Qualifications For Elders 2

 

Teachings of Alister John Lowe, Th.D., Ph.D.

Issue 40   May, 1995

 

Qualifications For Elders 2


1. Blameless
Greek: nepileptos, that which cannot be laid hold of, not open to censure, irreproachable, without reproach, irreprehensible.
English: (8/41)

2. Husband of One Wife
(13/41)

3. Vigilant
(1 1/41)

4. Sober
Greek: sophron, of sound mind, self controlled. sober-minded, temperate, discreet.
English: (1 1/41)

5. Good Behaviour
Greek: kosmios, orderly, modest, adorn, adornment.

English: Conduct, good or bad; manners. Anglo Saxon, behabben, to re-train, from habban, to have. German, gehaben, to behave. To govern; to conduct; to act.

6. Given to Hospitality
Given: Greek: didomi, to give. Used in a variety of meanings determined by the context.
English: Anglo Saxon, gifan; Gothic, giban, to give; Gaelic, gabh, to take, to lay hold of. To bestow; to confer; to pay, as a price; to grant without price or reward; to impart; to grow moist; to soften; to resign or yeild up; to render ot utter. Bestowed, conferred, addicted.

Hospitality: Greek: philoxenos, hospitable; love of strangers. English: kindness and generosity to strangers or guests. Latin, hospitalis, hospitable, friendly, from hospes, a guest; a visitor. Old French, hos-pitable; Italian. ospitabile, hospitable.
Receiving and entertaining friends or strangers with generous kindness; offering kind reception.

7. Apt to Teach
Apt: Greek: didaktikos, skilled in teaching, to give instruction.
English: Latin, aptus; French, apte,
Teach: Greek: skilled in teaching; apt to teach.
English: Anglo Saxon, toecan, to instruct; Gothic, gateihan, to announce; German, zeigen, to show; Sanskrit, adich, to teach. To impart knowledge to; to instruct; to accustom; to inform; to suggest to the mind; to perform the office of an instructor.

8. Not Given to Wine
Greek: paroinos, tarrying at wine, ;given to wine. The effects of winebibbing, abusive brawling.
English: (3/41)

9. No Striker
Greek: plektes, a striker, a brawler. To strike, smite.
English: one who strikes; in Scripture, a quarrelsome man. Gaelic, strac, a loud or crashing sound. German, streich; Dutch, streke; Icelandic, strik, a stroke, a blow. To give blow to; to hit with some force; to make an attack; to act upon in any way, as by a blow; to dash; to act on by beating against; to notify by sound; to sound, as abell; to coin or mint; to lower or take down, as a sail or flag; to ratify, as a bargain; to alarm; to suprise; to affect suddenly in any particular manner; to refrain from work in a body, as workmen for the redress of some grievance, or for the increase of wages.

10. Not Greedy of Filthy Lucre
(4/41) 

11. Patient
Greek: epieikes, seemly, fitting, eqitable, fair. moderate, forbearing, not Isisting on the letter of the law; to look reasonably and humanely at the facts of a case. Gentle, forbearing.
English: that can suffer or endure calmly; enduring trials without murmuring or discontent; not easily provoked, persevering; calmly diligent; not over-eager or impetuous. Latin, patientia, patience, forbearance, from patior, I suffer or endure: French, patience. The power or quality of suffering or enduring; calm endurance of pain or labour; calmness of temper under provocation or any calamity; long-suffering; continuance of labour.

12. Not a Brawler
Greek: amachos, not fighting; not contentious.
English: French, brailler, to cry often; Danish, bralle, to talk much and high;
Gaelic, braodhlach, noise, discord. A noisy quarrel, an uproar.

13. Not Covetous
Greek: aphilarguros, free from the love of moncy no lover of money.
English: Provencal, cubitos; Latin, cupidus; passionately desirous, covetous; French, convoiteux, very desirous. To desire or wish for ea-gerly; to desire earnestly to obtain; to desire any object which cannot be obtained or possessed lawfully; to have an earnest desire for.

14. Rules Well His House
(14/41)

15. Children in Subjection
Children (14/41)
Subjection: Greek: hupotage, subjection.
English: state of being under the power, control, and government of another. Latin, subjectum, to lay or place under, from sub, under and jactum, to throw or cast. Being or living under the power or dominion of of another; exposed; liable, either from extraneous or inherent causes; obedient; tributary. Noun: one who owes allegiance to a sovereign; one who lives under the dominion of another.
Verb: to bring under; to subdue; to expose; to make liable; to put under or within the power of; to enslavc; to cause to undergo.

16. Gravity
(1/41)

17. Not a Novice
Greek: neophutos. Iiterally, newly-planted, from neos, new and phuo, to bring forth, produce. A new convert, neophyte, novice. Inexperienced.
English: Latin, novicius. or novitius, a fresh man, from novus, ncw: French, novice. One new in any business or pro-fession; a beginner; one in a convent or nunnery who has not taken the vow; a proselyte.
Novitiate: the state or time of being a novice; the time passed in a religious house, by way of trial, before the vow is taken.

18. Pride and Condemnation of the Devil
Pride: Greek: tuphoo, lifted up with pride, puffed-up; high-minded.
English: Anglo Saxon, pryd, haughtiness; German, pracht; pomp, splendour; Icelandic, prudi, to adore, from proud. An unreasonably high opinion of one's own superiority; insolence; rude treatment of others resulting from inordinate esteem; in a good sense, the noble and exalted pleasurc springing from a consciousness of worth, upright conduct, or acts of benevolence; generous elation of heart; that of which men arc proud or may excite boasting; splendour; ostentation; to rate high; to value, as to pride one's self.
Condemnation: Greek: krima, the sen-tence pronounced, a verdict, a condemna-tion, the decision rcsulting from an investigation. The process of judgment leading to a decision. The process of leading to a decision and the pronouncement of the decision, the verdict, need to be distinguished.
English: the act of condemning; the act of declaring one guilty; to cause or rea-son for condemning. Latin, condemnare, to condemn, to blame, from con and damnare, to bring damage or loss upon: Italian, condennare: French, condamner.
To prounounce guilty; to censure; to blame; to sentence to punishment; declare to be unfit for use or service.
Devil: diabolos, an accuser, a slanderer. To malign. Demon.
English: Anglo Saxon, deoful; Latin,

19. Good Report of Them Without
Good: Greek: kalos. goodly, fair, beautiful, right, noble, honourable.
English: German, gut; Anglo Saxon, god; Greek, agathos, good. The op-posite of bad; pious; sound; undamaged, proper or fit; considerable; having sufficient; pleasant to the taste; unblemished; kind; favourable; clever; real, as he is in good earnest; in the sense of wishing well, as good-day, and good-bye.
Report: Greek: marturia, testimony, a bearing witness.
English: Latin, reportare, to carry or bring back, from re, back or again, and porto, I carry. Italian, riportare; French, rapporter. To bear or bring back, as an answer; to give an account of; to relate; to make a statement of facts; to follow the business of a reporter.
Noun: an account or statement circulated; that which is noised about respecting a thing; common fame; noise, as of a gun; an official statement of facts; a statement of proceedings.
Without: Greek: outside; the unre-generate; from without; apart from; out of; besides; in addition; omit; out of course.
English: with and out; not within; on the outside of; beyond; in a state of destitution or absence from; independent of; not in possession of; not on the inside; out of doors: externally.

20. Faithful Children
(12/41)

21. Not Riotous
Greek: asotia, prodigality; a wastefulness; profligacy.
English: partaking of the nature of an unlawful assembly; seditious; uproarious; noisy and licentious in festivity.
From Anglo Saxon wreotan, to make a cracking noise: French, rioter, to chide, to brawl: Gaelic, raoit, indecent mirth: Italian, riotta, riot. A disturbance of the peace by a few or many persons; wild and noisy festivity; excessive and expensive feasting.

22. Not Unruly
Greek: anupotaktos, not subject to rule; not subject; not put under; disobedient.
English: disregarding restraint; disposed to violate laws; ungovernable; refactory. Not governed; not directed by superior power.

23. Not Self-Willed
Greek: authades, self-pleasing, from autos, self, and hedomai, to please. One who, dominated by self-interest, and inconsiderate of others, arrogantly asserts his own will. One so far overvaluing any determination in which he has himself once arrived that he will not be removed from it. Loving self; selfish.
English: not yeilding to the express wishes or commands of those whom we are bound to obey; obstinate.

24. Not Soon Angry

Greek: orgilos, angry; prone to anger; irascible.
English: displeased; provoked; raging. From Latin, angor, sorrow: Icelandic, angr, pain. Rage; displeasure; to provoke; to enrage.

25. Lover of Good Men
Greek: philagathos, loving that which is good.
Love: English: German, lieben, to love; Latin, libet, it pleases; libido, pleasure, desire: Polish, lubic, to have an inclination for, Russian, liobif, to love; lobzaf, to kiss. An affection of the mind excited by qualities in an object which are capable of communicating pleasure; the passion of the sexes; courtship; the object beloved; goodwill; benevolence; strong liking or inclination; fondness; tenderness or regard; poetical personification; dutiful reverence for God;
Good: (19)
Men: Anglo Saxon and Gothic, man, man; Sanskrit, man, to think. A hu-man being; the human race; the male sex, as distinguished from woman; adult, as opposed to boy; a male servant or attendant; in a general sense, anyone.

26. Just
Greek: dikaios, custom, rule, right. Righteous, originally rightwise.
English: Latin, justus, founded or resting on law, just, from jus, law, right. Italian, giusto; French, juste. That acts in accordance with the principles of law or justice; comfomable to laws, human ordhine; true; right; proper; righteous; upright; innocent; accurate; merited; deserved.

27. Holy
Greek: hosios, holiness manifested in those who have regard equally to grace and truth; it involves a right relation to God. Blessing, holy, mercy. English: Icelandic, heilagr; German, heilig; Dutch, heylig, holy, from German, heil; Dutch, heyl, health. Good; pious; free from sin and sinful affections; sacred; perfect in a moral sense; consecrated to.

28. Temperate
Greek, enkrates, exercising self-control.
English: moderate; not excessive; habitually moderate in the indulgence of the natural appetites and passions; sober; moderalc or intermediate; free from passion or undue excitement.
Temper: Latin, temperare, to mingle in due proportion; to qualify, from tempus, time, portion; Italian, tem-perare; French, temperer, to qualify, to temper. To mix so that one par qualifies the other; to qualify; to make fit; to unite in due proportion; to form a proper degree of hardness, as netals; to soften; to mollify.

29. Hold Fast the Faithful Word
Greek: antecho, to hold firmly to, to cleave to; holding or cleaving to a person; support.
English: (5/41)
Faithful: (12/41)
Word: logos, the expression of thought, not the mere name of an object, as embodying a conception or an idea; a saying or statement; discourse, speech, instruction. The Personal Word, a title of the Son of God.
English: Gothic, vaurd; German, wort, word; Lithuanian, wardas, name. A gingle part of speech; an articulate sound, or combination of sounds, expressing an idea; a term; talk; discourse; promise; an order; signal; tidings; a message; a dispute; a declaration; a motto; a proverb.

30. Exhort
Greek: parakaleo, to call a person; en-treat; beseech; to admonish; exhort; urge;
English: Latin, exhortor, I encourage, from ex, out of and hortor, I advise, I instigate. French, exhorter. Advise; to warn or caution; to animate or incite by words.

31. Convince the Gainsayers
Convince: Greek: elencho, to convict, confute, refute, usually putting the convicted person to shame. It is more than telling the offender his fault is in view. To reprove.
English: Latin, convincere, to completely overcome, from con and vincere, to vanquish or subdue. To persuade; to satisfy the mind by evidence; to compel the mind by arguments to yield its assent.
Gainsayers: Greek: antilego, to contradict; to oppose. Literally, to say against. Answering again.
English: an opposer; Anglo Saxon, gaen; Icelandic, gegn; German, gegen, against, and say. To contradict; to oppose in words.

To aspire to leadership is an honourable ambition. I Timothy 3:1 NEB

Qualifications

1. Blameless
2. Husband of One Wife
3. Vigilant
4. Sober
5. Good Behaviour
6. Given to Hospitality
7. Apt to Teach
8. Not Given to Wine
9. No Striker
10. Not Greedy of Filthy Lucre
11. Patient
12. Not a Brawler
13. Not Covetous
14. Rules Well His House
15. Children in Subjection
16. Gravity
17. Not a Novice
18. Pride and Condemnation of the Devil
19. Good Report of Them Without
20. Faithful Children
21. Not Riotous
22. Not Unruly
23. Not Self-Willed
24. Not Soon Angry
25. Lover of Good Men
26. Just
27. Holy
28. Temperate
29. Hold Fast the Faithful Word
30. Exhort
31. Convince the Gainsayers