If Anyone is Above Reproach

Immorality is the mark of fallen creatures. However, Christ demands that pastors are to display lives above reproach, or a reputation without blame (Titus 1:6). Does the Scripture not teach that we are justified by faith alone and not by works (Ephesians 2:8-10)?

If Anyone...
Not just anyone is called by God to oversee His people. Paul tells Titus if anyone is, then listing both in positive terms and negative terms specific qualifications that a Christian must meet before being appointed as a pastor. Qualifications for pastors are not to be confused with biblical teaching of justification by grace alone through faith alone. A person can be saved and yet not meet the appropriate standards for being a pastor.

Paul lays out these qualifications for the pastor so that Christians know that this position is not to be held by just anyone who wants to lead. Churches that affirm the ordination of pastors simply based on an inward call or experience pervert the Scripture as expressed in Titus, and break the biblical command to local churches not to be hasty in laying on hands; or, as the ISV puts it, "Do not ordain anyone hastily" (I Timothy 5:22).

This flies in the face of cultural understandings of good leadership. Many modern churches are looking for charismatic leaders who will bring more people and, thus, more revenue and influence to the church. Our entertainment-driven culture votes for the next American Idol styled preacher not on content, but on likeability.

The local church is to hold their leadership to the qualifications outlined in Scripture, regardless of cultural understandings or man-made documents (Proverbs 3:5-8). This is Christ's church; thus, Christ has full authority in heaven and on earth to establish the structure of His church. The reason, Paul informs Titus, is to avoid error in the teachings of empty talkers and deceivers with hearts rebellious to the authority of Christ (Titus 1:10).

The Christ-Centered Pastor
There are true followers of Jesus Christ that struggle with many of the characteristics pastors are to avoid. This is why it is important for a pastor to display a mature faith in Christ Jesus: that the pastor would lead biblically for sinful people to follow. The pastor is to display for the people he leads the transformative power of the gospel of Jesus Christ that matures toward Christ-likeness, a "knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness" (Titus 1:1).

When I was in seminary, I desired simply to study to become a research professor. This occupation demands my attention on a few select areas of research and teaching, providing ample time to prepare for lessons for students.

The pastorate is not similar to academic work in this regard. Although I would contend that the pastor ought to be a scholar and a scholar can be a pastor, the pastor is called to wear many hats and be competent in God's Word regarding many topics. Furthermore, the pastor can be and will be called upon without warning to perform. Broken marriages, sudden death of a loved one, a congregant's struggle with a passage, and grievous public sins are all encountered by pastors and demand bold, biblical understanding without time to prepare.

This is important for understanding such strict qualifications for pastors. Any false teaching or major character flaw that contradicts the maturing power of the gospel of Jesus Christ could lead a whole congregation toward destruction. The pastor's counsel and teaching will breathe from the air of his doctrine, which is to be observed in his living and reputation within and outside the church.

Experienced Pastors
So, we might observe that Paul places the bar fairly high for pastors. However, Paul is not expecting perfection rather than that the man of God be an honorable man ("above reproach"). The very reason the local church is not to ordain men hastily is for the people of God to observe his life before appointing him as overseer.

Although there are no age limits mentioned, the pastor is not to be a recent convert and, taking the qualifications as a whole, not to be someone inexperienced in life. Paul tells Timothy not to let the congregation despise him for his youth (I Timothy 4:12). This of course means that the office of pastor is not simply for men long in the tooth, but Paul's mentioning this to Timothy and not as a rebuke to the congregation does seem to suggest that Timothy's youth was an exception rather than standard. Furthermore, Paul tells young Timothy in this same verse that he is to be held to a standard of his speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity.

When I applied to hundreds of vocational church positions in seminary, the overwhelming majority of pastor search committees turned me down due to a lack of experience. Although frustrating, I understand the hesitation. Many small congregations are searching for a pastor rather than a preacher, and some of them had a rough separation from their previous leader. For the local church to ordain an honorable man of good repute, he must have displayed these qualifications in Scripture already. Local churches are to trust this man's reputation of mature Christian living prior to entering his pastoral ministry.

The pastorate is to be a noble task joyfully desired, but remains a laborious task. He is to know his theology and actively practice theology. Thus, the pastorate is open only to such qualified men of Christian experience in maturity.

Public scandals of grievous immorality of church leaders intrigues a mocking world that waits to promote evidence to the falsity of the Christian faith and use this evidence to justify their unbelief. At the very least, such scandalous acts of immorality ought to serve as disqualifiers for the pastorate. This does not suggest a loss of salvation, but no longer meeting Christ's standards to lead a local church He heads.

This is a presidential election year. Often, I hear phrases such as, "the person's private life has nothing to do with how he will lead the country." However, the pastor is to be an honest man worthy of honor in his reputation. He is not perfect, but the man of God is not ashamed of the Word he diligently studies and is equipped by (I Timothy 2:15), displaying for the church and the world the moral character of a mature Christian.


Image Credit: Vincent Van Gogh, "Shepherd with a Flock of Sheep," Soumaya Museum, Mexico City

Praying for Power to Distrust Self

Today in my quiet time, I read from The Valley of Vision prayer entitled "The Infinite and the Finite." This line captivated me:
"Let me live a life of self-distrust..."
This prayer parallels Jeremiah 17, where the LORD says, "Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind" and "the heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick" (Jeremiah 17:5, 9). Our Savior instructs us, "out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders" (Matthew 15:19).

This worldview opposes what we are taught by our culture. Disney character Cinderella teaches us to "just follow your heart." The late Steve Jobs told college graduates that the "most important" thing to do is "have the courage to follow your heart and intuition." Yet, God tells us that our hearts are untrustworthy and wicked.

Self-distrust does not come naturally to sinful people. Such trust and such leaning on our our way of thinking and feeling about the world, people, and self is the corruption of our nature. The Word of God demands us to lay this trust entirely aside and be renewed in by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:22-24). Such a renewed mind is the good news of Jeremiah 17:7-8:

Blessed is the man who trusts in
     The LORD
And whose trust is the LORD.
For he will be like a tree planted
      by the water,
That extends its roots by a stream
And will not fear when the heat
      comes;
But its leaves will be green,
And it will not be anxious in a year
      of drought
Nor cease to yield fruit.

By grace through faith in Jesus Christ, we are blessed to trust not in our own heart nor be tossed by the winds of wisdom of this corrupt world, but our trust will be found in God. Our trust must not be found in the imperfect and temporary, but in the perfect and eternal. A heart that trusts in our majestic God trusts His eternal Word. As Isaiah 40:8 says, "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever." The wisdom of this world dries and shifts over time, but the Word of God is trustworthy and eternal.

May our gracious God renew our minds and hearts with His Word, not trusting in our own hearts nor allow us to reign over ourselves, but "teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom" (Psalm 90:12).

The Seat of Scoffers

My oldest son's memory verse for the week is Psalm 1:1-2 which reads,

Blessed is the man
   who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
   nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
   and on his law he meditates day and night. 

What stands out is this idea of sitting in the "seat of scoffers." I am struck that I have no mental images nor references to the meaning of this phrase. What is the Psalmist illustrating? In this entry, I would like to share with you what I have discovered from this oft quoted but rarely understood portion of Scripture.

With the understanding of Hebrew parallelism, you might see the grouping of the blessedness of avoiding walking, standing, and then finally sitting with those in rebellion against the LORD. The first two involves movement: walking in the advise or plan of wicked people or standing in the pathway of sinners. When Jesus states, "I am the way," our Lord is telling us that He is the way of wisdom. We walk, not in the advice and planning of worldly wickedness, but that of the Word of God to inform our walk in life. We stand in the path of wisdom that is Christ, not the worldly way of sinners.

However, this idea of sitting down on a seat belonging to scoffers seems like an inaction. Looking closely to the Hebrew, however, reveals a more active avoidance. The word "sits" is יָשָֽׁב (ya'shab), which literally means to be settled. You might imagine someone settling down into a chair. Yet, the word translated "seat" is  וּבְמוֹשַׁ֥ב  (ube-moe-woe-shab) is an active sense of sitting in a group or assembly. The dynamic seems to me to read "nor settles down in the seat of an assembly of scoffers."

This leads to "scoffers" from לֵ֝צִ֗ים  (leh-tzim). This is an act of mocking. These are people in the act of mocking. I might imagine a group of people on a bench mocking someone (with or without that person present). Do not settle down with them on that bench! The Septuagint uses the Greek word λοιμῶν (loiphone), which literally means "plagued people" or "diseased people." Scoffers are a diseased people equal to those "in devotion to sin" and "wicked" in the previous parallels.

Lastly, notice the delight of people. There is not a neutral ground in this passage. Either your delight is in the law or instruction of YHWH and you meditate on His Word every hour of your life, or you delight in the wicked crowds. Living is daily action. The way of wisdom is not "to get better" or "try harder," it is having a delight in the Word of God. Christianity is not simply found in the doing of religion, but is found in the delight of God and His Word. You cannot come to this by force of will, but by being born-again. Divine joy comes to those who avoid joining the wicked crowds but delights in God and His Word.

To Make Abortions More Rare

In our commonwealth legislature, two bills have been approved by the Senate Committee on Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection and have been sent to the full Senate for approval. These two bills aim at making abortion more rare. Senate Bill 102 defines the required counseling of "informed consent" to be in an "individual, private setting," or face-to-face. This bill will eliminate counseling via internet or telephone. Senate Bill 103 adds to the informed consent requirement prior to an abortion that requires an ultrasound.

According to the Center for Vital Statistics in Frankfort, Kentucky, between 1991 and 2009 there were 108,116 reported babies "aborted." That makes 29,616 Kentuckians are absent from the halls of high schools this year due to "abortion." 

This bill will likely pass the Republican majority in the Kentucky Senate. Much like the last time bills such as these arose, the Kentucky House of Representatives with a Democrat majority will be the battle between those on the pro-life and those pro-abortion. The challenge for simple action is to be informed and to communicate with those claiming to represent you.

For most in my flock, Henry County is represented by Rick Rand (D). E-mail him, send him a letter, call his office. He is given a 100% rating from Kentucky Right to Life, but as a Democrat he has influence on the rest of his party to vote in favor of both of these bills. If you do not know who your representative is, click here. 

This is simply an effort to make abortions more rare in the commonwealth of Kentucky. Please take some time out and be informed on the progress of these bills and to communicate to the legislature your attentiveness to these bills.

How Then Shall We Strive?

Jesus was asked if only a few people will enter the Kingdom of God. In Luke 13:24, Jesus responds by saying, "strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able to." Jesus tells us to strive to enter through the narrow door, which immediately draws upon the narrow path and gate illustration He uses in His closing on the Sermon on the Mount. How do we strive along the narrow path for the narrow door?

The word translated strive here is from the root word agónizomai, which is where we get the word agonize. To agonizingly contend with something requires an adversary, a focus of something to wrestle with. So, Jesus commands us to struggle with an adversary to enter the narrow door which leads to the Kingdom of God. Jesus tells us many people will seek to enter, but only those who seek and strive for the narrow door with enter.

It is not enough to merely seek. If we hold this idea of seeking up against Paul's lesson in Romans 3 where he informs us that no one seeks for God, we may suggest that this is a group of people seeking many things but none of which is God Himself. People seek for spiritual well-being, personal happiness, a purpose to life, perhaps even religion. Many modern churches in America have adjusted the environment of their congregation to be more "seeker-friendly." We must ask ourselves: what, exactly, are they seeking? Certainly not God. Now, perhaps what they are seeking is an opportunity to share the gospel with them. For example, a woman who lost her husband might seek for what the purpose was. She seeks for emotional healing, for assurance that everything will be okay without him. The gospel heals this wound, yes; more importantly, the gospel is the truth, even if she was NOT seeking God. The danger here is to orient a church around seekers rather than biblical truth. A local church is to be a fellowship of sinners changed by the Spirit of God assisting each other in their efforts of striving for the narrow door through the Word of God, not a group of happy people answering questions of seekers based on personal philosophy and opinion.

What is the adversary we are to agonizingly strive against? Proverbs 28:4 reads:
"Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,
but those who keep the law strive against them." (emphasis added)
The word for strive here is יִתְגָּ֥רוּ which is from גָּרָה, meaning to stir up strife, or to provoke. This does not mean that believers walk around looking for a fight with the wicked. However, this is a valuable word. This is not a passive walk with God toward the narrow gate. Our contention is with sin, and with the world that teaches lies. Everything in the world is held into question, and we are to strive against wickedness. This is also not about avoiding sin, simply suggesting that sin is only performed in commission. The sin of omission is also in play. We strive against doing the wrong thing, and likewise strive to do the right thing. We strive against wickedness and strive for the keeping of the law. We avoid wickedness, then we turn and love our neighbors as ourselves (see Luke 10:25-37).

To blend this with the previous article on false prophets, how then shall we strive as followers of Christ to avoid wickedness, to keep the Law of God, and to agonizingly struggle down the narrow path toward the narrow door? Does the advice from your friends, co-workers, family members, or other people in your life reflect this constant striving for the narrow door? Does your church and pastor join in more than friendly fellowship and do the hard work along with you striving toward the narrow door?