Wenstrom Bible Ministries Marion, Iowa Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom wenstrom

1. Wenstrom Bible MinistriesMarion, IowaPastor-Teacher Bill Wenstromwww.wenstrom.org

2. Thursday April 14, 20111 Timothy: 1 Timothy 3:2-Paul Lists Seven Of Fifteen Qualifications That Must Be Met By Those Men Who Aspire To The Office Of OverseerLesson # 53

3. Please turn in your Bibles to 1 Timothy 3:1.

4. Now, in 1 Timothy 3:2, Paul lists seven of fifteen qualifications for those men who aspire to the office of overseer.

5. 1 Timothy 3:1 It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do.

6. 2 An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,

7. 3 not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money.

8. 4 He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity

9. 5 (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?),

10. 6 and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil.

11. 7 And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. (NASU)

12. Paul feels the need to present these qualifications in order to help the church regain its credibility because certain pastors who he rebukes in chapter 1 were negligent in fulfilling their duties and were teaching false doctrine and consequently their character and behavior was terrible and ungodly.

13. Therefore, Paul is calling these apostate pastors back to adhering to these godly standards and to remind those who weren’t apostate of the importance of maintaining their godly character and being an example to the flock of Christ-likeness.

14. 1 Timothy 3:2 An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach. (NASU)

15. “An overseer, then, must be above reproach” is composed of the inferential conjunction oun (οὖν) (oon), “then” and the accusative masculine singular form of the noun episkopos (ἐπίσκοπος) (eh-pee-skopoce), “an overseer”

16. and the third person singular present active indicative form of the verb dei (δεῖ) (thee), “must” and the and the present active infinitive form of the verb eimi (εἰμί) (ee-mee), “be” and the accusative masculine singular form of the adjective anepilemptos (ἀνεπίλημπτος) (ahna-peelee-toce), “above reproach.”

17. The inferential conjunction oun is introducing a statement that draws an inference from verse 1, which affirms the importance of the office of overseer to the body of Christ.

18. It emphasizes the connection between the list of qualifications in verses 2-7 with the office indicating these qualifications are commensurate with the importance of the office.

19. Episkopos is a compound word composed of the preposition epi, “over, upon” and the noun skopos, “one who watches,” hence, “one who watches over someone.”

20. The term means “guardian, overseer, supervisor, superintendent.”

21. Here it is used to describe those with the spiritual gift of pastor-teacher and emphasizes the pastor-teacher’s role as the protector of the souls of his congregation by teaching them sound doctrine and refuting false doctrine that originates from the cosmic system of Satan.

22. The Scriptures teach that the pastor-teacher, i.e. the overseer fulfills this office by fulfilling four responsibilities that are the means by which he tends and shepherds the flock of God: (1) Study (2 Tim. 2:15) (2) Teach (1 Tim. 4:13) (3) Pray (Acts 6:1-4). (4) Exemplify the Christian way of life (1 Timothy 4:12; 2 Timothy 3:10).

23. The episkopos is responsible for the protective care of the spiritual life of his congregation.

24. He is to keep watch over their souls through the consistent daily communication of the Word of God, which roots out any false doctrine that has invaded the souls of his congregation from contact with the cosmic system.

25. Hebrews 13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you. (NASU)

26. The verb dei denotes an absolute must indicating that “it is absolutely imperative” that the man who aspires to the office of overseer possess certain characteristics which are listed in verses 2-7.

27. The verb eimi means “to be” in the sense of possessing a particular characteristic and indicates that it is absolutely imperative that the man who aspires to the office of overseer “possess certain characteristics.”

28. The adjective anepilemptos is a summary statement that means “irreproachable character” and refers to a general assessment of a man’s maturity and reputation (Swindoll, page 56).

29. It describes a person who “affords nothing that an adversary could use as the basis for an accusation, one against whom it is impossible to bring any charge of wrong doing such as could stand impartial examination, one who cannot be laid hold of, irreproachable.”

30. The man who aspires to the office of overseer must not afford anything that an adversary could use as the basis for an accusation.

31. It must be impossible to bring any charge of wrongdoing that could withstand impartial examination.

32. The word does not imply sinless perfection on the part of the man who aspires to the gift of pastor-teacher.

33. The term refers to a man who has integrity of character so that no one can lay hold upon anything in his life, which would be of such a nature as to cast reproach upon the cause of the Lord Jesus Christ.

34. “Husband of one wife” indicates that the man who aspires to the office of overseer must be a one woman man and not a polygamist.

35. This phrase does not mean that if a man is not married he cannot assume this office since Paul and Timothy were both unmarried.

36. This phrase speaks of a life-long commitment to one woman and does not forbid remarriage after a death or divorce since Moses divorced and remarried.

37. This expression emphasizes the avoidance of any sexual immorality on the part of the overseer and denotes that if he is married he must be faithful to his wife.

38. “Temperate” is the accusative masculine singular form of the noun nephalios (νηφάλιος) (nee-fahleeoce), which indicates that the man with the spiritual gift of pastor-teacher who aspires to the office of overseer must be level-headed, temperate, shows moderation in all things, and is sober in his thinking.

39. Thus, he is one who employs doctrinal rationales to solve problems and whose soul is influenced by God the Holy Spirit, therefore, it is used here as a synonym for the filling of the Spirit.

40. Nephaleos describes the man who is “sober and rational in his thinking, level-headed and temperate” because he is influenced by the Spirit.

41. Ephesians 5:18 And do not permit yourselves to get into the habit of being drunk with wine because that is non-sensical behavior, but rather permit yourselves on a habitual basis to be influenced by means of the Spirit. (My translation)

42. “Prudent” is the accusative masculine singular form of the adjective sophron (σώφρων) (soe-frone), which refers to one who is of sound mind, one who has control over their emotions and desires and is wise from the application of the Word of God.

43. It denotes one who uses discretion, and has self-control, and discipline, thus one who is wise because one is under the influence of the Spirit.

44. “Respectable” is the accusative masculine singular form of the adjective kosmios (κόσμιος) (koez-me-oce), which denotes a person who fulfills his duties incumbent on his place and order (operates in his spiritual gift) as a member of the royal family of God.

45. It speaks of the pastor as one who must be disciplined through enforced and genuine humility resulting from right priorities in life, thus one who has virtue.

46. “Hospitable” is the accusative masculine singular form of the adjective philoxenos (φιλόξενος) (feelee-oex-eh-noce), which expresses the idea of meeting the needs of displaced members of the body of Christ through one’s own financial means or even opening one’s home to them.

47. It describes the man who has the gift of pastor-teacher who is willing to open his home to other members of the royal family of God in order to teach them.

48. In the first century, born-again believers met in homes and not in large buildings as they do today, therefore, the pastor-teacher had to be willing to open his home to strangers, who were unbelievers and needed the gospel, and to believers who needed the Word of God taught to them.

49. “Able to Teach” is composed of the accusative masculine singular form of the adjective didaktikos (διδακτικός) (thee-thack-thee-koce), which means “skillful in teaching, able and apt to teach or instruct.”

50. The word’s usage in the Pastoral Epistles suggests or implies that the man with the spiritual gift of pastor-teacher and aspires to the office of overseer must be willing and able to not only teach but also to refute errors or accurately answer questions (cf. Titus 1:9).