Got Witnesses?

“Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses” (1Tim 5:19).

Stories of law enforcement falsely accusing someone of a crime seem to be everywhere these days. The controversial documentary series “Making a Murderer” alleges cops and prosecutors cooked up the murder conviction of Steven Avery. And just about every week, shows like “Dateline” and “48 Hours” pull back the curtain on investigations gone horribly wrong. These heartbreaking stories usually involve circumstantial evidence and questionable witnesses.

In a letter to a young pastor named Timothy in Ephesus, Paul establishes a standard for any investigation into leaders in the church. “Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses” (v19). He’s simply reiterating and applying a longstanding principle of God’s law. If you’re going to publicly accuse anyone of sin, much less an elder, you need evidence. Not rumors. Not whispers. Not innuendo. It’s going to take real forensic evidence. Got witnesses?

This is going to be an important tool for Tim. His mentor is on the road to Macedonia and has put him in charge of getting the Ephesian megachurch back on track. A team of spiritual con artists have weaseled their way into leadership and distracted folks from following Jesus with a combination of urban legends, goofy theories, and doctrine that’s downright demonic (1Tim 1:3-7; 4:1-3). 

Paul already kicked two of these knuckleheads to the curb (1Tim 1:20). The apostle set the bar for leadership integrity going forward (1Tim 3:1-13). And now he establishes clear guidelines for investigating charges against them.

In the previous verses, Paul talks about “elders who rule well” (1Tim 5:17), so it makes sense that he brings up those who don’t. Just to be sure, we’re NOT talking about incompetent leadership. We’re talking about a leader who willfully sins. That’s obvious from verses 20-24 where the apostle warns elders to avoid sinful activity like a Justin Bieber concert. 

You don’t kick out leaders just because you don’t like them. Poor performance isn’t grounds for dismissal. The standard for removal from the church office of elder must be sin which can be proved.

There may well be a few more false teachers serving in the Ephesian leadership who need to hit the road. If there’s more trouble at the top, Paul gives Tim the means to send them packing. The yardstick is clear. He can’t even consider cranking up an investigation without a minimum of two witnesses. 

If the evidence is there, dig a little deeper. Find out the truth. See if there are folks who are willing to testify to what’s going on. It has to be more than a random Twitter post or an anonymous online comment. You need real witnesses. And one witness won’t cut the mustard. Two is better. Three would be awesome.

God established the requirement of multiple witnesses when He gave Moses the law. “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established” (Dt 19:15). That’s especially true in death penalty cases (Num 35:30; Dt 17:6). 

Fast forward from the Torah to the kangaroo court that convicted Christ. “Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put Him to death, but they found none” (Mt 26:59-60; Mk 14:55). It was only through perjury that Jewish leaders were able to cook up enough evidence to get Him crucified.

Jesus told His followers to use this same forensic principle when handling cases of between believers. The Lord says we’re to sit down one-on-one with the person who sinned against us. “But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses” (Mt 18:16). 

Interestingly, that’s REALLY the meaning behind a verse that’s regularly quoted for small worship attendance. “For where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I among them” (Mt 18:20). In other words, when two or three of His followers agree together on the evidence as witnesses, Jesus stands with them. Christ is actually talking about church discipline, NOT the minimum requirements for a worship service.

Before making his third visit to the church in Corinth, Paul warns believers to build the proper case against anyone who needs correction. “Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses” (2Cor 13:1). We’re not to deal with gossip, hearsay, whisper campaigns, internet rumors, and urban legends. 

Confronting a fellow follower of Jesus is a big deal. I mean a BIG hairy deal! It’s not to be taken lightly. It’s going to take a minimum of two people to testify against them before any action can be taken. Got witnesses?

Another important factor is that leaders are easy targets. As a matter of fact, Paul has just described the need to reward top shelf elders “who rule well” (1Tim 5:17). He uses a Greek word (Gr. proistemi) that means to place yourself in front. In other words, leaders put themselves out there. 

Elders are exposed. It’s just part of the package when you step into leadership. You become a punching bag of blame for anyone who doesn’t like the volume of music, the color of the carpet, the temperature in the baptismal pool, or the quality of the free coffee.

You see this petty garbage in the political system all the time. The candidate from the Not-Your-Party gets elected. They haven’t even taken their hand off the Bible at the inauguration when the opposition cranks up the impeachment machine. The U.S. Constitution may allow those sort of shenanigans but not Scripture. 

If you’re thinking about raising a stink about one of your church leaders, you’d better slow your roll. What’s the basis for your complaint? Is it really sin? Got witnesses?

A little closer look at the original language here helps us out. The word “charge” is the Greek noun kategoria, which means an accusation. The word literally describes a rumor that moves “through (kate-) the marketplace (-goria).” Dirt and gossip spread like wildfire in public settings and large gatherings. 

The Apostle John uses a very similar term when he calls Satan “the accuser (Gr. kategoreo) of the brothers” (Rev 12:10). In other words, there has to be more than a whisper campaign of people hiding behind an anonymous web profile or unsigned letter to remove an elder from office.

It’s interesting that the only other uses of kategoria in the Gospels have to do with the crooked and unrelenting investigation against our Savior. Religious bigwigs never took their eyes off Jesus so “they might find an accusation (Gr. kategoria) against Him” (Lk 6:7 NKJV). 

When they eventually trumped up charges of treason against Christ and took Him to the governor, Pilate wanted to know, “What accusation (Gr. kategoria) do you bring against this Man?” (Jn 18:29). Just in case you haven’t heard, they had nothing (Jn 18:28. 19:4, 6). Zip. Zero. Zilch.

A local church can head a lot of these problems off at the pass if it just follows the process of selecting leaders which God lays out in His Word (1Tim 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9). Let’s review that vetting process quickly. A candidate must be “above reproach” (1Tim 3:2), which means not just scandal-free but scandal-proof. 

Paul goes on to tell Titus that an elder is “not open to the charge (Gr. kategoria) of debauchery or insubordination” (Titus 1:6). Just down the page, we’ll see the apostle warn against rushing to find new leaders and “not be hasty in the laying on of hands” (1Tim 5:22).

There’s a good chance that if someone has a legit accusation against an elder, the church may not have done its due diligence in his selection. You can go a long way to avoid a messy investigation by checking out a potential leader’s marriage, family, work performance, and personal finances ahead of time. 

Is it hard work? Will it take a while? You betcha. But it sure beats one of your elders doing a perp walk or seeing your church leading the local newscast. Remember, we’re about spreading the Good News not getting bad press.

A quick but necessary note to anyone in church or ministry leadership. This principle is NOT a shield to hide behind. We’re NOT to use this as some sort of teflon coating insuring charges will never stick. (As a matter of fact, Paul gets to that in the very next verse!) 

There’s also the idea of shared servant/leadership or what theologians call the plurality of elders. That just means there’s not one dude flying solo in leadership. Just about every mention of elders in the NT describes them as a team (Acts 11:30; 14:23; 15:2-6, 22-23; 16:4; 20:17, 28; 21:18; Phil 1:1; Titus 1:5; James 5:14; 1Pet 5:1-2). Teamwork creates openness and accountability. Multiple elders help to provide checks and balances.

The bottom line here is that Paul seems to believe that charges against church leaders are going to come. It’s probably not a case of “if” but “when.” Pastors and elders are easy targets. So let’s establish a standard for investigation. 

Don’t waste your time chasing down every rumor. You need real evidence. Not opinion. Not innuendo. Are there any witnesses? There needs to be more than just one. Two is the minimum. Three is better. Got witnesses?

Untouchable

“Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach” (1Tim 3:2).

Imagine yourself leading a search committee. You’re given the assignment to assemble the next team of dynamic leaders for your organization. Oh yeah, I almost forgot to tell you. The eternal destiny of everyone who ever lives hangs on your choice. So, no pressure. Well, that’s exactly the situation in which Timothy finds himself. 

The good news is that his spiritual mentor is the Apostle Paul (1Tim 1:1). The bad news is that he’s not here (1Tim 1:2). And the church he’s pastoring is a hot mess. Spiritual posers have weaseled their way into the Ephesian church and distracted everyone from the main thing of following Jesus. Paul tells Tim to shut them up and kick them out (1Tim 1:3-7). The apostle has already given the boot to the despicable duo of Hymenaeus and Alexander (1Tim 1:20). 

The result of this purge has apparently left a void in the leadership of the church. It’s now up to Tim to recognize and assemble a team of overseers who will follow Christ and provide examples for the other believers in Ephesus. Fortunately for Pastor Tim, Paul sent him a very important set of guidelines for the search committee to use. No, it’s not a list of required degrees or work experience. It is certainly not a detailed job description. Ignore resumes and cover letters. The apostle gives us a list of essential character qualities. Look for character. At the top is integrity. “Therefore an overseer must be above reproach” (v2). A church leader isn’t just scandal-free, he’s scandal-proof.

Paul sets the bar high for overseers in 1 Timothy 3:2-7. But each of the required traits in these verses are just various ways to elaborate on what it means to be above reproach. In his marriage. In his family. In his work. In his church. In his finances. In his relationships. There’s no barrier between what happens at church, home, work, and play. That’s what it means to have integrity. You’re the same person everywhere you go. You can’t be a jerk at work and a saint on Sunday. Doesn’t work that way. A jerk is a jerk no matter the day of the week.

The apostle calls this particular church leader an “overseer” (v2). The word in the original language (Gr. episkopos) means just that. It describes someone with vision who looks to the horizon, looks out for the best for God’s people, and looks for danger. In the previous verse, Paul tells his boy Tim how overseers must have a burning passion for Jesus’ church and the welfare of God’s people. The New Testament uses the terms overseer, elder, and pastor interchangeably (Acts 20:17, 28; Titus 1:5, 7; 1Pet 2:25; 5:1-4). An overseer is an elder. An elder is a pastor. A pastor is an overseer. And no matter what you call them, they must be blameless.

These leaders “must be above reproach” (v2). Paul drops the Greek word anepilemptos, which literally means something or someone that can’t be held, seized, or grabbed. When you apply that idea to a person’s character, it describes how they are blameless, above criticism, without fault. Some scholars believe this was actually a first century wrestling term. Think of a grappler who didn’t leave any opening for his opponent. He had no weaknesses for an easy takedown or hold. In the same way, an overseer is untouchable. In the words of the great philosopher and theologian M.C. Hammer, “Can’t touch this!” I’m pretty sure there’s no biblical requirement for a church leader to wear Hammer pants, but that would be pretty sweet.

On one hand, you can’t get any charges to stick to an overseer. For years, the feds tried to take down Mafia boss John Gotti. Three times, they charged this godfather and three  times he got off. Because nobody could make the charges stick, Gotti earned the nickname of the Teflon Don. Well, the fourth time was the charm for the FBI. Gotti’s non-stick coating wore off and he went to the joint for good. 

Just to make sure you’re paying attention, that’s NOT the kind of person your church should choose for a leader. It’s so much more than the failing to make the accusations stick. We’re not talking about all the charges being dropped and no indictments being handed down. The idea here is for an overseer to be unaccuseable (is that even a word?). Not only has no one accused him of anything, there’s no scandal lurking in the closet. He has nothing to hide. A background check won’t turn up anything. A “60 Minutes” expose’ of his life would actually be pretty boring. He’s not just scandal-free, he’s scandal-proof. Overseers are untouchable. 

A couple of things Paul is NOT saying. First of all, blameless does NOT mean sinless. There’s only one Person who fits that description to ever walk on this planet. An overseer is a sinner just like the rest of us. It’s not IF he sins but WHEN he sins. When he sins, he’s quick to confess and quick to repent. Blameless does NOT mean sinless.

Second, it doesn’t mean folks won’t cook up crazy charges against a church leader. Don’t believe me? Need I remind you of the frame job the Pharisees pulled on the Rabbi/Carpenter from Galilee? And the author of this very letter spent more than his fair share locked up in the joint under false charges. But that shouldn’t keep the followers of Jesus to throw in the towel on integrity. 

One of the biggest reasons for a leader to avoid scandal is because of the outrageous message they proclaim. They may be scandal-free and scandal-proof but they proclaim a scandalous message. Peter Gomes calls it the “Scandalous Gospel.” Jesus offers God’s love, forgiveness, and acceptance to anyone and everyone who place their trust in Him. God’s grace is absurd. Ridiculous. Promiscuous. Irrational. Unfair. What makes the Good News so shocking is that we can do nothing to earn it (Eph 2:8-9). God doesn’t save good people. He transforms His enemies into heirs. His descending, one-way love is scandalous.

At this point, you may be wiping the beads of sweat off your brow. Whew! Leave leadership to the really serious believers. I’m glad I’m just a garden variety follower of Jesus. Not so fast, my friend. Remember, we’re not talking about sinlessness. Remember, the dude who wrote this letter to Tim was terrorist who tortured and murdered Christians before the resurrected Christ turned his life upside down.

But every follower of Jesus is to be “blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world” (Phil 2:15). Paul’s buddy Pete says we’re all to “Be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless, and blameless” (2Pet 3:14 NASB). If keeping score, the blameless aren’t limited to our leaders. Every single one of us.

Before you start freaking out, you need to know this was God’s plan for us from the very beginning. Actually BEFORE the beginning! God “chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him” (Eph 1:4). As a result, Jesus came to our rescue “in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach” to His Dad (Col 1:22). When it’s all said and done, our Savior has the power “to keep you from stumbling and present you blameless” to His Father (Jude 24).

Blameless believers. Blameless leaders. Scandal-free. Scandal-proof. Untouchable. All thanks to a scandalous Gospel.

The Unusual Suspects

“if anyone is above reproach…” (v6)

Few things get my undies in a bundle like scandal in the church. Some knucklehead senior pastor gets caught sleeping around on his wife. Another doofus can’t keep his sticky fingers out of the offering plate. Some joker builds a palace that’s sweeter than most presidents and prime ministers have. Still another bully becomes so power hungry that he bum rushes everyone in his way to get what he wants. The interweb is chockfull of this crap. And all it does is throw mud on the wedding gown of Jesus’ bride. 

Two thousand years ago, the Apostle Paul gave serious instructions that would go a long, long way to help local churches from making bad news. Remember, we’re in the Good News business! He wrote a note to his “go to” guy deployed on the island of Crete. Paul tells Titus to set up leadership structures in all of the local churches by appointing elders (Titus 1:5). He’s NOT talking about chronological but spiritual maturity. This is what we should see in our elders, pastors, and spiritual leaders. The man from Tarsus then gives the Big T a picture of just what spiritual leadership looks like. Above all, they are to be “above reproach” (v6). All of the other qualities listed later are just specifics about what this means. 

So just what does it mean to be “above reproach?” The phrase comes from a single Greek: anegkletos. It literally means “one not called in.” Back in the first century, this was someone who is NOT called into court to appear before the judge for wrongdoing. This pertains to someone who cannot be accused of anything wrong. They’re blameless. They’re not accused. They’re without offense. They’re beyond suspicion. They are the Unaccused (yeah, I just made that word up).

Let’s talk for a bit about who an elder is NOT. Who doesn’t make the list? Who’s eliminated from consideration? Take the characters in the movie “The Usual Suspects.” After a nasty crime, police round up a group of familiar faces. These crooks run in the wrong circles and continually dance in the shadows of what is legal and illegal. The cops know them well. Very well. When the fecal matter hits the whirling device, they drag these dudes downtown for questioning. It’s not the first time. And it won’t be the last time. The each have a slimy rep. When you’re looking for an elder, you don’t choose one of “The Usual Suspects.” Just the opposite. There’s no scandal. No charges made. No indictments have been handed down. These guys are so far from the line that there’s no doubt they’ve ever been anywhere near the line. They are the Unusual Suspects. They are the Unaccused.

The Apostle Paul sets a high standard for the spiritual leaders in the local church. The list in the following verses is less about possessing a body of knowledge and specific skill set. If this quality is not there, the rest of the list is meaningless. It’s about character. It’s about integrity. Why is this a big deal? Having leaders who are above reproach goes a long way to prevent scandal and disgrace on both the church and the Gospel. Being unaccused means having a great reputation. It’s so important that Paul drops the very same word in the very next verse, just in case we may have missed it the first time around. Yeah, integrity. It’s a big deal in our spiritual leaders.

Check out how other translations handle this idea. “[These elders should be] men who are of unquestionable integrity and are irreproachable” (v6 AMP). “An elder must be well thought of for his good life” (v6 NLT). “Men having a good record” (v6 BBE). “Is this man well-thought-of?” (v6 The Message). “Elders should be without fault” (v6 CEB). “They must have a good reputation” (v6 CEV). Unquestionable integrity. Irreproachable. Well thought of. Good record. Good reputation. These are the character traits we’re looking for when vetting our leaders. They are the Unaccused.

Maybe you think that you’re off of the hook at this point. Whew, looks like nobody’s ever picking me to be one of the elders! Not so fast, my friend. You and I may not be a pastor or an elder, but the Holy Spirit is recreating each of us in the image of Jesus, not just those at the top of the org chart. An elder’s life should be worthy of imitation. Integrity and blamelessness should be our goal. No way, dude. You have NO idea what’s on my resume (or should I say “criminal record”!). I’m sure every one of us has stuff in our rearview mirror we’d rather forget. 

The guy writing this letter has quite a rap sheet. Before he was Paul the missionary, he was Saul the murderer. Yeah, he killed the followers of Jesus. He ran the coat check table at Stephen’s stoning (Acts 7:58). He was all in favor of it (Acts 8:1). He led a black ops team to hunt down believers (Acts 8:23). The apostle admits to trying to wipe Jesus’ church from the face of the earth (1Cor 15:9; Gal 1:13; Phil 3:6; 1Tim 1:13). Despite his bloody background, the former Pharisee is the man Jesus handpicks to reach the world. If God can use Paul, He can use you and me. He’s eventually going to wipe our records clean when He returns for His spectacular encore. Eventually, Jesus will make sure that every one of us is “guiltless (Gr. anegkletos)” (1Cor 1:8) and “above reproach (Gr. anegkletos)” on the day of judgment (Col 1:22). 

Yup, one day we’ll all be the Unusual Suspects. We'll all be the Unaccused.