20.1 Key themes⤒🔗

• An overseer must not be a new Christian. (This is the thirteenth qualification in 1 Timothy 3:1-7.)
• If an inexperienced Christian becomes an overseer, he can easily become blinded by pride.
• Pride makes us blind to the truth that everything we have and everything we do is by the grace of God.
• The dangers of pride are many. The worst danger is that pride pulls us away from the gospel.
• As believers, and as church leaders especially, we must beware of pride.
• We must also protect new believers because pride can be a great temptation to them.

20.2 – 1 Timothy 3:6-7←⤒🔗

^6. He must not be a recent convert or he may become arrogant and fall into the punishment that the devil will exact.

^7. And he must be well thought of by those outside the faith, so that he may not fall into disgrace and be caught by the devil’s trap.

© NET Bible

20.3 Not a recent convert←⤒🔗

We have now come to the thirteenth qualification in 1 Timothy 3:1-7. This is that an overseer must “not be a recent convert” (1 Timothy 3:6). In other words, he must not be a new Christian. He must have experience of the Christian life.

Many reasons could be given for this qualification. Here are some of them:

• An overseer must have a good knowledge of God’s Word. A new Christian might not have this knowledge yet.
• A new Christian is still a child in the faith. His faith still needs to grow strong. This only happens through experience and through suffering (James 1:2-4). Before this has happened, he is not yet ready to be a leader in the church.
• An overseer must be respected and trusted by the rest of the church. It takes time for a person to earn this respect and trust.

These reasons are important, but they are not the most important reasons. The most important reason is given by Paul himself, in 1 Timothy 3:6: “Or he may become arrogant and fall into the punishment that the devil will exact.”

This is a serious warning! It is a warning for the church and also for every church leader. Let us think carefully about the meaning of these words of Paul.

20.4 Arrogant: Blinded by pride←⤒🔗

You may remember from Titus 1:7 that an overseer must not be “arrogant.” In that verse the word “arrogant” means “living for yourself and your own pleasure” (Lesson 13).

But in 1 Timothy 3:6 the word “arrogant” does not mean exactly the same thing. Paul uses a different Greek word here. The word that he uses, means “blinded by pride.” Paul is saying that a new Christian who becomes an overseer is in great danger. He is in danger of becoming blind with pride.

If a Christian becomes a church leader too soon, he may think to himself, “Look at what I have achieved, in such a short time!” He may look down on other church members and other overseers. He may also come into many disagreements with them, because he does not yet understand how life in God’s church works.

Pride makes us blind to the truth. The truth is that God is in control, and we are not. Everything we have and everything we do, is by the grace of God. Every breath that we breathe comes from him. We are dependent on him, every moment of our lives.

When we forget these truths, we are in a very dangerous situation. We are going to fall—and fall hard! As Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall” (CSB).

20.5 The dangers of pride←⤒🔗

Pride can be called “the first of all sins.” It is also the most dangerous sin. Here are some of the dangers of pride:

Pride harms our relationships.←↰⤒🔗

A proud person forgets that he lives by the grace of God. This causes him to look down on others. The proud husband thinks, “I work hard every day. Why can’t my wife work as hard as I do?” The proud church member thinks, “If only the other church members loved God as much as I love him!”

This kind of attitude is quickly seen by the people around us. It makes them want to stay away from us. It harms our relationships with them.

Pride makes us busy and stressed.←↰⤒🔗

Jesus says that we should not worry about anything, because God our Father cares for us. But a proud person thinks that he must take care of himself. This causes him to stress and to work too hard.

This is often seen in churches. A proud church leader thinks that he is the person who must make the church strong. So, he works and works, and cannot bring himself to rest. He thinks that God cannot do anything without him!

Pride makes us hungry for glory.←↰⤒🔗

We were created to bring glory to God. But a proud person wants glory for himself. He soon forgets to be faithful in the little things (Luke 16:10). He only does those things that will cause him to be seen and respected by other people.

Pride makes us disobedient.←↰⤒🔗

A proud person does not think that he needs advice. When he hears something from God’s Word that he does not like, he closes his ears for it. He knows better!

Pride pulls us away from the gospel.←↰⤒🔗

This is the greatest danger of all. A proud person has forgotten that he is a sinner who needs a Saviour. He may call himself a Christian. He may tell others about Christ. But he does not see his own need for Christ.

20.6 Beware!←⤒🔗

One day Jesus said to his followers, “Beware of the experts in the law. They like walking around in long robes, and they love elaborate greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at banquets. They devour widows’ property, and as a show make long prayers. They will receive a more severe punishment” (Luke 20:46-47).

These words are important for all of Jesus’ followers. Jesus knows our hearts. He knows how easily we become blinded with pride. That is why he tells us, “Beware!”

But these words have special importance for church leaders. Here Jesus is speaking about the church leaders of his time (the “experts in the law”). They loved to be seen and admired for their faith. But they used their power to oppress the poor. They were blinded by pride, and far away from God.

Did you see the warning at the end of these verses? Jesus says that the proud leaders of God’s people will “receive a more severe punishment.” Hell will be even worse for them than for others!

In the verse we are studying (1 Timothy 3:6), Paul also speaks about a punishment that will fall on a proud church leader. He calls this punishment “the punishment that the devil will exact.”

The devil does not give punishments for sin. God is the one who punishes sin. But sometimes God punishes a person by giving the devil some control over that person’s life. Earlier in his letter to Timothy, Paul speaks of two people, Hymenaeus and Alexander, who were punished in this way (1 Timothy 1:19-20).

When God does this, it is out of grace! He brings proud people to a fall, so that they may be humbled and saved from hell. But if they do not repent and humble themselves, God’s eternal punishment waits for them.

Let us beware of pride. And let us take Paul’s warning seriously. To a new believer, pride can be a great temptation. Let us protect our precious new brothers, and not put them into leadership too soon.