“To what degree must a brother conform to the requirements for an elder found in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9 before he can serve in that capacity? None of us here in our assembly feel we measure up.”
The standards of Scripture urge us to strive after perfection. For example, children are to obey their parents in “all things” (not just some) and bondservants are exhorted to obey their masters to a similar degree. Yet James reminds us that “we all stumble in many things” (Jas. 3:2, nkjv). Is any degree of failure permissible in those aspiring to do the work of an overseer?
No one who loves the Lord and is worthy to serve as an elder will want to use the above quotation from James as a blanket to throw over some frequently repeated sin or failure. Yet we may draw an analogy from what is expected of children and bondservants. A child may characteristically be obedient or a servant generally apt to comply with his master’s wishes. Would one incident in which they failed to live up to their usual standard mean that the child deserves a severe penalty or the servant should be dismissed? Surely not.
PUBLIC IMAGE
On the other hand, a man’s public image must be considered: “he must have a good testimony among those who are outside” (1 Tim. 3:7). One sin can be serious enough to bring reproach on the Lord’s name for years to come. Yes, the assembly is a place to demonstrate love and forgiveness, but a forgiven sin may nevertheless disqualify one from being installed or reinstated as a leader. A truly repentant saint who has fallen grievously will not be one to push himself forward in any case. And discreet service to others is always open to every believer willing to serve without public recognition—until the Judgment Seat.
But in the matter of recognizing elders, we need the approval of others here on earth. Self-commendation is not the answer. We are too inclined to overlook our own faults to qualify as our own judges, and a brother who pushes himself forward and insists that he be recognized as an overseer only shows that he is unfit for the task.
DON’T LOWER THE STANDARDS
There are too few qualified to serve as shepherds among God’s people. Nevertheless, we must not tamper with God’s Word and lower our standards because of the need. Let those who aspire to this noble work remember how demanding those qualifications are and seek by grace to live up to them. The standards are really not as unattainable as some seem to imagine. Is it so hard to be the husband of only one wife, to have the respect of your children, and to be hospitable? With all the grace that is available to us, cannot we keep ourselves from indulging in wine or being covetous? And if we cannot attain perfection in some things, should it not be obvious that this is nonetheless worth striving for?
To sum up: Don’t tamper with the standard because it seems to demand perfection. Those humbly aspiring to eldership will recognize their shortcomings but not be complacent about them. Like the apostle Paul, they will be “reaching forward…pressing toward the goal” (Php. 3:13f). Above all things, let us not measure ourselves by what we see is accepted in other assemblies, but instead by His Word.