Elders And Other Christians -Those Elders Again
There is one epithet that will never be suitable for an elder's tomb. That is, "At Rest." Long after he has departed, the brethren will still be having heated discussions about him and his qualifications.
At no point do I wish to be understood as minimizing the qualifications of an elder. He must be an outstanding Christian because of the responsibility which he bears, and the fact that qualifications were given means that God intends for men to respect them. However, some have magnified the qualifications to the degree that neither men nor angels can meet them.
God gave us a perfect pattern for a perfect church, but who knows of even one perfect church? The church at Corinth was very far from being perfect. God gave us a perfect pattern for a perfect Christian, but where is the perfect Christian? It would be the very embodiment of imperfection to claim to be one. God gave us a perfect pattern for a perfect elder, but where is the perfect elder? Because we cannot find men to meet the qualifications to perfection, are we to have no elders? Because we have no perfect churches and no perfect Christians, should we disband as churches and cease trying to be Christians? If not, then why argue that we should have no elders short of perfection? Is not the elder under the same command to "grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord" as any other Christian? But if he should be a perfect man before becoming an elder, wherein does he have room for growth? It might be asked, "In how many things can he be imperfect and to what degree and still be an acceptable older? I do not propose to answer that question here, nor could I do so to the satisfaction of all, but I will say that those over whom he rules might be a determining factor. For example, with reference to ability to teach and plan a program of work according to the ability of the church, he might qualify at one place and be unqualified at another.
But those who are ready to jump on the elders at the slightest provocation and brand them as "unqualified" need to ask themselves this question: What qualification must an elder have that an acceptable Christian does not have? Below, I have listed the qualifications of elders, using both the AS and AV versions, then opposite that I have listed the scriptures that require the same of other Christians:
| Elder: 1 Timothy 3:27; Titus 1:6-9 | Any Other Christian |
| 1. Blameless or without reproach | 1. 1 Tim. 6:14; Phil. 2:15 |
| 2. Not self-willed | 2. 2 Peter 2:10 (Evil are self-willed) |
| 3. Patient or gentle (yielding) | 3. Titus 3:2; James 3:17; Phil. 2:3, 4 |
| 4. No striker | 4. Rom. 12:19; Matt. 5:39 (Not ready with a blow) |
| 5. No lover of money | 5. 1 Tim. 6:10 (Love of money leads from faith) |
| 6. No brawler - not contentious | 6. Titus 3:2 (Not fighting or striving) |
| 7. Temperate or self-controlled | 7. 2 Peter 1:6 (All to be self-restrained) |
| 8. Sober-minded | 8. Titus 2:12 (All to be prudent) |
| 9. Orderly or good behaviour | 9. 2 Thess. 3:6 (Disorderly to be disfellowshipped) |
| 10. Given to hospitality | 10. Rom. 12:13; 1 Peter 4:9 |
| 11. Apt to teach-holding to faithful word | 11. 2 Tim. 2:2, 24 |
| 12. Not soon angry | 12. James 1:19; Col. 3:8 |
| 13. A lover of good | 13. 2 Tim. 3:1-8 (No lover-of-good withstands truth) |
| 14. Good report from without | 14. Titus 2:7,8; Matt. 5:16 |
| 15. Just or righteous | 15. 1 John 3:7,8 (He that is not righteous is of the devil) |
| 16. Holy | 16. Titus 2:12 (Flee from wickedness) |
| 17. Not given to wine | 17. 1 Pet. 4:3 (Winebibbings not the practice of Christians) |
| 18. Not a novice | 18. A Christian must at one time be a novice - new convert. |
| 19. Husband of one wife, ruling well his house, having children in subjection | 19. One may be a Christian and not occupy this position in a family. However, any Christian husband and father is so bound. |
Therefore we must conclude that an acceptable Christian must have, in some degree, the qualifications imposed upon elders with two exceptions-Nos. 18 and 19 above. We perceive that elders need to have all these above mentioned qualities in a more noticeable degree than other Christians by reason of their being leaders and "en-samples" to the church, but the next time you get ready to jump on the elders and brand them as "unqualified" elders, make sure first of all that you are a qualified Christian. Remove the timber from your eye, then you can see more clearly how to pick the saw-dust out of the elder's eye.