1 Timothy 3:2-4

‘The bishop therefore must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, orderly, given to hospitality, apt to teach, no brawler, no striker; but gentle, not contentious, no lover of money, one who rules well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity.’

Paul provides a formidable check list for one who would take up the important position of ‘overseer’ and shepherd (Acts 20:28).

‘Without reproach.’ That is, ‘unexceptionable, irreproachable’. There must be no stain on their characters and be well thought of both inside and outside the church. This would not necessarily exclude those who (like Paul) had a shady past, but only once they had lived it down and proved that the change was permanent. The word signifies that they must be blameless, not just be seen as being.

‘The husband of one wife’. The stress on ‘one’ would suggest that the main aim of this injunction is to bar polygamists and divorcees on the grounds that they have disobeyed God’s requirement as found in Genesis 2:24, and are therefore necessarily ‘living in sin’ and not above reproach. It may also, however, be intended to include a requirement that they are married. This prohibition would have startled the ancient world. Marriages came and went, and it was not unusual to marry a number of times. Until they became Christians and became aware of Jesus’ teaching they would simply have thought this idea a freak of Paul’s imagination, and in the Gentile world wives were expected to have love affairs, which undoubtedly Paul is also forbidding here.

‘Temperate, sober-minded, orderly.’ They are to be self-controlled, not given to excess, wise of behaviour, efficient and well balanced.

‘Given to hospitality.’ Hospitality was seen as an important virtue in the days of the early church when visitors to a city would require somewhere to stay. Inns were rare and usually not very respectable. One who saw his possessions as belonging to the Lord would necessarily welcome such visitors, especially when they were fellow-Christians.

‘Apt to teach.’ Compare 2 Timothy 2:24. The idea is that he should have the ability, required knowledge and willingness to teach, which was clearly seen as an important function of an episkopos.

‘No brawler, no striker; but gentle, not contentious.’ ‘No brawler.’ That is not one given to excess of wine resulting in becoming tipsy and rowdy, and therefore indicating one who is always no more than a moderate drinker. ‘No striker.’ Not volatile and likely to act in an uncontrolled way. ‘Gentle.’ Someone well controlled and affable, and so of gentlemanly behaviour, gracious and considerate, and even magnanimous. ‘Not contentious.’ Not someone who loves provoking an argument, but is placable and pacific. Someone able to take the sting out of a situation.

‘No lover of money.’ He must not be someone to whom money is obviously too important, or whose life is directed and controlled by the love of money.

‘One who rules well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity.’ And the final test is whether he is able to control his own household and bring up his children properly. If he is seen to be lax with his household, he will probably be lax with the household of God. On the other hand if he is seen to be too harsh with his household, he will probably be too harsh for running the household of God. He will probably tend to treat others in the same way as he treats his own family.

It will be noted, then, that a bishop was to be a well rounded character of good reputation, kind and generous disposition, considerate and thoughtful, not gripped by worldliness and the desires of the flesh, and most importantly truly capable of teaching.