The next qualification of the elders is to be “apt to teach” (v. 2). The word apt means “tending, inclined, likely.” An overseer should be able to teach, but the point here is that he must be willing to teach. This kind of teaching is not like that of schoolteachers but like parents’ teaching in the home. Schoolteachers teach students in schools because it is their job, but parents’ teaching of their children at home should be a habit in their living. If we have children, we should not only love our children but also have a habit to teach and instruct them. We should not merely command our children to do their homework but should instead offer our help. This is what it means to be apt to teach. The elders must have the habit and the willingness to teach the saints. An elder’s gift or ability to teach is of secondary importance; primarily, he must be concerned for the saints’ learning and build up a willingness and a habit to teach the saints.
Being apt to teach is another test of our genuine concern for the church and the saints. It is also a test of how much patience we have. Even if an elder has great ability, he must also be patient in order to properly teach the saints. It is not adequate to give messages; we must be willing to sit with a brother for several hours to help him see some crucial aspect of the truth. Although this will exhaust us and test us, it should not be something that we merely tolerate but something that we are inclined to do. Many saints in the church require individual help in learning the truth. With the phrase apt to teach the apostle Paul indicates that an overseer must have the concern, the willingness, and the habit to teach.
The first qualification in verse 3 is “not an excessive drinker.” Like “temperate” and “of a sober mind,” this is a matter of self-control. Some may argue that according to the wording here, the elders may drink but not excessively. However, it is quite difficult for people to control themselves once they begin drinking. Therefore, in order to control ourselves, it is best not to drink at all. In this matter we must control ourselves to the uttermost.
The next item in verse 3 is “not a striker, but gentle.” This is related to the preceding qualification because many who drink excessively are strikers. When people are drinking, they cannot control their temper. The basic thought here is that we need to be calm and cool. Because drinking agitates and excites our temper, we should not drink. If we are calm, we will not quarrel or be a striker. To be gentle, or mild, is to be agreeable and flexible in every situation. According to Paul’s word, to be an overseer is very difficult.
Verse 3 then says, “Not contentious.” To be contentious is to be quarrelsome. Not only should we not be a striker, but we should not even be quarrelsome. All these items indicate that an overseer must be very self-controlled, mild, and moderate. An overseer should never lose his temper. The elders cannot contend or fight with other saints but must be lenient and flexible with everyone in every situation.
Lastly, verse 3 says, “Not fond of money.” To be greedy is a matter of lust. Every lust needs to be controlled, bridled. To not be fond of money is to bridle our lust for money. Everyone has this lust, but an overseer must learn how to control it. The lust in our flesh is expressed mainly in sex, temper, and greed, or covetousness. These three areas are dealt with in the apostle’s charge: to be the husband of one wife is to control sexual lust; to be temperate, not a striker, and not contentious but gentle is to control our temper; and to not be fond of money is to bridle our lust for money. Most of the qualifications of the elders in these verses are related to controlling these three kinds of lust. An elder must be one who exercises strict control in these three things.
The self-control that is required of an overseer is altogether a matter of life. As elders we must live a life that has been dealt with by the cross of Christ so that the resurrection power will enable us to exercise such self-control. We should not say that no one can meet these requirements. If no one could make it, the apostle Paul would not have written it, nor would it be included in the Bible. These qualifications are not a kind of law or commandment; instead, they show us what the Lord can do within us. This is like the constitution of the kingdom in Matthew 5—7, which not only indicates what the kingdom requires but also proves and testifies how much the resurrection life can do within us. We believe God’s living Word. Whatever the Lord says will come to pass. Hence, we need to trust in His Word, receive it, and pray. We should not be disappointed by our apparent shortcomings. Instead, we should be encouraged that because the Word includes these qualifications, the resurrection life will produce them in us.
We should not isolate 1 Timothy 3:1-7 from the rest of the Epistle, which reveals the eternal life, God’s economy, which is His dispensing, and the manifestation of God in the flesh (6:12, 19; 1:4; 3:16). Thus, 1 Timothy 3:1-7 is actually a revelation of how much the resurrection life of the indwelling Christ can do in us. By ourselves we cannot meet these requirements, but the indwelling Christ can certainly meet them. However, we must be willing to cooperate with Him. Our flesh, old man, and natural life have been crucified on the cross, and it is now Christ who lives in us (Gal. 2:20). We need to cooperate with Him by having a desire and a willingness and by praying much. If we wait on the Lord, He will work out all these things from within us.