A Study About Elders - Not A Brawler | Words Of Truth
Words Of Truth

Words Of Truth


"That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth..." (Proverbs 22:21).

A Study About Elders
Not A Brawler


I. Introduction:

A. Elders are watchmen for the congregation (Hebrews 13:17).

  1. They are expected to “rule well” (I Timothy 5:17).
  2. A man that abuses his authority for harm… (Luke 12:42-46).
B. What kind of men would elders be, if they stirred up trouble (Psalms 140:1-2 and Proverbs 26:17-21)?

  1. Leave off contention (Proverbs 17:14)?
  2. What does fighting do to relationships (Proverbs 16:28)?
  3. Doesn’t the Lord want peace in His body (I Corinthians 14:33)?

II. Body: Not A Brawler (I Timothy 3:3).

A. The Greek phrase translated “not a brawler” means: “peaceable: — not a brawler. Not to be withstood, invincible, not contentious, abstaining from fighting” (Strong’s # 269).

  1. The Greek wording appears one other time in the New Testament and is translated “brawler” there as well (Titus 3:2).
  2. We have covered the side of this that is physical when we studied “no striker” (I Timothy 3:3 and Titus 1:7).
B. If a person is peaceable they’ll not be a brawler (Romans 14:19).

  1. Without peace, we’ll not see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14).
  2. We must seek peace (Matthew 5:9 and I Peter 3:8-12).
  3. We have to use God’s wisdom for real peace (James 3:13-18).
  4. The only time we cannot pursue peace is at the cost of truth and righteousness (Matthew 10:34-39, Acts 13:38-14:7, and Galatians 2:1-18).
C. No man should think of himself as not able to be withstood or invincible (Romans 12:3).

  1. Mankind has a God-given freewill (Deuteronomy 30:15-20 and Philippians 2:12).
  2. Not even the most godly leaders can prevent the exercise of that freewill (John 6:60-71 and II Timothy 4:9-15).
D. We cannot please God if we are contentious (I Corinthians 11:16-19).

  1. Those who want to have debate, arguments, strife, factions; is what a contentious person is (Romans 1:28-32, Romans 13:13, I Corinthians 3:1-11, and II Corinthians 12:20).
  2. Such individuals need marked, removed, and avoided (Romans 16:17-18, I Timothy 6:3-5, and Titus 3:9-11).

III. Conclusion: Rather than the mindset of a carnal fighter, a person of strife, we all should have the mindset of a peacemaker (Galatians 5:19-26).