Friday, August 16, 2013

THE SHEPHERD’S STANDARD: The Foundation of Character


“A bishop then must be blameless…” (1 Timothy 3:2 NKJV)
                                                                                           
A house is only as stable as its foundation, and a pastor’s ministry is only as strong as his character.  No matter how hard he works and what he tries to build, eventually it will crumble with a lack of character at the foundation. 

People are going to find fault with a leader.  Critics will abound. If a man seeks to do the will of God and lead the church forward in her mission, the Wicked One will raise up those who will vehemently oppose him—and their weapon of choice will be the wagging tongue. What we must seek to do, as men of God, is to give them no real reason for these personal attacks.  Our character needs to be unassailable.  False accusations hurt, but they will not stick if we have the Teflon of truth and integrity coating us. 

On occasion, even the best of men will mess up—so then, let us ‘fess up.  Yet, by God’s grace, may we strive to be as stainless and scandal-free as we can.  If there is a chink in the armor of our character, be certain the Enemy will exploit it.

“The qualification of being “above reproach” frames the other qualifications (3:2, 7); this was an ancient way of emphasizing that the qualifications focused on this issue.”[1]

A foundation, a framework, a focus—all this is about the virtues flowing from a godly life.  The man of God is essentially a man who reflects God’s character.  This is not optional.

must. The use of this Gr. particle stresses emphatically that living a blameless life is absolutely necessary for church leaders. above reproach. Lit. “not able to be held” in a criminal sense; there is no valid accusation of wrongdoing that can be made against him. No overt, flagrant sin can mar the life of one who must be an example for his people to follow (cf. v. 10; 4:16; 5:7; Ps 101:6; Php 3:17; 2Th 3:9; Heb 13:7; 1Pe 5:3). This is the overarching requirement for elders; the rest of the qualifications elaborate on what it means to be blameless. Titus 1:6, 7 uses another Gr. word to mean the same thing. [2]

A PRAYER

O Righteous One,
I worship You—flawless in Your character.  Yet, you find us in our filth, lift us from the mire, and cleanse us by the blood of Your Son.  Now, the Holy Spirit can generate holiness in us as we yield to Him.  Lead us away from temptation and when it finds us, deliver us from evil!
In the name of Jesus and for Your Glory,
Amen.       




[1] Keener, C. S. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary: New Testament (1 Ti 3:2–3). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
[2] MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (1 Ti 3:2). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

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