Qualifications of Elders
By Editor
QUALIFICATIONS OF ELDERS.
14. One that ruleth well his own house. This specification stands out like the fourth commandment among the precepts, being the first with an explanation or a reason. The whole of verses four and five is devoted to it, and they read as follows: "One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; for if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?" It would seem that the prominence given to this point is indicative of its great importance. The explanation or reason in verse five needs no addition to enforce it. Indeed, the fact appears self-evident: He who cannot govern those who are naturally placed under his control, and who have, from their infancy, been accustomed to look up to him as their benefactor and guide, cannot be expected to rule well in the church. Family government is difficult, as all admit; but greater wisdom and care are needed to preserve order in the church. There are more, and more diverse interests to watch over; a greater variety of minds to meet; more sharply defined cross purposes to reconcile. And the parties are not children, to be guided simply or mostly by authority, but mostly men and women, some of them older than the officer, who is placed over them. They have been raised under varied influences, and have their various temperaments, and most of them are fixed in their habits of thought, and all are possessed of human natures. It is enough to make any one cry out, "Who is sufficient for these things?" The difficulties with which the local elder has to contend in the government of his family are not by any means so great as those of the evangelists, or traveling ministers. These cannot have the oversight of their children, except during brief and uncertain periods. The training of the children must be left almost entirely to the mother. At the very best it requires the united efforts of the father and mother to keep the children under proper subjection; unless the mother has rare ability in home management, and receives daily help from the Saviour. But when the father must be absent, and the mother fails in her duty, the case of the family is deplorable indeed. This, in many cases, is the heaviest burden that the faithful, conscientious minister has to bear. It is a saying—not true, however—that the children of ministers are worse than those of other people. A minister’s son was once asked the reason of this, and he replied that it was because they, the ministers, did not stay at home to take care of them. The answer is logical, for a boy. But we introduce it mainly to repudiate the falsehood implied in the question. It has been tested by actual count in certain sections of our country, and it was found that a larger proportion of minister’s children arose to eminence, or occupied positions in which they did honor to their parents, than those of men of any other profession. The secret of the saying lies in the fact that they are watched more closely than other children, and more is made of their departures from the path of rectitude than is made of those of other children. But of this no one must complain. It is the necessary consequence of their position. And the rule holds good in all the walks of life. Even in political circles it has passed to a proverb that you never know how bad a man is until he runs for office! It seems to be the tax which is levied in this world on publicity. Of course something must be allowed for the injustice of party politics. Yet we know that a man is never watched so closely before as after his profession of religion; and a Christian is never criticized so closely before as after his elevation to office. And no failure is made more prominent in the community than a failure to properly train and govern a family. Hence the emphasis laid upon this point by the apostle. Notice the terms used: he must rule his own house, and he must care for the church. It is true that ruling is applied to officers of the church; but it is not as children are ruled. When the family and the church are brought together, different words are used by inspiration. This is suggestive. Again, he must know how to rule, and of course know how to care for the church. Some parents think if they only hold their children at a distance, and are but stern and dignified in their demeanor toward them, and perhaps exact ready obedience, they show marked ability to rule their households. But such a one does not know how to rule. He who cannot come near to his children, and command their respect at the same time; who cannot exact ready obedience without keeping them in constant fear of him, knows not how to rule his house. It must be made a matter of much study and of much earnest prayer for wisdom and help from on high. 15. Not a novice; not one newly come to the faith. The office requires experience, and a knowledge of the truth. A man may be a good Christian and have very little knowledge of the doctrines or truths of the Scriptures; but he cannot be a good elder. He cannot properly “care for the church;” he cannot “feed the flock.” He who has never received instruction cannot instruct others. He who has never had any Christian experience cannot advise in times of trial. And here also the apostle gives a reason: “Lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.” There is danger in all cases of a man being lifted up with pride when elevated to positions of honor and responsibility. Office has proved the ruin of many a man of years and experience. But while there is danger of these, there is almost certainty that a novice will be ruined thereby. His graces are not tried; his Christian principles are not fixed; he has natural peculiarities which he has not overcome; and he is apt to imagine that he must have extraordinary abilities or have a rare experience that he should be preferred to others of riper age and of long standing in the Christian life. He who loves the young convert will be very cautious how he lays responsibility upon him. 16. Lastly. He must have a good report of them which are without. This certainly requires that he shall have established a Christian character. “They which are without” well understand that no man is naturally qualified for such an office; and they, as well as the church, will look upon the elevation of a novice to office in the church as a dangerous experiment. The world must have confidence in his Christian character. And yet his previous life is no small factor in this part of his qualification. Dr. Clarke has a good remark on this; though he uses the word “bishop” in a sense quite different from that in which we use it, according to his views of episcopacy, his words are full of wisdom. He says: “He should be one who had not been previously a profligate; or scandalous in his life. Such a person, when converted, may be a worthy private member of a religious society; but I believe God rarely calls such to the work of the ministry; and never to the episcopate.” How different this from the judgment of very many at the present day. Now an experience in profligacy or in scandalous life is supposed to give force and efficiency to the words of the preacher. We have known the appointment of a preacher to be accompanied with the information that he had been so many years a gambler! That of another to state in how many prisons he had spent so many years! These preachers really seem to take pride in parading before the public the scandalous character of their former lives. We knew a certain Jew to profess faith in Jesus as the Christ under a certain “eminent evangelist,” and was sent to hold an important meeting the next day; and this was kept up for a long time. At the end of several years we found him exceedingly ignorant of the gospel, and of true Christian life and character, and yet, as might be expected, puffed up with ideas of his ability and attainments. The man who, as Timothy, knew and loved the holy Scriptures from a child, has a low place in the work of evangelizing in this age. There is nothing fascinating in his life; nothing sufficiently sensational in his manner. It will not do to compare the lives of these men, as has sometimes been done, with the life of Paul; for before his conversion to Christianity he was a devout and conscientious (though misguided) religionist. He had great knowledge of the Scriptures and great respect for them. And now it may be said: “We cannot find any man possessing these qualifications, and therefore we cannot have any elders in our churches.” Not so; admitting the first part of the statement, the conclusion does not follow. We can find men who, in many respects, approach to these qualifications; men who can cultivate, and improve their abilities and powers; men who can grow up and become strong in Christian graces. We cannot, in the organization of a church, find any who come up to the high standard of Christian character presented in the New Testament. What then? Shall we reject them all, and organize no church until a sufficient number have become strong in Christian graces and ripe in Christian experience? By no means. Organize the church, and it will prove their best school in Christian attainments. And when a man is found of sufficient grace and experience to warrant it, let him be placed in the office, and let him thenceforth study to show himself, approved unto God, a workman that need not be ashamed. There are other suggestive statements in the New Testament in regard to the qualifications of elders. But our remarks are as extensive as our limits will permit; and he who patiently and conscientiously and prayerfully studies these will have no difficulty in finding and profiting by the others. The whole ground is really covered by this chapter, 1 Tim. 3. Other scriptures only strengthen what is said here. Always remember that exercise gives strength. No one will ever grow strong in duty by merely studying the subject of the duty. Take up the cross, and it becomes light in the bearing of it.