1st Timothy 3:1 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; 3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; 4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; 5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) 6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
This passage of scripture outlines for us the responsibilities of a bishop, and also the far-reaching influences of his conduct, which according to the passage must be safely guarded at all times and in all places. It is worthy of note that the prerequisites begin with the bishop being blameless, and having one wife. One of the reasons for this is because the family is the foundation building block of society, and if a bishop were to lead a promiscuous lifestyle, he will cause very great harm to those who are under his care and leadership, for as a general rule of thumb, most Christians do not rise higher than their appointed leaders.
This is why the devil is unwearied in his efforts to cause pastors and religious leaders to fall, for when this is done, a very dangerous precedent is set for the congregants to follow. In addition to this, the name of God is dragged in the street, and those who are naturally averse to God and righteousness, are given ammunition to disparage and condemn the very idea of godliness and those who follow in its train. This is what took place after David succumbed to the temptation of adultery with Bathsheba, and the after history of his sons and the nation as a whole, was never the same again as it was prior to this incident. Let's read:
2nd Samuel 12:13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. 14 Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.
Another prerequisite that is mentioned is that a bishop must rule his own household well, and the logical reason is given, that if a person cannot be faithful in that which is his, he definitely will not be faithful in that which is God's. The power of example is very great, and thus when the children of religious leaders are left to their own devices and ways without any redress or instruction, other families who are under the jurisdiction of the leader in question tend to walk in the footsteps of both parents and children, and thus a cascading effect of evil is set in motion, the results of which accrue for time and for eternity. Hence the reason why the Lord gave a stern warning to Eli the high priest, about the misconduct of his sons who were brought up without restraint, and consequently caused the tribes of Israel to hate and despise the sacred worship of God. Let's read:
1st Samuel 3:11 And the Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle. 12 In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end. 13 For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not. 14 And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever.
And last but not least is the stipulation of having and maintaining an untarnished reputation amongst those who do not know Christ, for a bishop is required by God to lead by precept and example. Christ Himself set the template for this obligation, for the Bible tells us that His vertical relationship with God The Father was just as strong and unblemished as His horizontal relationship with others, and this example of His must needs be adopted by all who aspire to the office of a bishop.
It is a sad commentary however, that in our day we hear of so many scandals and sexual rendezvouses occurring between prominent evangelical leaders and their parishioners, which in numerous cases involves children, such as the latest one that has broken out in Spain, where several priests were arrested for assaulting underage kids for very many years. God will soon call these wolves in sheep clothing to account for the people under their care, and just as it was with Eli's sons, severe judgments will be meted out, because of the souls who have thus been lost on account of their evil conduct.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to follow religious leaders only as they themselves are followers of Christ, and it is always the best policy to have Jesus as our great Exemplar, so that we would not fall a prey to the unstable ways of fallen man. Let's read:
1st Corinthians 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. 2 "And keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you. 3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ" ...
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!