“The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later. So also good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden” (1Tim 5:24-25).
Some folks are an open book. It doesn’t take a rocket surgeon or a brain scientist to figure out who they are or what they’ve done. They may be a train wreck of sin and stupid choices. Or they may be up to so much obvious good for others that you’re sure if you looked up “underachiever” in the dictionary, your picture would be there.
Then there are those whose resumes are anything but obvious. It’s as if their lives are encrypted and password protected. Some people look squeaky clean on the outside but behind closed doors are a scandal looking for a place to happen. Then there are those unassuming folks who aren’t very impressive who suddenly win the Nobel Peace Prize out of nowhere.
Here in a letter to the pastor of the church in Ephesus, Paul encourages Timothy to make sure to investigate every candidate for leadership fully. Some things are obvious. Others are not. “The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later. So also good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden” (v24-25).
While this is certainly true of every person who has and will ever walk the planet, the apostle is talking specifically about people whose names are in the hat as possible elders and deacons. Paul is wrapping a section on the compensation, discipline, and selection of leaders (1Tim 5:17-22). He’s already warned Pastor Tim and the church to take their time when filling leadership vacancies. Slow is fast and fast is slow. Some things are obvious. Others are not. Trust the process. You might be surprised by what you find out. Time is on your side.
According to Paul, there are some sins and good deeds that are both “conspicuous” (v24-25). This is the Greek word prodelos, which describes something that is crystal clear, openly evident, known beforehand, blatantly obvious, easily understood, or quite plain. Outside of these two verses in this letter, we only see this word used one other time in the entire Bible. The author of Hebrews writes about Jesus’ family tree and says, “For it is evident (Gr. prodelos) that our Lord was descended from Judah” (Heb 7:14). It’s a well-known fact. You don’t need Sherlock Holmes to unlock this mystery.
For some folks, their sin is the 800-pound gorilla in the room. It’s unavoidable. What they’ve done is in plain sight for all to see. Their rebellion is blatantly evident. Even Captain Obvious doesn’t have to say a thing. It’s the sort of situation Paul describes to the multisite churches of Galatia. “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these” (Gal 5:19-21). We’re talking about behavior that lands you on the six o’clock news, TMZ, or gets its own hashtag on Twitter. Let’s be honest. That’s one time you don’t want to be trending in the Twitterverse.
Such crystal clear crimes for some people will be “going before them into judgment” (v24). Paul’s not talking here about having to answer to Jesus for all the times we’ve turned on our backs on God. According to John MacArthur, the “judgment” here refers to the vetting process for elders in the local church. Their crimes against God are so obvious that they’ll disqualify themselves as candidates for elder or deacon before the process ever begins. The evidence is clear and overwhelming. You know how this is going down. Their sins are so blatant that it’s an open and shut case. This is like those painful performances at the open auditions for “American Idol.” Their track record makes them the William Hung of leadership candidates. It’s over before it ever starts.
Just as someone’s bad rep proceeds them, the same can be said that “good works are conspicuous” (v25) for other people. It’s not like they’re looking to win awards or earn a medal. It’s just the result of how they help and who they help. The classic example is Mother Teresa. This humble nun had no intention of becoming the poster child of humble service and sacrifice. She dedicated her life sharing the love of Jesus by giving, in her words, “wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor.” She certainly wasn’t looking for the limelight by loving on the least of these. There’s little argument that her “good works are conspicuous” (v25).
Then there are those in consideration for leadership that we don’t know much about. Their lives aren’t so obvious. We need to ask around. We need check references. Paul tells us that the investigation of certain candidates turn up some serious red flags. “The sins of others appear later” (v24). The apostle uses a Greek verb (Gr. epakoloutheo) which means to follow along behind, come later, accompany, happen in a sequence. It literally means to follow immediately in someone’s footsteps. The apostle Jesus called Rocky talks about how our Savior suffered, “leaving you an example, so that you might follow (Gr. epakoloutheo) in His steps” (1Pet 2:21).
In the same way, there are some of us whose sins are so obvious to the world but are hot on our tail. We may think we can outrun our crap, but it will suddenly appear in our rearview mirror. And remember, objects in mirror are closer than they appear! The slow and steady process of investigating folks as elders and deacons should make these secret sins obvious to the search committee. Check out how the Message drops this little bit of knowledge. “The sins of some people are blatant and march them right into court. The sins of others don’t show up until much later” (v24 The Message). In other words, there are times when the stench of their garbage arrives ahead of them and there are others who only stink up the joint after they get there.
But checking the background of potential leaders doesn’t disqualify some people, it also reveals the good stuff others do that we don’t know about. There are folks whose good works “cannot remain hidden” (v25). They don’t send out press releases or call a news conference every time they do something nice for someone. This is exactly what Jesus talked about on a hillside near the lake in Galilee (Mt 6:1-6). Stop showing off just so everyone can see it. Don’t alert the media each time you help a homeless person. Don’t pray out loud for the crowd if you never pray solo and alone.
A careful inspection of leadership candidates will shine a light on how God uses these humble hidden heroes. You discover their regular and passionate devotion to Scripture. And they don’t just read it, they apply it. You discover great husbands, awesome dads, loving neighbors, and rockstars in the workplace. You discover folks who love God and love people. You discover selfless and sacrificial servants. Their good works “cannot remain hidden” (v25).
This is what happens when churches take their time in looking for leaders. When we honor this process, God makes sure the cream rises to the top. As MacArthur writes, “Time and truth go hand in hand.” It’s critical that we use the biblical qualifications (1Tim 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9) as the yardstick for elders and deacons. And that’s going to take time. You can’t rush it. When it comes to selecting leaders, slow is fast and fast is slow. Even the Son of God pulled an all-nighter praying about the selection of His disciples. And you thought you put a lot of work into researching your fantasy draft.
There is a bigger biblical principle here that goes far beyond looking for leaders. God will eventually reveal every single one of our secret sins. He’ll reward every act of clandestine kindness and grace. King David wrote a song about it and goes a little something like this. “He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday” (Ps 37:6). His son Solomon put his own spin on this lyric in the Book of Proverbs. “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out” (Prov 10:9). Jesus told His personal posse that His Dad is going to blow the lid off everything. “For nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known” (Mt 10:26).
So remember to take your time looking into the lives of potential leaders. Some stuff is obvious. Other stuff is not. Some people are an open book. Others are password protected. You may find out that your leading candidate is secret sinner or a hidden hero. Whatever the case, God will use the process to expose the good and bad.
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