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CHARACTERISTICS OF ELDERS

1 TIMOTHY 3:1-7, TITUS 1:5-9, 1 PETER 5:1-6, ACTS 20:28-32

I. INTRODUCTION

A. The Above Passages Mention Characteristics Or Qualities That Elders Should Have. It Is Interesting To Note That

The Majority Of These Characteristics Are Mentioned In Other Parts Of The N.T. As Qualities That All Christians

Should Have.

B. An Elder Should Be A Christian Man That Is Mature In Every Sense Of The Term; He Is No Longer A Young Man

And Has Proven, By His Example, That He Is Capable Of Being A Shepherd Of The People Of God.

I. ACCORDING TO 1 TIMOTHY 3:1-7, AN ELDER IS:

NASV	RSV	NIV
1. Above reproach	Above reproach	Above reproach
2. Husband of one wife	Husband of one wife	Husband of but one wife
3. Temperate	Temperate	Temperate
4. Prudent	Sensible	Self-controlled
5. Respectable	Dignified	Respectable
6. Hospitable	Hospitable	Hospitable
7. Able to teach	Able to teach	Able to teach
8. Not addicted to wine	Not a drunkard	Not given to drunkenness
9. Not pugnacious	Not quarrelsome	Not quarrelsome
10. Not contentious	Not violent	Not violent
11. Gentle	Gentle	Gentle
12. Free from the love of money	Not a lover of money	Not a lover of money
13. One who manages his own household well	One who manages his own household well	One who manages his own family well
14. One who keeps his children under control with all dignity	One who keeps his children submissive and respectful in every way	One who sees that his children obey him with proper respect
15. Not a new convert	Not a recent convert	Not a recent convert
16. One who has a good reputation with those outside the church	Well thought of by outsiders	One who has a good reputation with outsiders

II. ADDITIONALLY, ACCORDING TO TITUS 1:5-9, AN ELDER:

NASV	RSV	NIV
1. Has children who believe and are not accused of dissipation or rebellion	Has children who are believers and are not open to the charge of being profligate or insubordinate	Is a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient
2. Is not self-willed	Is not arrogant	Is not over-bearing
3. Is not quick-tempered	Is not quick-tempered	Is not quick-tempered
4. Is not fond of sordid gain	Is not greedy for gain	Is one who is not pursuing dishonest gain
5. Loves what is good	Is a lover of goodness	Is one who loves what is good
6. Is just and devout	Is upright and holy	Is upright and holy
7. Holds fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching	Holds firm to the sure word as taught	Must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught
8. Is able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict	Is able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to confute those who contradict it	Is able to encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it

IV. APPLICATION FOR THE CHURCH

When brothers are being considered for the work of an elder (bishop or pastor-shepherd), one must remember that these lists

do not represent a list of laws as such. With regard to almost all of the characteristics, one must seek and exercise wisdom in

order to "evaluate" the brother. For example: "able to teach." How does one decide what "able" means?

It is important to remember that while there are guidelines, there are no perfect brothers. The Lord wants faithful and mature brothers as shepherds of His family, the church.

MEMORY VERSE - ACTS 20:28

QUESTIONS - LESSON 2

1. T F It is always easy to decide if a brother is "able to teach."

2. What characteristic of an elder is the most important - in your opinion?

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