An Elder Accused - Tuesday with Timothy # 67

1 Timothy 5:19-25  Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses.  (20)  Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.  (21)  I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality.  (22)  Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins: keep thyself pure.  (23)  Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.  (24)  Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after.  (25)  Likewise also the good works of some are manifest beforehand; and they that are otherwise cannot be hid.

First, I want to set forth some propositions that this passage teaches, then we'll come back and examine them.

1. The elder needs to be trusted.
2. There will be false allegations made against the pastor.
3. Accusations against elders are serious.
4. The pastor is not a perfect man
5. The elder is a sinner and is not above discipline. 

In a perfect world, people will appreciate a man who desires to help souls in their pilgrimage. The church will not only shout Amen when the preacher says "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" but understand that reproof, correction, and instruction usually comes with a little sting when he is talking about our sins. But we are not in a perfect world and sometimes feelings get hurt. People get offended. Sometimes false converts try to ruin the ministry of the man that offended and the weapon they use is false accusation. Sometimes false teachers attempt to ruin the man to get rid of the message. Often unbelievers and religious hypocrites hate Christ and take their ire out on Christ's men. Read the Pauline epistles and you'll see that the Elders will be accused of wrongdoing or evil because of the truth. In light of these realities, the church is not to receive accusations without witnesses. Even if it is a church member who makes the accusation. The whole point of chapter 3 was to find men of character, men the church can trust. You cannot take the word of the first person that complains about the preacher and then insist that he defend himself on every charge. If you cannot trust your pastor, why is he your pastor?

The pastor shouldn't have to defend himself against every little accusation someone wants to throw at him. The church should be understanding that this is going to happen. This protects the pastor, the ministry, and the church. The demand for witnesses presupposes trust. I'm not talking about blind trust or being a sycophant, but trusting you pastor to be a man of God and not trusting anyone and everyone more than him. If the church believes every accusation thrown and their elders that would mean they trust everyone but their elders. Think about that. If you believe every bad thing someone hurls at your pastor and think every accusation is cause for dismissal, then you do not trust the man. How can a man effectively preach, help, exhort, rebuke, and exhort if you cannot trust him, at all? The church should assume the best from their pastor and the pastor should be considered innocent until proven guilty and the standard of evidence is high. One person with a grudge should not be able to derail the ministry. A false allegation is a terrible sin against any Christian. There is more at stake when the pastor is accused because it not only affects the man, but also the church, the churches witness, and the name of Christ. The church is going to need more than just a disgruntled person throwing accusations around to take action against their pastor. 

Them that sin, rebuke before all. The elder is not above sin, nor is he above the church. The church does have the duty and the authority to discipline the pastor if he sins. If the elder is guilty, and it is proven, he needs to be rebuked. Public sins need public rebuke. Church discipline has a twofold effect: it brings the sinner to a point of decision/repentance and warns others of the consequence of sin. When sin is committed, the church has two options. They can discipline the guilty or punish the innocent. Churches, in their desire to be compassionate to the guilty, forget that ignoring sins can punish those who were harmed and sinned against. So if a false accusation persists against the pastor, but the church is being compassionate to the trouble maker, they have punished the pastor and made a culture of false witness. By not defending their pastor they have allowed the false accusations to stick and to gain ground. However, if the pastor sins, and it is proven, but the church ignores it out of compassion, then those the pastor has sinned against are punished.

This is a serious issue. Paul charges Timothy before God the Father, God the Son, and all the holy angels in Heaven, that he must observe these matters of church discipline. Timothy cannot overlook the sin of anyone in the church, no matter who they are and how long they have been there. For shame on the church that has double standards in church discipline. For shame if there are some people who are disciplined with the shake of the head and a pious quoting of 1 John 2:19 while others are allowed to do and and live however they please. God is watching.

Which brings us back to the qualifications of the elder. That is why it is so important for the church to examine, not only the man's doctrine, but his life. The ordination of a man is no light thing. When you lay hands on a man and ordain him, the man and the church is putting their stamp of approval on him and his ministry. To lay hands on a man who does not have the moral character to be a pastor, you have done yourself, the church, and the ministry great harm. Make sure due diligence is taken before selecting a man to be an elder. I understand the tradition behind a counsel of visiting elders in the ordination process, but out of town preachers cannot judge a man's life and character if they only know him from fellowship meetings. This is a matter for the church, and I'm afraid that it isn't taken as seriously as it should be.

The church needs to judge herself. I'll just add this because of the day and time in which we live. The church deals with all sin issues. Skipping church for a few months is not a felony, even though it is a sin. However, some sins are also criminal issues. Not all sins are crimes, but when the sin in question is a crime, then the church must get the authorities involved. Being a Christian is not a get out of jail free card.