Reputation & the Gospel

In 1 Timothy 3:7, the apostle Paul, in instructing his friend Timothy on the character qualifications of an elder, states that a potential elder “must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.”

Here, Paul is specifically addressing the way that those outside the church think of the Christian in question.

While it is true that elders are meant to exemplify the character qualifications that Paul outlines, all Christians are meant to exhibit these qualifications. It should be the desire of every Christian to meet the character qualifications of an elder!

And here, Paul is saying that a person’s standing before the non-Christian world counts when evaluating his suitability for Christian leadership. This is true at least in part because if we do not meet the standards of the world for decency and respectability, then we certainly don’t meet the standards of the church, which are even higher. But more practically speaking, typically a Christian’s unbelieving coworkers, neighbors, friends and family members have more daily interaction with the Christian than do the people in the church. We are to be known by our grace, kindness, humility, patience, honesty, integrity, helpfulness, selflessness, and love. If a Christian has a reputation among the unbelieving world for blatant disrespect, pettiness, gossip, cynicism, resentment, laziness, arrogance, self-pity, stubbornness, cowardice, dishonesty, crudeness, sexual immorality, divisiveness, fear-mongering, antagonism, or any of the many other disreputable traits that threaten daily to overtake us, then the unbelieving world will take note of this hypocrisy.

Unrepentant hypocrisy in the Christian’s moral character will open himself and the people of God up to ridicule, mockery, scoffing, gossip, and ultimately discredit and disgrace. Our influence for good will be ruined by the way we are poorly regarded by outsiders for our lack of character, and this will endanger the church’s mission to reach the unbelieving world with the truth about Jesus.

So the consistency or hypocrisy of Christians, especially church leaders, in leading a life that reflects the gospel was of very high importance to Paul as the church was being formed.

Regarding the “snare of the devil” that concerns Paul here, we need to remember that Satan is maliciously eager to discredit the gospel by discrediting the recipients and ministers of that gospel. If Satan can discredit Christians and church leaders before the observing world, he can discredit the church and its gospel message. Our enemy will use unrepentant failures of character to entrap the Christian into deeper sin—uncontrolled pride, fear, bitterness, lust, hypocrisy, self-defense and stubbornness of heart.

So how do we pursue good-standing with the outside world?

Firstly, we need to remember, as A.W. Pink aptly observed, that “It is the grief over sin, not the absence of it, that distinguishes a child of God from an empty professor.” You will sin. You will experience moral failure. Is the world seeing the Spirit at war with your flesh? Are you seeking to fix your eyes on the supremacy of Christ, and to fix your hope on the gospel? Are you quick to repent and turn to the Father for forgiveness with the assurance of pardon in your heart? Are you desiring to put your sin to death for the sake of the gospel, having been freed from the bondage of sin and death and given new life in the family of God?

The world does not primarily need to see how amazing you are. They need to see how amazing Jesus Christ is and the victory that he is having over sin in your life. Let your moral victories and failures both point to him— as you depend on him in both.

In your pursuit of holiness, Paul writes in Colossians 4, “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”

In 1 Thessalonians 4, he states, “We urge you, brothers to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.”

In Philippians 2, he says that Christians will “shine as lights in the world” when they live “without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation.”

Similarly, Peter commands, “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.”

Let these be practical instructions as your seek to live a life of moral uprightness for the sake of your gospel witness in the world. The church has been given a charge that cannot be met without Christ’s victory minute-by-minute in our lives— to live an unblemished life before the world.

As we ponder this charge, I offer these questions for reflection: Do we know our neighbors? Do they know us well enough to discern our character and reputation? How would they describe us and our families? What is our reputation among our coworkers? Our unbelieving family members? What would they say is most important to us? Would they say our lives align with what we profess? When we inevitably fail to meet the standards we are called to live by, how do they see us respond? Where do they see us putting our hope? What do they see us counting as worthy?

I am praying for myself and for you, Christian, that our lives will reflect the fruit of the Spirit so that we will glorify and not shame the name of Christ. I am praying that the Spirit will help us think about how our attitudes and actions affect unbelievers. I am praying that we would model a character that points the unbelieving world to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus.