Living Above Reproach

You’re all familiar with that term aren’t you?  That’s what the preacher is supposed to do… Right?!  Live a life above reproach.  Over in the letter that Paul wrote to Timothy, he used this when writing out the parameters for one who would seek to be a Bishop.  Actually the KJV uses the term blameless…

1. This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. 2. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; I Timothy 3:1,2

Wow, what a set of standards for one man to abide by!  And believe me… Those sweet little sheep will hold the man of God to it!

Now, I’ll be the first to say that any man who answers the high call of God to pastor His people ought to be prepared to walk a very thin line.  In order to deliver the gospel with life changing power, the messenger needs to be clean of anything that would cause him to skate around calling sin what it is… Sin!  I want to be able to trust my pastor and know that he lives the book that he preaches every Sunday.

With all of that said, I want us to get real for a moment.  Who has ever walked on planet earth, besides Jesus, who could be considered blameless?  Do you really think that your pastor’s every thought word and deed are untainted?  I mean… Never a cross thought about a church member?  Really?!  I was a pastor and I can tell you that I failed in that category on a number of times.  The pressures on the pastor to perform perfectly are pretty daunting.  If one were to look at the scripture reference above and consider that it only refers to the behaviors of a man, let’s face it, our pulpits would be vacant this Sunday.  There are those who tried to say that I wasn’t fit for the pulpit, ever again, because of some bad decisions made.  They said… “The man of God is supposed to live Above Reproach”!  As I was challenged on that end, I felt the need to go to God’s word and see if it were true.  Was I disqualified to ever preach the word again?  If the Bible were to say that I was no longer a candidate for ministry, it was time for me to look elsewhere in regards to what I would spend the rest of my life doing.  needless to say that, as I studied God’s word, I was refreshed.  Let’s clear this up for those who are short-sighted on the subject.

For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight.  Col 1:19-22

You see, the truth is, we are all above reproach who have accepted His blood as the sufficient sacrifice for our sin.  When we surrender to Him, we are at that point blameless and above reproach in the sight of God!  There’s no doubt in my mind that Paul was referring to one’s salvation experience.   If one is to seek the office of a Bishop, that one must know the Savior he seeks to serve!

Let me go on to cover this base before I move on.  I DO believe that there are sins that can be committed by the man of God which calles for discipline.  If a pastor is guilty of adultery, thievery, violence or any sin that directly harms the body and causes a breach of trust, then said pastor needs to step aside and sincerely seek God with humble, broken-hearted repentance before ever considering filling the pulpit again.  With that said, contrary to what some may believe, a pastor is never disqualified for a lifetime.

I would encourage every minister to live a life that reflects the Savior.  We need true men who, like Paul, beat their own bodies into submission and therefore refrain from falling prey to the snares of temptation.  At the same time, we need those who have failed to recognize that the call of God has not been lifted from their lives.  You sir are above reproach because of who lives within you not because of how you live.