1It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do.

Within a believing community there are really only two offices of leadership: overseers and deacons. Of course, there are different roles and functions within each office. While Paul’s focus in this letter was on bringing correction to the leadership of the Ephesian assembly, he stopped to take some time to describe what constitutes ideal leadership. 

Firstly, he gives us the answer to the question of how a person can know if they should be an overseer. The answer is found within the man's desire. In Biblical times, God sometimes obviously, audibly and even visually called certain men to be leaders. With the closing of the cannon of Scripture, it would seem that placing a deep desire within the individual is the primary way God calls men to the role of leader. Of course, the man must then meet the necessary moral characteristics in order to be accepted into the position. We should note that man-made institutions like seminaries do not make overseers. Only God can place the desire within a man and then cultivate that man’s character to fall in-line with what an overseer should be. One who desires to be an overseer does well, providing that the desire within him is truly from God and he meets the requirements Paul laid down.

We should also note that Paul limited the position of overseer to men only. Paul had just previously stated that he did not permit women to teach and have authority over men (2:12), so it makes sense that he only addresses men in regards to being an overseer. The word “overseer” is an accurate translation of the Greek word “episcope." Sometimes this Greek word is translated as “bishop” but, like the word “church,” this translation arises from a desire to distance the Apostolic Scriptures from Judaism not for the sake of accurate translating. In fact, the equivalent Hebrew word was used by the Qumran community to describe their leadership. Additionally, the terms “elder” (“presbuteros”) and “shepherd” (“poimen,” which is usually translated with the unhelpful translation of “pastor”) are interchangeable terms with term “overseer” (see Titus 1:5 and Ephesians 4:11).

2An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,

Interestingly, Paul did not focus on the duties of an overseer so much as the man’s moral characteristics. This implies that perhaps the main purpose of an overseer is to lead by example and to influence the assembly to godly living. God expects of all of us to possess these virtues but He specifically expects overseers to possess these things, so as to have an example for the assembly to emulate. Let’s take a look at the various characteristics Paul set as the standard for an overseer: 

above reproach – anepileptos – The Greek word used here implies that an overseer should not be “apprehended” for any wrong doing. In other words, an overseer must be generally blameless. The Greek is in the present tense and therefore refers not to the individual's past but their present. Essentially, an overseer must not exhibit any characteristic or practice that could cause him to be accused of sin. Specifically, this is to be seen as a general statement with the following as the specific explanation of how an overseer must be above reproach. 

husband of one wife – The Greek literally means “a one-woman man” and does not refer to how many wives a man has had but is rather referring to the man’s character and fidelity to his current wife. The Bible actually permits divorce and remarriage for an individual who’s spouse has been unfaithful (i.e. adultery) (Matthew 5:32). Nevertheless, an overseer must remain faithful to his own wife and must be known as a man of sexual purity.

temperate – nephaleos – This word literally refers to not being “mixed with wine.” It refers to being sober and is effectively a prohibition on excessive drinking. More broadly it refers to being alert and ready to go, something that is impaired if one is intoxicated.

prudent – sophron - To be prudent is to have a sound mind and to be well disciplined. The man who is prudent knows how to order his priorities and be serious about the things of God. He doesn't have a reputation of being silly and is cautious in his decision making.

respectable – kosmios – This is the same word Paul used in 2:9 to describe how he wanted women to present themselves. It simply refers to things being ordered and most likely is being used here to refer to the man’s overall life. An overseer should have an ordered life and this should even be made manifest in the way he physically presents himself.

hospitable – philoxenos – This is a compound word that literally means “to show affection for strangers.” It’s not enough that God’s people show hospitality to those that we know. Believers, specifically overseers, should be eager to welcome strangers in to their homes and show them the love of God. Yeshua said that “If you are Abraham's children, do the deeds of Abraham” (John 8:39) and Abraham was well known for his hospitality to strangers.

able to teach – In this passage, this is the only qualification that is related to ability and function and not to moral character. An overseer needs to be a skilled teacher. An overseer must have the ability to communicate God's truths clearly and with authority. We should note, however, that any authority an overseer has is found in the word of God and not in himself. An overseer has authority because he is the teacher of God's authoritative word. If something cannot be reasonably backed up with Scripture, the overseer has no right to wield authority over those in the assembly.

3not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money.

not addicted to wine – This is in reference to association and reputation. It's not necessarily a blanket prohibition against drinking alcoholic beverages. It's referring to not being controlled by drinking in any way and making sure that the overseer's reputation is not one who is known as a drinker.

pugnacious - plektes – An overseer must not be one who is “ready for a blow.” In other words, he must not be quick tempered and eager to get into fights, both in debates and in physical fights.

gentle – epieikes - This word refers to a person who easily pardons failure. An overseer should one who is equitable, fair, mild and gentle.

peaceable – amachos - This is essentially the opposite of being pugnacious. The word refers to not being contentious and not being anxious to fight.

free from the love of money – aphilarguros – The Greek word literally means "a lover of silver." An overseer must not desire to simply gain money. If a man who desires to be an overseer places an unhealthy emphasis on money, he should not be considered for the office of overseer. Especially in our modern world, it's too easy for those in leadership positions to treat being an overseer as any other job in the world. Generally speaking, people work in order to gain money but an overseer of an assembly must be doing his work for the good of the kingdom.

4He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity 5(but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the assembly of God?),

An overseer must be one who leads and manages his own household well. The word “well” is the Greek word “kalos” and can mean “beautiful.” If the man’s children are rebellious and do not have a desire to lovingly obey their father, then how can the man expect to oversee God’s children? In other words, the overseer’s family life must be something beautiful to behold because of how well it functions. Paul’s point was that if an overseer can’t do well with those closest and dearest to him, how can anyone expect him to do better in the larger context of the assembly? 

6and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil.

An overseer should not be one has recently come to faith in the Messiah. In chapter one, Paul spoke of people who wanted to be teachers of the Torah but were actually misusing the Torah. Since one of the primary functions of an overseer is to feed the assembly God's word, it does no good to have someone who does not know God's word well as an overseer. Not only that, if a new Believer is appointed overseer, it's possible that they will think more highly of themselves than they should. The danger is that they will become conceited or, more literally, "puffed up." It's not to say that there's never a time when a newer believer could be an overseer but it's really in the context of the situation and assembly. Essentially, unless the entire congregation is made up of new believers, it's never a good idea to appoint a newer believer as overseer.

Why does becoming puffed up result in falling into the condemnation incurred by the devil? Some commentators believe this to mean that in the same way that Satan fell from his previously exalted position as cherub due to pride, a new believer who is appointed as overseer would also be brought down through pride. The origin and back-story of Satan is not explicitly taught in Scripture, so we shouldn't be dogmatic about this. At the very least, though, the Bible does explicitly teach of Satan's final doom (Revelation 20:10), so we can assume that Paul here sought to warn that appointing a new convert as an overseer would result for that man the same fate that will eventually befall Satan.

7And he must have a good reputation with those outside the assembly, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

The word translated here as “good” is the Greek word “kalos” and, as we already learned, it refers to an outward beauty. An overseer must have a beautiful testimony to the people outside the assembly. It's obvious that the people outside of the assembly will not agree with the man theologically and spiritually but they can at least respect his character. Not having a good and respectable reputation outside of the community could result in deterioration into sin. As we’ve all seen numerous times in our own day, high profile leaders who are caught in sin do nothing but discredit the work God is doing in our communities.

8Deacons likewise must be men of dignity, not double-tongued, or addicted to much wine or fond of sordid gain,

It's interesting that Paul did not seem to put the deacons on a lesser level in terms of spirituality. The word “deacon” is really just a transliteration of the Greek word “diakonos” and actually means “a servant.” The equivalent Hebrew word is "shamash" and is perhaps famously known as being the name for the candle of the hannukiah that lights the other candles. The word itself refers to general service and is really only defined by the context that it’s used in. So, in this way, everyone is a “deacon” because everyone has something to contribute in terms of service. On the other hand, however, according to this passage, there are some who are the official servants, acting as models for the assembly. In the same way that overseers serve to be examples of what it means to be a Believer, the deacons serve to be examples of what it means to be a servant. Deacons are leaders in the assembly and must be held to the same high standard that overseers are held to. Paul first identified that deacons should be men but unlike overseers the office of deacon is not limited to men, as we’ll see in verse 11.

dignity – semnos - This word refers to being serious. It has the sense of being venerated for character. A deacon should command, through their humble service, certain awe in relation to how serious they are about their duty.

not double-tongued – dilogos – In contrast to being a man of dignity, a deacon must not be double-tongued. The word literally is made up of "di" meaning "two" and "logos" meaning "word" or "speech." In other words, a deacon should not be someone who repeats what he hears. In Jewish thought, simply repeating stories about people constitutes gossip, even if the stories are true.

[not] addicted to much wine - Again, as it was for an overseer, this not a total prohibition against drinking alcoholic beverages but it does indicate that drinking should in no way influence the man's life.

[not] fond of sodrid gain – aischrokerdes - The Greek word has the sense of being eager for money or being greedy. It would be prudent to appoint a deacon who did not have an unhealthy desire for money since they would be the one handling the finances of the assembly.