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1Ti 3:1 It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do.
1Ti 3:2 An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
1Ti 3:3 not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money.
1Ti 3:4 He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity
1Ti 3:5 (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?),
1Ti 3:6 and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil.
1Ti 3:7 And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
Tit 1:7 For the overseer must be above reproach as God's steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain,
Tit 1:8 but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled,
Tit 1:9 holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.
We should note that there is a difference in this list. In 1 Timothy 3:6 we see that he is not to be a new convert, however that requirement is not listed in Titus. The church in question in Titus was largely a made up of new converts so none of them would have been qualified if a hard line was drawn on each item of the list. What we can learn from this is that it is the overall character of the man that is the issue and not so much a matter of using the lists as a be all end all checklist where each and everything must be met.
Now, what about sin? What happens when a man who is called to a position of pastor, or other leadership position, falls into sin? Well, I would suggest that it depends on the man. If he confesses and truly repents then he is treated like any other brother who sins and repents. He is fully restored with open arms. We may maintain better accountability to protect the man, the church, and the name of Christ. I can find no Scripture to support denying people the ability to obey their calling according to the will of God because of sin that has been repented of. I fully support church discipline when the brother is in sin. The goal of which is always full restoration.
The dangerous ground being held by some is that of being in a position of condemnation. They further condemn people who have rightfully dealt with their sin when God Himself does not. The bottom line is this is a denial of the power of Christ’s blood. They reject the validity of the conviction of the Holy Spirit. They deny the validity of true repentance. They are saying that Christ’s blood, at best, only partially cleanses a person. They stand in the way of the person being obedient to calling of God on their lives.
If God faithfully casts our sin as far as the east is from the west and forgets them, do we justify recalling them and holding people down with them?
Please note that I firmly believe in biblical accountability. Biblical accountability is based on lines drawn by God, not us. Biblical accountability entails forgiveness, grace, mercy, and love. It does not excuse sin. It seeks full restoration.
