We continue our examination of the qualifications necessary for those who serve as elders in the Lord's church.

An elder must not be soon angry. "For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered..." {Titus 1:7} The Greek word used here is orgilos; it is defined as "prone to anger; irascible, soon angry." (Thayer) A man selected for the eldership must not be hot-headed and quick-tempered. To put it mildly, he cannot have a short fuse that can be easily lit. Does this mean he can never become angry? No, because the Bible tells us there are rightful causes for anger. "And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.' And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other." {Mark 3:5} Jesus knew their hearts were hard and their minds closed. Their attitudes angered Him. Some refer to this as righteous indignation. "Be angry, and do not sin: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil." {Ephesians 4:26,27} Remember, do not be SOON ANGRY.

An elder must not be easily affected by anger, not easily provoked, irritated, wrathful, or resentful; he must be slow to wrath. "So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God." {James 1:19,20} We must not allow anger to lead us into sin. Our anger should always be directed toward sinful actions-not people. An elder's anger can destroy the love and affection others have for him, as well as cause them to lose respect for him and his ability to lead. Elders must be able to control their emotions, especially their tempers. If a man becomes angry at the drop of a hat, he is not qualified to be an elder!

Elders must be lovers of good. "But hospitable, a lover of what is good..." {Titus 1:8}; "A lover of good" (ASV); "loving what is good" (NASV). The Greek word philagathos means "loving goodness" (Thayer); "loving that which is good" (Vine's). That which is not good is evil, and what is evil is not good (Isaiah 5:20). This qualification demands that the elder love good rather than evil. "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death." {1 John 3:14} The elder should do everything he can to encourage people to do what is good and honorable. Loving good will help him form good habits and characteristics, but loving what is not good will corrupt a person and cause him to become more like the evil he loves. He must appreciate good character in men who are seeking to follow Christ, even encouraging them to accomplish more for the Lord. His love of good and good men will help the elder set a good example before the local congregation. Men who love good manifest that love in their daily lives, and others see it. Loving those who exemplify this type of character enhances one's own conduct.

An elder must be just. "But hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just..." {Titus 1:8} The Greek word dikaios is defined as "in a narrow sense, rendering to each his due; and that in a judicial sense, passing just judgment on others." (Thayer's) Therefore, elders must show impartial judgment. A man can never be as just as God? God is supreme in this area; He doesn't make mistakes. But mortal men must strive to be as just as they possibly can be. Elders must be certain that they are fair, open-minded, and unprejudiced in their decisions involving members in varying situations. Please consider James 2:1-6.

Elders must render fair and upright decisions. Decisions that favor only a few, are not just. This is extremely important when he is dealing with members of his immediate, physical family. Elders must never place their family relationships above "what is written," {1 Corinthians 4:6}. They are to be exact and proper in their actions and upright in their dealings with ALL church members. This is just as true of their dealings with those who are outside the church. To put it in a nutshell, there is to be no respect of persons in the handling of Godly justice.

An elder must be holy. "But hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled." {Titus 1:8}; "Devout" (NEB and NASV). The Greek word hosios is defined as "undefiled by sin, free from wickedness, religiously observing every moral obligation, pure, holy, pious." (Thayer) The word indicates one who is undefiled by sin and free from any wrong doing. This person is determined and faithful in every duty pertaining to his relationship with God. He is a holy man who is about to begin a holy work. Again, this does not mean that he never sins. A holy man is one who grows into the likeness of Christ because he follows His commands and becomes free from the guilt of sin. He does not allow sin to reign in his mortal body {Romans 6:12}. He is continually trying to free himself of anything that the Lord would find displeasing in his life. The holy man constantly studies God's word and makes an effort to properly apply it to his personal life. He does these things to set the proper example before the flock.

An elder must not be a striker. "Not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous." {1 Timothy 3:3} "For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent..." {Titus 1:7}; "Not violent" (NKJV/RSV); "Not pugnacious" (NASV); "Not a brawler" (NEB). Some translations render this variously, "not a fist-fighter; not given to blows; not ready to wound." The Greek is "Ma plektan" Ma-not, by no means; never at any time; Plaktan-striker, bruiser, ready with a blow; a pugnacious, contentious, quarrelsome person." The apparent idea behind this particular qualification is that a brother must not be quick-tempered or ready to fight at a moment's notice. He must be patient and kind, even when insulted or wronged by another. One seeking the eldership must be a peaceable man who is not apt to strike or unable to control his temper. Closely related is not to be easily angered. A qualified elder is not ready to "step out back and settle our differences like men" every time someone disagrees with him. "For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously." {1 Peter 2:21-23} While it's true that an elder needs to be firm, steadfast, and uncompromising with God's truth, he must not fight back at personal insults and seek to take vengeance toward those who oppose him. Such conduct disqualifies a man from the office of an elder.