1 Tim

1 Tim. 3:1-7

8/10/2008

“If Anyone Aspires to the Office of Overseer”

We have been considering how precious the church is to God. We know this by what and how generously God has given to the church. We have seen that God has given us His only begotten Son as its foundation and as its Head and Lord; God has given us the Holy Spirit; God has given us the Word. Last week we saw how God has given us the elders as Christ’s under-shepherds. In all this, we see the preeminence of Christ, how all these gifts are related to His work of redemption. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ, who is given to exalt Christ. The Word is given to make us wise unto salvation through faith in Jesus Christ and to equip us for every good work in the likeness of Jesus Christ, who is the true Man of God. The elders are given as the under-shepherds of the chief Shepherd of the sheep, Jesus Christ. Today we will see how Jesus Christ gifts the church with elders.

Here Paul affirms the office of overseer (that is, the office of elder) as a noble task. “Elder” is a generic term, which includes both teaching elders and ruling elders. Teaching elders are pastors and ruling elders are those we know as elders. Pastors are elders as well and they share the same work and authority of ruling elders. But pastors are called teaching elders because they specialize in teaching the Word of God, both through preaching and teaching in various ways. Paul calls the office of overseer a noble task. This is how our denomination’s Book of Church Order gives a helpful summary of Scripture’s teaching on the office of elder:

“This office is one of dignity and usefulness. The man who fills it has in Scripture different titles expressive of his various duties. As he has the oversight of the flock of Christ, he is termed bishop [which is the same word that is translated in our passage as “overseer”] or pastor. As it is his duty to be grave and prudent, an example to the flock, and to govern well in the house and Kingdom of Christ, he is termed presbyter or elder. As he expounds the Word, and by sound doctrine both exhorts and convinces the gainsayer, he is termed teacher. These titles do not indicate different grades of office, but all describe one and the same office” (BCO, 8-1).

The nobility of the office ultimately lies in Jesus Christ. The BCO states in its preface,

“Jesus, the Mediator, the sole Priest, Prophet, King, Saviour, and Head of the Church, contains in Himself, by way of eminency, all the offices in His Church, and has many of their names attributed to Him in the Scriptures. He is Apostle, Teacher, Pastor, Minister, Bishop and the only Lawgiver in Zion.”

We saw last week that Jesus is the chief Shepherd and the elders are His under-shepherds. In the same vein, we can say that Jesus is the true and ultimate Elder and the elders are His sous-elders (as in sous chef). Serving as an elder is a noble task because Jesus is the true Elder and an elder serves as a representative of that true, perfect Elder. We can say of all our vocations that they are noble tasks insofar as God has called us to them. We are to engage in our vocations as unto God. But Paul takes pains to point out specifically that the office of overseer is a noble task, which he does not do with other worldly vocations. This should not be so difficult to understand: while God loves the world with His common grace, making His sun rise on the evil and on the good and sending rain on the just and on the unjust (Matt. 5:45), God loves His church so much more with His special grace because He purchased it with His precious blood. If God loves the world because He created it with His almighty power, God loves the church all the more because He purchased it with the precious blood of His only begotten Son. So then, the task of overseeing and taking care of the church of God is a noble task in a greater sense, indeed!

It should not surprise us, then, that Paul gives a list of qualifications for this noblest task of all. We will spend some time going through this list in the coming weeks. But the question I would like to raise is this: “Who is to determine whether someone actually meets the qualifications?” This may sound like a strange question to ask. Your answer would be, “Of course, the members of the respective congregation!” Spoken like true citizens of a republic. The question is whether that is the biblical way. Lynn was once asked by one of his friends (a Baptist of all people!) concerning this point. He pointed out to Lynn that, in the New Testament times, elders were appointed rather than elected. In fact, Paul tells Titus in 1:5, “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you….” And we also read in Acts 14:23, “And when they [that is, Paul and Barnabas, 14:20] had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.”

So, have we compromised the biblical, apostolic practice of appointing elders for the democratic ideals of the modern era? If we want to be faithful, should we forgo with the election process and have the pastor(s) appoint elders? I hope you are saying to yourselves, “That doesn’t sound right!” But why? Is it because it rubs our democratic convictions in a wrong way? But surely, we are not Christian because the Bible affirms democracy and capitalism, because its teaching suits our taste and sensibility! The Bible must not be used as just another thing that affirms our convictions and lifestyle. It has to be the other way round: it is we, who must be crucified and changed and conform to the Word of God.

If we elect elders, it is not because the Bible affirms democracy and democracy is biblical. The Bible has its own reasons. Take a look at Acts 6. As many of you know, there we have the appointment of seven men, who were chosen to assist the Apostles so that the Apostles might be able focus on the ministry of the Word and prayer. But how were they appointed? We read in Acts 6:3, “Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.” Do you see what Peter says there? It was the Apostles, who appointed the seven men. Very significantly, the word used here for “appoint” is the same word that is used Tit. 1:5 (kaqi,sthmi), which is a summary of Paul’s instruction for Titus to appoint elders in every town. As George W. Knight, III, points out, “Similarly in Acts 14 Paul and Barnabas do what Paul is asking Titus to do here, and the verb used is ceirotone,w, which could be rendered either ‘lay hands on’ or ‘ordain’” (The Pastoral Epistles, NIGTC, p. 288). So then, appointing elders in the New Testament does not mean a unilateral action by the Apostles or pastors. Rather, it is the final act of instating someone as an elder by laying on of hands (i.e., ordination). The elder candidate, thus ordained by laying on of hands, was picked out from among the members by the members themselves, as Peter prescribed in Acts 6:3.

Is this all just some common-sense approach to electing church officers? But think about how radical this idea must have been at that time! The ancient Greeks, most prominently the Athens, had a democratic polity for their city state. But the Romans did not adopt that form of polity. By the time the New Testament church began, the Roman Republic transitioned into the Roman Empire. Certainly the common folk did not participate in choosing their leaders as we do in this country. Did Paul somehow find out about the democratic polity of Athens and decide that the church should adopt that form of government? Probably not. What we have to keep in mind is that Paul was not providing directives for a commonwealth, for a democratic nation. Paul’s concerns were with the church of Jesus Christ, which is an expression of the kingdom of God.

How the Apostolic church elected its elders was radical not just in its social, historical context but also in its redemptive historical context. Think about the covenant officers--prophets, priests and kings. Were they elected by people? No! They were unilaterally appointed by God, if not directly, then, by lineage (as in the case of priests and kings), which God ordained. This was so because Israel was a theocracy, an expression of the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is no ordinary kingdom of an ordinary king. This is the kingdom of God! We are talking about a king without a parliament, without other independent tribunals and branches of the government to balance his power. God is the Sovereign in the most absolute sense of the term. He rules alone. He is accountable to no one. And His control extends to every aspect of our being and life. They say, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” That is so true of man, especially of fallen man. But God is no mere man. He is no fallen creature. He is good and just and righteous and holy in the most absolute and perfect and impeccable sense. We have no cause whatsoever to fear that He would do anything that is shady or corrupt. It is not Him we have to worry about. It is us and our own corruption that we have to worry about. For all men will be judged according to the perfect righteousness of God. In such a kingdom, where God is the absolute Sovereign, it is God, who calls people into His service.

So then, can there be any place of election in the kingdom of God, in the church of Jesus Christ? There is, but not according to the humanistic ideals of democracy. Then on what basis? Think about the first “election” that the church held in Acts 6. This was the first election in the history of redemption. What brought about this change? The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, leading to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. You see what is going on here? Now that the people of God have the regenerating, sanctifying, enabling and enlightening presence of the Holy Spirit, they can be entrusted with the task of nominating and electing their overseers in the name of God according to His will! The election process in the church testifies to the great honor and privilege that have been bestowed upon the people of God, to the presence of the Holy Spirit in God’s people. We can vote and elect God’s servants because we have been given the Spirit of God! And so, when we vote for elders, what should be at the forefront of our mind is not whether we like someone or not, whether he is close to us or not, or whatever standard or preference we may have, but the will of God. We are choosing elders on behalf of God, in the name of God. Therefore, we should choose elders prayerfully, according to His will. That is why God provided a list of qualifications for elders!

But what about those who aspire to the office of elder? As we mentioned before, it is a noble task--a noblest task, quite possibly. For there is no greater privilege than to serve the one and only true God. Not all secretaries have the same honor, do they? Isn’t there a difference between working for the CEO of a Fortune 500 company and for a small business of 10 employees, between working for a Mafia boss and for Mother Teresa, even according to the worldly standard? If so, the privilege of serving the exalted God of heaven and earth--how can we measure it? That kind of privilege cannot be sought out and acquired by people; it must be granted by the King. Just survey the Old Testament and see how many instances there are, in which people volunteered for any office! You will have a very difficult time. On the other hand, you will encounter case after case, in which those that were called into His service expressed hesitation on account of their sense of unworthiness (e.g., Gideon, Saul, Jeremiah and even Moses).

This is quite a foreign picture to us, isn’t it? In this culture of “American Idol” and Donald Trump’s “Apprentice”, it seems like we have no shortage of inflated egos that are made of “unpoppable” illusion, indestructible, deluded self-confidence. Maybe we should not be surprised when we as a culture idolize self-esteem to the point of ignoring even the most sensible, realistic assessments. Compliments and positive reinforcements are the only acceptable way of teaching. We may laugh at the puffed up egos of the wanna-be American idols and Donald’s next apprentice but can we say that we are free from their follies when we are so loath to receive any reproofs and corrections? Why do many pastors avoid talking about sins and consider it a pastoral taboo to even mention sin in their preaching? Isn’t it because many complain about it? They want their ears of high self-esteem tickled. Any talk of sin is too unpalatable. But if we ignore the reality of sin, where is the goodness of the good news? How do you preach Christ crucified if we ignore sin? And if we strip Christ of the cross, if we strip Christianity of Christ crucified, what do we have left? Gone are the days when Christians wondered how a holy God can love wretched sinners like us. Now we wonder how a loving God can be offended with us and send anyone to hell for sin. We have turned God into an effeminate, spineless sop, who is grateful for whatever we do for Him--whatever time, whatever change we can spare to donate to His cause.

And quite often it is the churches themselves that perpetuate and even promote such an image of God. They do so because they are often in need of workers for many of its functions and services. It is said that, in most of the churches, ninety percent of the church’s work is done by only ten percent of its members. You can see how the ten percent can get spread too thin and overworked, how the church can be held back in so many ways and as a result barely survives. In such a perennial, dire need, many churches end up accepting whoever happens to volunteer for many of its needed services. All that they ask of the people is that they are willing and available. Willingness and availability are important but the two should not be the only qualifications considered. Why? Because the church is an expression of the kingdom of God! And God is not one of those bell-ringing, ho-ho-hoing Santa Clauses, nodding his head and accepting with a smile whatever change people are willing to spare. Oh, what happened to the glory of our God, who deserves the highest and utmost honor and praise and worship and adoration that we can give and infinitely more?

How dare we volunteer for the service of God, especially for the positions of honor and authority in the kingdom of God? It is one thing to volunteer for the lowliest and most menial jobs that nobody wants to do, like cleaning up the bathrooms. Even then, we must do it with a sense of great privilege. For nothing we do for the Lord is in vain: it will be rewarded according to the riches of His goodness. So the Psalmist confessed, “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness” (Ps. 84:10). That is so especially because we are guilty sinners before a holy God: “Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in His holy place” (Ps. 24:3)? If so, how can we ever volunteer for a position of honor and authority in the kingdom of God? It is not something that is open for anyone to grab, especially for guilty sinners. One must be called by the King Himself. When James and John’s mother asked Jesus to grant her two sons the honored seat at His right hand and left hand, Jesus replied, “[T]o sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father” (Matt. 20:23). Here Jesus spoke in the humility of His human nature to emphasize His point: the position of honor is not something we can ask for or work for; it must be granted by God Himself.

Then how do we know that we are called to be an officer in the church? This is a question I get quite often. “Pastor James, how did you know that you were called to be a pastor?” I grew up in a semi-charismatic church. The gifts of tongues and prophecy were not promoted but they were certainly acknowledged. And it was not rare to hear testimonies of hearing God’s voice. Many pastors and missionaries had such stories of God directly and verbally commissioning them.

Does God still call us with an audible voice? That would make life simple, wouldn’t it? But notice: Paul does not include in the list of qualifications hearing the voice of God. This is all the more remarkable when we consider the fact that the letter was written during the apostolic era, an era of signs and wonders and God’s direct revelation through the Apostles! But Paul knew that the Apostolic era was coming to an end and he had to prepare the church for the post-apostolic times. That was one crucial reason that he was giving Timothy written instructions for the governing of the church. And Paul prefaces the elder qualifications list with these words: “If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task” (v. 1).

It is not that God does not call His servants. The principle of God’s kingdom still stands: those, who would serve God, especially in positions of authority, must be called by the King and thus granted the authority. Can you imagine someone appointing himself as a U.S. Ambassador to a foreign country? What would you do if a person showed up at your door and without any certification claimed to an IRS agent and demanded your taxes? If that is ridiculous in this republic of ours, it is all the more unimaginable in the kingdom of God! And our God the King would never relinquish His right and authority to call and appoint His servants to their respective post. But the question here is how God calls His servants.

We must recognize the significance of God directly calling His servants, especially in the case of the prophets. The prophets were called as instruments of God’s self-revelation. Understandably to be certain of their calling was crucial to carry out that special, extraordinary task. So God called them directly.

But there is another perspective we must consider: the relationship between the Old Testament church and the New Testament church. Insofar as the New Testament church received the fuller revelation, it is considered more mature than the Old Testament church. So Paul describes the Old Testament church as a child under a guardian (Gal. 3:25). The New Testament church, on the other hand, has grown out of childhood into greater maturity. How does this relate to the way God calls His servants? Here is what I mean. Children need to be told exactly what to do: clean up your room; brush your teeth and wash your face; this is right and that is wrong. So we can almost laugh when a child uses the marker to draw on the carpet because we told him not to draw on the wall! But as children grow up, we expect more. We don’t just tell them what to do but why they should do it. We don’t just tell them the right answers but why they are right because we want our children to grow into thinking beings, maturing in wisdom, not automatons simply reciting the right answers. As they grow older, we want them to take greater initiative--to do things before they are told, to understand the rationale and purpose of their task so that, even when unexpected twists and obstacles come in their way, they can complete the task. We want them to understand our heart, not just what we say. Isn’t that what a mature relationship is about, understanding the heart of the other person, not just their words?

God wants us to mature in wisdom. To grow in wisdom, we cannot be just told the right answers--what to do, where to live, what job to get, what person to marry, etc. But what is the point of getting the answers right if we don’t understand why that is so? What is the point of doing what God wants us to do if we have no understanding of God’s heart? Jesus said in John 15:15, “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” God has given us the Holy Spirit. That means we no longer belong to childhood. We are no longer ignorant servants. We are God’s friends! Gone are the days of Urim and Thumim, through which God used to give yes and no answers. Gone are the times when God has to tell us directly whom He wants as elders. Instead we are told, “If anyone aspires to the office of overseer….” This is how Paul describes what we understand to be “the internal call”. God does not directly tell us, “I want you to be an elder.” But He has given us His Spirit and His word. As we read through the Word, as we serve in the church, as we examine ourselves, God may use them to stir up our hearts to serve as an elder. Not for the charm of authority and honor but for charm of Jesus Christ, the true Elder. Not for any benefit that may be gained from the office but in spite of all the sacrifices we may have to bear for the sake of Jesus Christ and His flock. Because we are touched and transformed by the heart of the true Elder, Jesus Christ.

This internal call is to be more than just a temporary outburst of desire. He who has this desire must see whether he meets the qualifications laid out by God Himself in His Word. Even then, the final decision is not left to his own reflection but to the Spirit-indwelling, Spirit-filled people of God. So then, both he who aspires to the office of overseer and those elect their overseers must prayerfully seek the will of God. In doing so, we all are never to lose sight of the fact that we are acting on behalf of God--that is, if we bind on earth, it will be bound in heaven and, if we loose on earth, it will be loosed in heaven! When we elect someone as an elder, we are affirming that God has called him to be an elder. This is what we call the “external call”. As the candidate has to be moved by his sense of internal call, when the church affirms his desire to serve as an elder, it is God, who is extending His external call through the church! What an awesome thought! How can we not pray when we think about such an honor to be entrusted with so great a privilege and responsibility! May we never forget who we are in Jesus Christ!

I hope that all men here will aspire to the office of overseer because you have been touched and ministered to by the true Elder, Jesus Christ. But I would like to encourage all of you to aspire to the work of God. Whether you have an official position or not should not be the most important thing. Billy Graham supposedly said that God rewards not just fruitfulness but also faithfulness. If all our callings come from God, what position or title we hold makes no difference to God. All that matters to God is that we are faithful to His calling wherever He places us. I hope God would grant to each and every one of us a burning desire to serve Him, whatever the task. That desire may very well be God’s internal call, calling you by name to serve the greatest, the noblest, the worthiest, the most glorious and the most generous and loving King of all! And let us not forget that, when each of us was baptized and made a member of Christ’s church, the external call has already been extended to us for the work of service to build up the body of Jesus Christ! What is the role, what is the task, to which God has called you in our church? Have we been faithful?

To that end, I hope that you would aspire, more than anything else, to know God and His will, to be competent in the things of God, to know the heart of God as His friend! For God has called you not as slaves but as His friends to know the heart of God for you, for His church, for His kingdom and for the world. There is something glorious about knowing the heart of God, isn’t there? Everyone longs for a soul mate. Why? Because, when there is that unity of kindred spirit, something profound is happening there. Imagine having that sense of kindred spirit with God. There is something so glorious, so comforting, so empowering and encouraging about knowing the heart of God. I hope all of us would come to know and experience that intimate union with God.

But there is something quite costly about knowing the heart of God as His friend. Remember Abraham? One of the two individuals, who were known as a friend of God in the Old Testament. God told him to sacrifice his son, his only son, Isaac. Why? Because, as His friend, God wanted Abraham to know His heart, the pain of sacrificing His son, His only begotten Son! So Abraham had to journey for three days to Mount Moriah to sacrifice Isaac as God allowed His Son to remain in the grave until the third day. If you are enthralled by God, if you recognize that God has called you as His friend, know that God wants you to share His glory and His joy and He will give you ample opportunities to experience them. But there will also come the pain of your loving God, who had to sacrifice His only begotten Son for us. I hope that you are so enthralled by the surpassing glory of God that you will consider the sufferings of Christ so much better than the riches of this world. I pray that this church will be filled with friends of God, who, because they understand His heart, love and care for His church as God does, who do not wait until they are told to do what needs to be done in the church, for one another. May we serve our worthy God in the only way acceptable, not with our spare time and change only but with our utmost and best, with our all! For it is Christ, who is at work to stir up our hearts to aspire to the work of God!