Paul's Exhortations & Instructions to Brother Timothy 1st Letter Volume 27

Paul Details to Timothy the Qualifications of Leaders in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ Part 4

1 Timothy 3:6-7 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. KJV

In the last two verses we saw how Paul described to Timothy the prospective Bishops home life with his wife and children and how that knowledge of such a home life was necessary to know of in order that the potential leader of the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ would be of the qualities needed to lead and govern the Christian brothers and sisters of Christ Body with the same authority and respect that he would receive from his earthly family, but now Paul considers the length of time the potential Bishop has been a redeemed, regenerated, and reborn son of our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ being cautious of them being relatively new believers as he declared to Timothy with these words, "Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil." (1 Timothy 3:6) (KJV). The little English phrase 'a novice' is translated by the Greek word neophutos which is potentially where we get our English word neophyte and it is used this one time only in the entire New Testament, it means newly planted, that is, (figuratively) a young convert.

In other words, Paul speaks of explicitly forbidding any new believer from being appointed to such a high office in the Church of Christ. A new believer in Christ is still not yet learned in the Scripture and he has not learned discipline and how to respond to afflictions and persecutions rightly. The English phrase 'being lifted up with pride' is translated by one Greek word tuphoō meaning to envelop with smoke, that is, (figuratively) to inflate with self conceit, be puffed up: - high-minded, be lifted up with pride, be proud. In other words, a novice or new convert is more likely to become puffed up or inflated at being given such a high position in the Church of God with so much authority and power, such as access and control over all of the Churches finances, facilities, and faculty (that is, work staff and other people in the Church). Therefore, he would be more likely to abuse this authority by being lifted up with pride and misappropriate the Churches human resources and financial resources, even to the point of stealing from the Church coffers and asserting his authority over others in the Church to become complicit with such dealings.

The little English phrase 'he fall' is translated by one Greek word empiptō meaning to fall on, that is, (literally) be entrapped by, or (figuratively) be overwhelmed with: - fall among (into). The little English phrase 'the condemnation' is translated by the Greek word krima meaning simply a decision (the function or the effect, for or against [“crime”]): - judgment. In other words, the Bishop that becomes puffed up or inflated with his own self elevation will do things to hurt other brothers and sisters of our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ and thereby causing such a great wound in that particular Body of Believers that often times becomes hard to heal from and in so doing causes the entire Body to become dissolved, dismantled, and destroyed, just as the devil was lifted up in like manner and persuaded one-third (1/3) of the holy angels in heaven to rebel with him, leading to his and their eternal destruction in the lake of fire, as it is written, "Then the devil who had led them astray [deceiving and seducing them] was hurled into the fiery lake of burning brimstone, where the beast and false prophet were; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever (through the ages of the ages)." (Revelation 20:10) (Amplified Bible).

Paul now declares to Timothy how this potential leader in the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ must be looked upon by outsiders as he says with these words, "Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil." (1 Timothy 3:7) (KJV). When Paul says here, 'he must have a good report of them which are without', he does not mean that his life before conversion to Christ was in some manner exemplary (for no one can say this), but what he means here is that the person should have a life (after conversion) that brings about a 'good report', that is, evidence given of him being honest in his business dealings, not sleeping with other mens wives, or not allowing himself to be compromised in any capacity that would bring hurt or harm to others. Paul knows that many outside of the Body of Christ will hate and despise we believers, but he knows that the Bishop of Christ Church must command the respect of the outside world in order to lead his Church into the missions that our Lord Jesus Christ commands, just as Paul declared to the Church @ Thessalonia with these words of wisdom, "To make it your ambition {and} definitely endeavor to live quietly {and} peacefully, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we charged you, So that you may bear yourselves becomingly {and} be correct {and} honorable {and} command the respect of the outside world, being dependent on nobody [self-supporting] {and} having need of nothing." (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12) (Amplified Bible).

Here is what Albert Barnes has to say concerning this matter of the Bishop and those outside of Christ, "The idea is, that he must have a fair reputation with them for integrity of character. His life must be in their view upright. He must not be addicted to anything which they regard as inconsistent with good morals. His deportment must be such that they shall regard it as not inconsistent with his profession. He must be true and just and honest in his dealings with his fellow-men, and so live that they cannot say that he has wronged them. He must not give occasion for scandal or reproach in his contact with the other sex, but must be regarded as a man of a pure life and of a holy walk." When Paul writes here, 'lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil', he means that the devil will use the adultery, the shady business deals, and all the other indecent or improper acts of the Bishop to cause the Gospel of Christ to be rejected, rebuked, and refused by those outside of the Church. Here again is what Albert Barnes has to say concerning this matter, "That is, in such a way as to bring dishonor on the ministerial character. His life will be such as to give people occasion to reproach the cause of religion. The snare which the devil lays to entrap and ruin the ministers of the Gospel and all good people. The snare to which reference is here made, is that of 'blasting the character and influence of the minister of the Gospel.' The idea is, that Satan lays this snare so to entangle him as to secure this object, and the means which he uses is the vigilance and suspicion of those who are out of the Church. If there is anything of this kind in the life of a minister which they can make use of, they will be ready to do it. Hence, the necessity on his part of an upright and blameless life. Satan is constantly aiming at this thing; the world is watching for it, and if the minister has any 'propensity' which is not in entire accordance with honesty, Satan will take advantage of it and lead him into the snare."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...

Sincerely in Christ,

Clifford D. Tate, Sr.
Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…