Pastor Requirements Blameless

Pastor Requirements Blameless

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Pastor Requirements Blameless is an article on the requirements for bishop or pastor in the Bible what they mean as far as practically for the local church.




Pastor Requirements Blameless

Topic: Pastor Requirements Blameless
By Pastor David Cox

1Tim 3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

Titus 1:6 If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.

What does this passage mean? The pastor is not just any ole fella that the church can find and put up to stand before the crowd on Sundays. The pastor is a governor of the local church, and that being the case, he represents Christianity there in that community, giving a person and a face to that Christianity. God wants these representatives to be “blameless”.

I am not saying that the people who preach from week to week have to comply with all the requirements of Pastor, but somebody has to be in charge, and that person must be 1) a man, and 2) a blameless Christian.

All men have sinned. We all carry that “baggage” with us. But as of of recent history and testimony, there are not great sinful episodes. A man that frequents prostitutes during the week and then goes up into the pulpit is just not right. One thing is forgetting to take the garbage out and another thing is living a filthy life.

We need to have high standards, and we need to project those high standards through insisting that those who lead, preach and teach fulfill those standards and are examples of them.

From http://biblehub.com/greek/273.htm
amemptos: blameless

Original Word: ἄμεμπτος, ον
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: amemptos
Phonetic Spelling: (am’-emp-tos)
Short Definition: blameless
Definition: blameless, free from fault or defect.

273 ámemptos (an adjective, derived from 1 /A “not” and 3201 /mémphomai, “to find blame”) – properly, without fault; not blameworthy, by omission or commission; hence, above reproach because morally pure. (This term stands in contrast to 299 /ámōmos, “ritual purity.”)

Again from 1 John 1:8-9 we understand that there is no person who is sinless. But God forgives our sins, and we go from there. One essential to remember here is that every exemplary Christian needs to live a life of repentance. He is constantly confessing his sins and giving them up and having victory over them. That is what we want to put in front of our people.

From http://biblehub.com/greek/273.htm

STRONGS NT 273: ἄμεμπτος

ἄμεμπτος, (μέμφομαι to blame), blameless, deserving no censure(Tertullianirreprehensibilis), free from fault or defect: Luke 1:6; Philippians 2:15;Philippians 3:6; 1 Thessalonians 3:13 (WH marginal reading ἀμέμπτως); Hebrews 8:7 (in which nothing is lacking); in the Sept. equivalent to תָּם, Job 1:1, 8 etc., common in Greek writings. (Cf. Trench, § ciii.)

Literally this word comes from a wrestling term, and it means not able to place a hold on the person. There are not legitimate things that people can criticize the pastor for. The idea here is not that he is perfect, but that he does not have glaring deficiencies in his personal and moral character. He doesn’t have glaring sins such as covetousness, lying, stealing, womanizing, etc.

According to 1Tim 3:10, the pastor must “first be proved”. There is a testing period in a pastor’s life where BEFORE HE IS PASTOR, he is tried to see how his life really is. I understand this two ways. First of all, the pastor must be in the ministry in a non-pastoral position (not the principle head pastor of a local church). In that position he proves himself faithful by his character and service.

The dictionary defines reproach as “shame or disgrace or that which brings rebuke or censure upon a person.” The pastor must be the example of Christ, so he must live a life that is exemplary of Christ, what God’s will is for all Christians. The pastor is not to bring shame on the name of Christ for any reason.

One of the clearest cases of “above reproach” is that he is a one woman man, where he has married a single woman in his entire life, and continues to live with her as an exemplary Christian marriage. Of course when a pastor’s wife dies, that frees him biblically to remarry. We understand that.

A pastor that is divorced can never counsel other people about how to fix their marriage and live for God. When they suggest that the solution is dissolution, the pastor suggests changing things in their lives so that they will build a Christian marriage together, then they will throw the fact that he got a divorce and that will “short-circuit” the entire counseling session. If the pastor is known to have lied, cheated, etc., then he cannot rebuke on those points without being a hypocrite. This is why the pastor has to basically live the Christian life like the Bible demands. Their life must be wholesome and upstanding, they must be men of God that have integrity, their word binds them, and their word accurately represents them.

Be followers of the Church Leaders

The Bible presents a Christian life standard that is fully attainable. Some people so mess up their lives that one could question it, but what God demands is fully possible. God further proves that by setting up and calling men of God that fulfill those standards.

Furthermore God issues through inspiration for these men of God to exhort their people to follow their examples.

1Cor 4:16 Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.

1Cor 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

Phil 3:17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.

What should be clear here is that God’s people are lead by sinners who renounce their sinfulness, repent, change their lives and follow the example of Christ. If those in front are not examples of that, then they should be stopped from getting in front of the flock, directing or influencing the church and its matters.

Phil 4:9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

2Thess 3:7 For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you;

2Cor 6:4 But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, 2Cor 6:6 By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned,

1Tim 4:12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

Heb 4:7 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

1Pet 5:2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 1Pet 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

All of these passages clearly hold up earthly men as our examples. You have undoubtedly heard the cry, “Don’t follow men. Follow God!” Well that is actually wrong. If the men in front of your church are not worthy to follow, you need to get out of that church. Period, end of discussion. Do it now!

Titus 2:6 Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded. Titus 2:7 In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, Titus 2:8 Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.

There is an implicit fact about all of this. The Christian rebukes and teaches others by their testimony. When one single person says no to sin, that stands as a testimony to all the rest participating to “be ashamed”. This is the pastor’s place and work, to hold up the standard of God and condemn everything else.

See my tracts…

CH24 The Power of an Example
CH16 The Example of a Man of God

1Tim 5:10 Well reported of for good works; if she have brought up children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints’ feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed every good work.

2Tim 2:24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,

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