Day 84 - Issue 42

Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

1 Timothy 5:19-20

'Do not listen to an accusation against an elder unless it is confirmed by two or three witnesses. Those who sin should be reprimanded in front of the whole church; this will serve as a strong warning to others.'

Accusations are always sad, and it is particularly tragic when a church leader is the one being accused. However, I’m afraid that’s all a part of being human and so the Church has to have effective ways of coping with its worst moments. I often hear people say things like: “You wouldn’t expect such things to happen in a church.” My question would be: “Why wouldn’t you expect such things to happen in a church? If a church is made up of sinners, then surely such things are inevitable?” Please don’t think for a moment that I find bad behaviour in any way acceptable. I simply believe that it’s inevitable in a fallen world full of fallen people, and the whole of history supplies ample evidence that I am right. We should all be saddened and heartbroken when things go wrong but, at the same time, we should ensure that we have effective procedures in place to cope with such situations. That was precisely why Paul wrote to Timothy in the way that he did.

Paul followed the usual Jewish legal position that an accusation brought by one person was not sufficient. There needed to be at least one other witness. Deuteronomy 19:15 laid down this principle: “You must not convict anyone of a crime on the testimony of only one witness. The facts of the case must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” The reason for this law is clear enough. An individual might lash out in anger in the heat of the moment or because of a personal grudge, and so it is vital that the testimony of other witnesses should be heard.

If an elder was found guilty of sinning, then Paul urged Timothy to do this publicly. This is all very uncomfortable, but one can easily see his wisdom. He was eager that such things should never happen again and that was more likely to happen if everyone knew the facts.

Today, scandal and accusations are still rocking the Church, and we should all be deeply sad at that miserable fact. But perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised. The Church isn’t perfect, it’s a hospital for ill people. For that reason, we need to ensure that Christian organisations – including our churches – have wise procedures in place to cope when things go wrong.

Question: What do you think is the best way to handle accusations in your church?

Prayer: Loving Father, grant our church leaders the wisdom and grace of your Holy Spirit to ensure that accusations are always handled in a decisive and healthy way. Amen