Sullivan church of Christ – Sullivan, MO
Date: June 19, 2005
“IF A MAN DESIRE THE OFFICE . . .”
Ben Justice
The New Testament pattern for the organization of the local church is a plurality of
elders and deacons (Acts 14:23; 20:17, 28; Phil. 1:1; I Tim. 5:17; I Pet. 5:1). The
qualifications for elders are clearly set forth in I Tim. 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-11 and for
deacons in I Tim. 3:8-13. As Paul began to list the qualifications given in I Tim. 3,
he began by saying in v. 1-2, “This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a
bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop (another name for elder) must be . . .” and
then Paul listed each qualification for elders. In v. 8, Paul wrote, “Likewise must the
deacons be . . .” and he listed the qualifications for deacons. Some have questioned
whether or not this should be included as a qualification for one to meet. Must
one “desire” the work before he is otherwise qualified? The plain fact of the matter
is that the language demands that a man first of all desire the work before he can
ever be qualified, either for elder or deacon. Let’s look at this more closely.
The word “desire” is used twice in v. 1. The first time it is “desire” and the second
time, “desireth.” One may think that the very same Greek word is used in both
instances, but that is not the case.
The original word translated “desire” is oregomai, the root word being orego. Vine
writes that it means, “to reach or stretch out.” He notes that it is in the middle
voice, which signifies “the mental effort of stretching oneself out for a thing, of
longing after it, with stress upon the object desired” (W.E. Vine, Vine’s
Expository Dictionary of NT Words, Pg. 162). It is in the present tense, which
denotes continuous action, thus, the bishop must continually desire the office. The
word entails more than just a “desire” but a “seeking after” or “reaching out for.”
The original word is found only two other times in the NT. Note:
—> I Tim. 6:10 — “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted
after, they have erred from the faith, . . .” Interestingly, the phrase “coveted after” is
from oregomai, the same word translated “desire” in I Tim. 3:1.
—> Heb. 11:16 — “But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: . . .” This
is in connection with the patriarchs of old, such as Abel (v. 4), Enoch (v. 5), Noah
(v. 7), and Abraham (v. 8-12). All of these great men of God “desired” a better
country. The word “desire” is from the same Greek word translated “desire” in I
Tim. 3:1, but we know that those Patriarchs of old did more than just desire — they
sought after and reached out for this better country — that is heaven. In fact, v. 14
of Heb. 11 says, “For they that say such things declare that they seek a country.” They
desired by seeking.
The ASV of 1901 actually translates the Greek word in I Tim. 3:1 as “seeketh.” This
is the import of the original word. The prospective elder must seek after and
stretch forth himself in order to gain the office of a bishop. And, it being in the
present tense means that he must continually be of this disposition.
Next, notice the word “desireth.” It is not from the same Greek word translated
“desire.” It is from epithumeo. This is a strong word in the original. It is found a
total of 16 times in the NT and is translated variously. To show just how strong
this word is, it is translated, “lust after” (Matt. 5:28 — here it is used in a bad
sense), “lust” (James 4:2 — again in a bad sense), and “covet” (Rom. 7:7; 13:9). The
word is used in connection with the prodigal son in Luke 15. This son received a
portion of his father’s inheritance, and he “took his journey into a far country, and
there wasted his substance with riotous living” (v. 13). Eventually (as sin does), he
found himself “to be in want” (v. 14). As v. 15 reveals, “he went and joined himself to
a citizen of that country.” The text reveals that his job was to feed the swine (v. 15).
Then, v. 16 states: “And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the
swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.” The phrase “would fain” is from the same
Greek word translated “desireth” in I Tim. 3:1. The context of the prodigal son
shows just how strong the word is. Vine writes that it means, “to desire earnestly”
(Ibid., Pg. 162).
The original word is also used in connection with Lazarus and the rich man in Luke
16. Verses 20-21 state, “And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was
laid at his gate, full of sores, (21) And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from
the rich man table: . . .” Again, the word “desiring” is from the same Greek word used
in I Tim. 3:1. One can almost get the mental picture of just how much Lazarus
desired to be fed with the crumbs.
The Holy Spirit chose to use this strong word in connection with elders. A literal
translation of I Tim. 3:1 might be as follows: “If a man reaches out for overseership, he
earnestly desires (or longs for) a good work.”
Now, here is a vital question: What would make a man reach out for this function
in the church so as to earnestly desire it? Sadly, there are many in the church who
have their hearts on the eldership for all the wrong reasons. Some want it because
of pride or prestige or honor. However, the only honorable motive for reaching out
for the eldership is to help people get to heaven and thereby glorify God. Should we
put a man in the eldership who does not reach out for it so as to earnestly long for
it? How can any one suggest that we can?! Such a person would be a grave
hindrance — not a help!
The word “then” is a very important word in v. 2 of I Tim. 3. It should be connected
back to v. 1. Once a man seeks after the office of bishop, then he must be . . . and
then Paul lists the qualifications. So, only until he desires and seeks after the
work can he be considered a candidate for elder. He must desire . . . then he must
be — meeting each qualification set forth (v. 2-7). Therefore, “If a man desire the
office of bishop” is a qualification.
Elders are to do their work “with joy, and not with grief, for that is unprofitable for you”
(Heb. 13:17).
After Paul finished giving the qualifications for bishops (v. 7), he began v. 8 by
saying, “Likewise must the deacons be . . .” and then the qualifications for deacons
are given. “Likewise” is the key word. The ASV says, “Deacons in like manner.”
We might ask, “In like manner to what?” Obviously, “in like manner” to bishops,
deacons must be. Therefore, this should be connected back to v. 1-2a. In other
words, what had been said in connection with bishops desiring the work equally
applies to deacons desiring the work. Bishops must desire the work and so must
deacons. Bishops must be . . . meeting all the qualifications and so must
deacons. This is the significance of the word “likewise.”
May we never settle for anything less than what the Bible teaches concerning the
qualifications for elders and deacons! To do so is to invite disaster upon the local
congregation!