First Peter 5:2b says, “Overseeing not under compulsion but willingly, according to God; not by seeking gain through base means but eagerly.” Here Peter uses the word overseeing in his word to the elders. Paul similarly uses the word overseer to refer to the elders (1 Tim. 3:1-2; Titus 1:7). To oversee the church is not to rule it but to safeguard, preserve, and protect it as a shepherd oversees a flock. Not under compulsion but willingly means not by constraint, pressure, or force. This is like a mother’s care for her child.
According to 1 Timothy 5:17, in the ancient times some elders were supported financially by the churches. Thus, there was a temptation for material gain. Therefore, Peter writes, “Not by seeking gain through base means” (1 Pet. 5:2). Paul uses similar terms in 1 Timothy 6:5, which says, “Perpetual wranglings of men corrupted in mind and deprived of the truth, supposing godliness to be a means of gain.” Paul knew of some who pretended to be godly in order to get money from others. This is shameful. Brother Watchman Nee purposely avoided having special contact with wealthy saints, because he was not seeking base gain. We must overcome the temptation to seek gain through base means. We must earnestly love the saints and be willing to give our life for them without any thought of material gain.
First Peter 5:3 says, “Nor as lording it over your allotments but by becoming patterns of the flock.” We daily lord it over our possessions, such as our house, furniture, and cars, but elders should not lord it over the saints, because the church is not their possession. The church, which includes the elders, is the possession of God. An elder should not be the lord and should not consider the church or the saints his possession. Instead, he should be a pattern. The elders’ being patterns indicates that they are on the same level as the other saints.
Verse 4 says, “When the Chief Shepherd is manifested, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” To receive the unfading crown of glory is to be a partaker of the glory to be revealed. The Lord is the Chief Shepherd, and He became a martyr for His flock. In a sense, He is still suffering. Therefore, the elders, who are His fellow shepherds, must also suffer for the flock with the view that some day they will be with Him in glory.
Verse 5a says, “In like manner, younger men, be subject to elders; and all of you gird yourselves with humility toward one another.” The phrase in like manner implies that the elders are on the same level as the younger brothers. According to our natural thought, the young ones should be humble toward the older ones, but the older ones do not need to be humble toward the young ones. This thought places the elders and the young ones on different levels and creates ranks with the young ones of the lower rank submitting to the elders of the higher rank. However, the phrase all of you in verse 5 places us all on the same level. In the church there is no rank. The word gird describes the way a servant puts on a serving apron. The elders’ girding themselves with humility indicates that they are serving ones. This thought is precious. The elders must reject any thought that they are higher than others. They should not rule but should serve the saints. Paul has the same basic thought when he writes, “Not a new convert, lest being blinded with pride he fall into the judgment suffered by the devil” (1 Tim. 3:6). These two apostles had the same concern about pride among the elders.
In the eldership there are two main temptations: base gain and pride. If a leading brother’s love for the church causes him to labor to take care of the church full time, the saints may honor him by giving him material support. However, if his intention is to gain the support, he is seeking gain through base means. We must reject this temptation. The other temptation for the elders is to think that because they are elders, they have a special rank and are higher than others. Those who think this way have fallen into the pit of pride. We must be on the alert against these temptations.
In his exhortation Peter does not rank the elders above the other saints but puts all the believers on the same level. This is important. As elders, we must not rank ourselves differently from the other saints. Instead, we must consider ourselves lower than the others because we serve the saints. The serving ones are always lower than those being served (cf. Luke 22:27). Because we elders are the serving ones, we must continually gird ourselves with humility.
First Peter 5:5b says, “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.” The church needs genuinely humble elders, for they will bring in grace. I have seen churches where the grace was lacking because of the elders’ pride. The pride of the elders frustrates God’s grace from coming to the church, but the humility of the elders keeps a living flow of grace coming into the church. Therefore, whether the elders are humble or proud makes a great difference.