“To be, or not to be, that is the Question”

“To be, or not to be” is the opening phrase of Act-3, Scene 1 of William Shakespeare’s 1602 play Hamlet. While holding a skull, Prince Hamlet laments over the pain and unfairness of life. He questions the purpose of existence and contemplates death and suicide. Is it better to have lived or not? “To be (to exist) or not to be (not exist) that is the question.” This simple phrase has been one of the most widely known and quoted lines in modern English.

Shakespeare’s brilliance was the ability to combine a few everyday words and give them a provocative meaning. Some of the phrases he penned were “Vanished into thin air,” “It’s Greek to me,” “Slept not a wink,” “Too much of a good thing,” “A laughingstock,” “Break the ice,” and “In a pickle.” These riddled puns of his are still used today.

Moreover, the idiom that Shakespeare is mostly known for is how he used the verb phrase “to be.” Because of Shakespeare’s mastery of words, he gave this simple catchphrase a philosophical, thought-provoking meaning about human existence; a contemplation that everyone has pondered at one time or another.

There is a more important “to be” in the Scriptures.  But this simple “to be” verb has been widely ignored or overlooked so much that I could not find a single Christian resource about it. This Greek word “to be” is the most critical verb that lays the foundation of who is qualified for Christian leadership.

Many professional pastors have disregarded this modest verb because it makes pastoral leadership much too demanding to be eligible. One pastor altered the meaning for “to be” hospitable to “to be willing” to be hospitable. For the biblical mandate, “be hospitable,” the pastor changed the meaning of “to be” to just “be willing.”

Like this pastor, many of today’s church leaders do not practice being hospitable to strangers.  It is a mandate for all church leaders to practice hospitality regularly with new people. All pastors, elders, and deacons are to be known for being hospitable. Christians who intentionally seek out people who they do not know or don’t know very well on a regular basis are practicing hospitality. Leaders are to be opening their homes to strangers. By changing the “to be” mandate to “be willing” gets them off the hook.  At this church, leadership does not have to practice hospitality, they just have to be willing to do so.

The Greek word “to be” that church leaders have ignored or changed is found in 1 Timothy 3:2 and 2 Timothy 2:24, “Therefore an overseer must be (εἶναι – to be) above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach.” The Greek word εἶναι, transliterated “einai” and pronounced a’-ni, means “to be.”

This Greek word “to be” is a verb – present infinitive. What does that mean?

1. A verb shows an action (sing), occurrence (develop), or state of being (exist)[1]. In the case of 1 Timothy 3:2, “to be” refers to a state of being.  He is (εἶναι – to be) above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil (1 Timothy 3:1-7).
2. Present of “to be” describes a current activity or state of being. It is happening right now, at this very moment, as we speak.
3. Infinitive of “to be” means there is no reference in time or no finite state of time. In other words, the state of time for “to be” cannot be confined to a time period of past, present, or future. εἶναι – to be, is what it was in the past, what it is in the present and what it will be in the future.

So, how does the above apply to the Bible?

The present infinitive verb εἶναι (to be) in 1 Timothy 3:2 and 2 Timothy 2:24 is talking about a man whose character has been, still is at this very moment, and who will maintain the biblical qualifications of 1 Timothy 3:1-10; Titus 1:5-9 and 1 Peter 5:1-4.  Apostle Paul writes to Timothy in 1 Timothy 3:10, “let these also first be tested.”

“Dokimaz ō (let [them] be tested) means “to approve after testing.” The present tense of the verb indicates an ongoing test, not a one-time test or probationary period. Deacons are to be continually tested before they officially serve as deacons. The test in view here is the general assessment of a believer’s service by the church. Once they become officially recognized as deacons, this evaluation goes on. Also refers to the discussion of elders in 3:1-7. They, too, are to be continually evaluated by the church.“[2]

Scripture says, “If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task” (1 Timothy 3:1). But the mere aspiration and desire to be a church leader is not enough!  The Bible says they are to be biblically qualified right now, have been in their past, and will continue to be in their future. Before considering someone for church leadership, that church must first test them for their biblical qualifications (1 Timothy 3:10).  The church is required to make sure that these men have been practicing these scriptural requirements and have continued to do so in the present.  These men need to regularly prove that their character of obedience lines up with the biblical mandates for leadership. 

The Bible calls these men “elders.” They are older men[3] who have proven by their character that they meet the scriptural mandates of biblical leadership.

Questions for Pastors and Elders

“To be, or not to be, that is the question.” “Are you biblically qualified, or are you not biblically qualified, that is the question.”

1. Have you been and are you right now, at this very minute, as you read this, daily proving that you are qualified according to God’s scriptural commands?  Can this be proven to your church, your family, those around you, and yourself? 
2. Or do you rely on a seminary degree or on some vague feeling called the “call of God” that you are biblically qualified for ministry?

Questions for Future Church Leaders

Same question. “Are you biblically qualified, or are you not biblically qualified, that is the question.”

1. Are you old enough to be called aged and gray-headed?  How does your age measure up with those of the Old Testament Prophets and the apostles of the Bible? Or maybe you want to compare yourself to the Apostle Paul’s predecessor, Timothy. Read my post about how old Timothy really was in “Let No One Despise You for Your Youth.” 
2. Have you proven to your church congregation that you are a man that is above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money?
3. Do you know how to manage your own household well, with all dignity keeping your children submissive, for if you do not know how to manage your own family, how will you care for God’s church?
4. Are you a recent convert? [4]
5. Do you have a good reputation with outsiders (unbelievers/non-Christians)?
6. Are you ready and willing to earn your own living if necessary (Acts 20:17, 33-35)?

Here are some serious question to contemplate honestly:

1. Do you want to be biblically qualified as the Scriptures command, or let your own aspirations and desire for leadership overrule the Bible? 
2. Are you going to rely on some mysterious feeling said to be the “call of God” and ignore the biblical directives like so many pastors have, or demonstrate to your church that you have the proven character for leadership?
3. Do you think that seminary will automatically biblically qualify you for leadership, and after graduating, you will automatically start practicing the leadership qualifications in the Bible? Even if a man graduates with a Ph.D. in Expository Preaching, he must still prove that he was and still is qualified for the ministry. Then over time, after proving yourself to your church, then and only then, should the church consider you a candidate to test for church leadership (1 Timothy 3:10).

I would hope that a truly godly man would want to be obedient to the Scriptures more than he desires to be in leadership.

Questions for Laypeople

“Are your church leaders biblically qualified, or are they not biblically qualified, that is the question.”

1. Do you know and understand the importance of 1 Timothy 3:1-10, Titus 1:5-9, and 1 Peter 5:1-4?  You play a significant role in choosing who leads you, teaches you and your family and friends!
2. Have your church leaders been proving that they are biblically qualified to lead you?
3. Are you choosing leadership that you can honestly say you want to emulate?
4. The laymen are to be testing their church leaders, especially those considered for leadership (1 Timothy 3:10).

Paul wrote to the churches to follow his example:

• “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:9).
• “Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us “(Philippians 3:17).
• “I urge you, then, be imitators of me” (1 Corinthians 4:16).
• “For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you; not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, so that you would follow our example” (2 Thessalonians 3:7-9).

It is every Christian layperson’s responsibility to know what defines a biblically qualified leader. They may think that because they are not in leadership and don’t desire to be, it exempts them from knowing if others are actually qualified. So, why should they know it? On the great Day of Judgement, Jesus Christ will separate all Christian labor into perishable and nonperishable works. Their efforts of spiritually and financially supporting leadership that did not meet God’s standards will be burned away.  Ignorance will not be an excuse since God gave His Word to everyone. All Christians have the biblical responsibility to choose biblical leadership according to the Scriptures. They also must keep watch over and expect their leaders to exemplify the biblical standards. Seminary accomplishment is not on God’s list!  Showing the Lord a seminary degree or telling Him that they thought He had called them to ministry will not count. 

Every pastor, elder, and future church leader must continuously discern whether they are qualified for biblical leadership.  They need to be honest with each other and with themselves. The minimum requirements for church leadership are listed in 1 Timothy 3:1-10, Titus 1:5-9, and 1 Peter 5:1-4. If they were never qualified in the first place, all of their ministerial works will be burned away. “And Samuel said, ‘Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams’” (1 Samuel 15:22).

I sincerely believe that the biggest pile of Christian rubbish found on Judgement Day will be marked “Pastoral Works.”

By Rob Robbins, January 2021, churchfm316.com

Editing and Proofreading by Laura Robbins

[1] merriam-webster.com

[2] MacArthur, John-1 Timothy MacArthur New Testament Commentary. Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.

[3] The New Testament uses the Greek word for elder, presbuteros, about seventy times. Like zaqen, which means “aged” or “bearded;” sab, which means “gray-headed;” and our word elder, presbuteros has reference to mature age. For example, in Acts 2:17, Peter quotes Joel 2:28: “Your old men shall dream dreams.” The word used for “old men” in Joel is zaqen, and the word used in Acts is presbuteros. Used in that sense, elder does not constitute an official title; it simply means “an older man” (MacArthur, John F. The Master’s Plan for the Church. Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition).

[4] A man may be a Christian for decades but still may not know the Scriptures enough to teach. A man who aspires to be an overseer in the church must had already proven to be able to teach. Able to teach appears 1 Timothy 3:2 and in 2 Timothy 2:24 in the Scriptures. Those aspiring to be in leadership must already be a highly skilled teacher who works hard in his studies and public teaching (1 Timothy 5:17). Since the overseer’s primary duty is to preach and teach the Word of God, he will possess the spiritual gift of teaching. Paul includes this qualification amid a list of moral qualities because effective teaching is woven into the moral character of the teacher.