, but come to light during the church’s assessment process. As R. C. H. Lenski put it, “Their sins march right into the meeting behind them and refuse to be left outside” (The Interpretation of St. Paul’s Epistles to the Colossians, to the Thessalonians, to Timothy, to Titus, and to Philemon [Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1964], 692).

Third, deeds that are good are quite evident. It is obvious from the quality of some men’s character that they are qualified to serve. A long discussion of their qualifications is thus unnecessary.

Finally, those which are otherwise cannot be concealed. The good deeds of some are not readily apparent. They cannot be concealed, however, and will come to light during the examination process. Such men will also be found qualified to serve as elders.

The church desperately needs qualified men to serve as pastors and elders. Their lives must meet the standards of 3:2-7, and their ministries those of 4:6-16. The church’s responsibility to them is to honor and protect them, rebuke those who sin, and, above all, to be very cautious in selecting them. If those four principles are implemented, the church will be well on its way to restoring a biblical eldership.