This paragraph essentially defines four areas
regarding the treatment of elders: how elders ought to be rewarded; how elders
ought to be defended; how elders ought to be disciplined and how elders ought
to be appointed.
How should elders or leaders be rewarded?
While verses 17-18 tell us how this should be done, Paul also took time to talk
about the role elders should play. They not only rule or lead the congregation
but also preach and teach them. Here we can conclude that elders are expected
to lead, shepherd, teach, ground and establish believers. Hence, Paul taught
that elders should be rewarded. As in previous usage, the word “honor” suggests
more than just showing respect; it implies remuneration as well. Hence, showing
honor is both giving respect as well as giving monetary reward. In talking
about elders who rule well, Paul was not comparing elders here. The emphasis
here is not so much on the word “rule” as it is on the word “well”. All elders
are expected to lead; however, there are those who excel. They should be
honored more. Underlying this is the idea that when a person is qualified to
take the office of an elder, he deserved to be honored. However, Paul was
saying that those who do it with excellence should be doubly rewarded. To
substantiate his argument that elders deserved to be rewarded, Paul quoted
Deuteronomy 25:4. If an ox that treads the grains is free to eat of the grains
it treads, how much more should the elders who provide spiritual nourishment be
worthy of reward.
In verse 19, Paul then turned to the issue of
defending elders. Paul wants the honor of elders to be protected. There would
be times when an elder would be accused of impropriety in the line of his duty.
Certain times accusations would be true while other times they would be
unfounded. In situations where frivolous and unfounded accusations are hurled
at elders, the matter should be handled correctly and fairly. Using Biblical
standards prescribed by God, Paul said that unless two or three witnesses could
substantiate such an accusation brought against any elder, it should not be
entertained. Thankfully, we are also showed how wayward elders ought to be
dealt with. While an elder with unfounded accusation should be protected, one guilty
of continual sin must be disciplined. Sin should not be immunized or condoned,
elder or not. So in verses 20-21, Paul laid down the discipline that must be
meted out. He said that elders, who continued to perpetrate a sin, should be
rebuked, reproved and corrected openly. The process should be done openly as a
public example for all, so that others would not fall into the same error.
This, he advocated, should be done fairly and without bias because it is a
serious matter, and God, Jesus Christ our Lord, and even selected angels, would
be watching over the whole event.
Finally in verse 22, Paul dealt with the
appointment of elders. He said that it should not be done hastily. Wanting to
make sure that the right people were appointed as elders, Paul suggested here
that an elder must be carefully chosen. In referring to the laying on of hands,
Paul was talking about ordination. So here he is saying that to prevent wrong
people from being appointed into as elders, the church must avoid hasty
ordination. A person ought to be carefully examined and proven before a
leadership position is entrusted to him. Timothy was told not to ordain a
person hurriedly. This would help him to avoid the sin of ordaining an
unsuitable person to leadership. All candidates ought to be properly evaluated
so as not to install an unqualified one. Verse 23 suggests that Timothy was
avoiding wine. It could be due to a pledge he had made to abstain from it for
the sake of ministry. Paul probably wanted Timothy to know that his call for
him to be free from sin (verse 22) had nothing to do with the consumption of
wine. His instruction was to keep him from the sin of carelessly appointing
people to be elders. So here he gave him a side instruction. Wine is thought to
have medicinal value. Since Timothy had a frail body and was prone to fall ill
frequently, Paul instructed him to drink a little wine. He also told him that a
little wine would do well to his stomach too.
In verses 24-25, Paul was giving other
instructions relating to the appointing of elders. Essentially, these two
verses reveal that people ought to be evaluated as to their suitability for
elders. In referring to judgment (verse 24), Paul was talking about the process
whereby the candidates for being elders were being evaluated. Here he said that
some people’s sins would be obvious for everyone to see even before the
assessment. The others, whose sins trail behind them, is referring to people
whose sins could only be detected with careful evaluation.
What is the implication of it all? Paul is
calling for care to be taken to ensure that inappropriate people would not be
appointed as elders. In verse 25, Paul said that some are obviously fit to be elders.
Just as some whose sins would be obvious, there would be others whose good
works would be obvious too. This sort of people would clearly fit the bill for
elders. Even for those whose good deeds were not obvious, through the
evaluation process, their good deeds could be detected too.
Elders should know their roles and fulfill
them. And the church must support and honor them. And when they are guilty of
wrong doing they should be dealt with so that any wrong could be set right.
What’s important is that care ought to be taken to ensure that only qualified
people with right character be appointed to leadership.
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