As a student at North Greenville many years ago, I was strongly considering the Lord’s call on my life. One of those options was pastoral ministry, and the obvious place to look was (and is) Scripture. I decided to do an in-depth study of 1 Timothy 3, and I was surprised at how little Paul says about the tasks of a pastor. In fact, teaching is the only activity he mentions (3:2). What Paul says in this passage is not what a pastor should do as much as who a pastor should be. To be succinct, a pastor should be a man of character.
Paul gives about 14 specific characteristics of a pastor in 1 Timothy 3:1–7. Some are related to personal self-discipline: self-control, prudence, discipline, contentment, sobriety, and maturity. Others have to do with relationships. Pastors should be faithful in marriage, devoted to their own family, peaceable, gentle, and hospitable. Other characteristics are related to their reputation, especially with outsiders.
Paul follows the first list with another list of characteristics for deacons and their wives (or women who served in the church, depending on the translation one uses). Most of the characteristics in the second list are similar if not the same (3:8–13). Leaders should avoid drunkenness, hypocritical speech, and shady ways of making money. They should be trustworthy and respected.
The lists that Paul gives are similar to other lists of character that pre-Christian or non-Christian Greek writers gave. In fact, the list that is most similar to Paul’s is one that an obscure writer named Onasander wrote about what to look for in a general. This comparison brings us to the point of the whole passage. These leaders represent the Church, which is “a pillar and buttress of the truth” (3:15, ESV). Paul concludes this section with a brief poem or song that summarizes the story of Jesus. The idea is that “the mystery of godliness” is Christ Himself (3:16). What is the point of ending a passage about the character of leaders with a poem about the gospel?
To answer this question, we need to remember that the first item in 1 Timothy 3 is blamelessness, which is a blanket term that covers all the terms that follow. If a person is a person of character, then others will struggle to find ways to blame the individual (like Daniel in Daniel 6:5). Christian leaders represent the church, which is the pillar and foundation of the truth. If they live blameworthy lives, then they drive people away from the gospel. They bring down Christ’s name because the church is to uphold the truth of the gospel (3:14–16).
No one is born with character. By calling himself the chief of sinners in 1:15, Paul recognizes the fact that people need God’s mercy to have character. Christian leaders should be people whose lives God has transformed. The idea is that by God’s grace and mercy, the character of those who lead churches can, through their character, point to the gospel that outsiders so desperately need.
Not all of us can be pastors or deacons, but all of us can, by God’s grace, become people of character. Our lives are either pointing people to Christ or away from Christ. A list of virtues like the one Paul gives in 1 Timothy 3 can be something that we meditate on and pray through as we ask God to grant us strength and wisdom. This passage teaches us that character matters. And character matters, ultimately, because Christ matters.