1 Timothy 5:20

‘Those who are sinning reprove in the sight of all, that the rest also may be in fear.’

On the other hand where an elder is found to have sinned on the testimony of two or three reliable witnesses, he must be reproved in the sight of all. Public recognition must result in public chastening and repentance. By being in such a privileged position what they do reflects on the whole church. ‘All’ probably means before the whole church as in Matthew 18:16, but may mean the whole body of elders. Clearly this would depend on the importance of the sin and what kind it was. The principles of Matthew 18:16; 2 Corinthians 13:1 would be called to mind. But it draws out the fact that the elder who sins openly is doing so as the representative of the church, and so has offended the whole church.

Note that Paul is using the present tense. This may be intended to suggest a reference to some elders who were presently sinning, and refusing to acknowledge their sin and repent. Primarily in view therefore may be the sins of the false teachers such as Hymenaeus and Alexander (1 Timothy 1:20), and Philetus (2 Timothy 2:17). This included their actual teaching which was causing so many problems (1 Timothy 1:3; 1 Timothy 4:1-3; 1 Timothy 6:3). But it would also include the resulting strife, dissension and disunity which were the result of their activities (1 Timothy 1:4-5; 1 Timothy 6:4-5). There is no question, however, about the fact that it is to refer more generally to any and all who become involved with continual open sinning. It should also be noted that the aim of such public rebuke is in order to produce repentance in the sinning elder (2 Timothy 2:25), and as a warning to the remainder of the elders, and indeed as a warning to the whole church of the gravity of sin and its consequences.

This did not, of course, mean that the elders could not differ on secondary matters. The problem with the false teachers here was that they were wrong on the basic doctrines of the person of Jesus, and the historical significance of the cross and the resurrection. They had moved away from the ‘rooting in history’ of Christian doctrine, and were denying the equivalent of the Apostles’ Creed. It is on such central teachings that unity must be maintained, while disagreement on secondary matters must not be allowed to become an issue. It is the truth about Jesus Christ that matters, not our disagreements on the details of interpretations of future history and ritual.