²¹I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality.

Paul again gives a solemn charge to Timothy. His instruction—particularly what he has just written about disciplining elders—is not to be taken lightly. As his witness to its importance, he calls on none other than God and Christ Jesus. The reference to angels may be included because of their association with judgment (see Matt. 25:31, Rev. 14:10) and their agency in the giving of Law of Moses (Heb. 2:2), which requires the call for two or three witnesses.

Timothy was not at liberty to minimize or ignore this instruction to rebuke elders who continued in sin. His “youthfulness” may have included a fear or avoidance of distasteful conflict. But the seriousness of the matter mandates avoiding a “spirit of partiality.” Human nature as it is, the elders’ group can devolve into an “old boys’ club” where the group protects its own. Timothy himself would have had a close association with the elders at Ephesus, and thus would have been more lenient toward them than toward those who were not part of the “inner circle” of leadership. Partiality toward those in leadership can be destructive for the church and for its members’ quests toward spiritual maturity.

First, unrepentant sin among the shepherds of the people of God will affect how they lead and how people respond to their leadership.

Second, unrepentant sin disqualifies an elder, since he is no longer beyond reproach (1 Tim. 3:2, 7).

Third, unaddressed sin conveys to the congregation that sin can be winked at and not taken seriously.

Fourth, sin infiltrates “the camp” just as it did in the days of Achan (Joshua 7) and Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5). If the unconfessed sin of the people hinders the Spirit, how much more that of the leaders.

Fifth, continuation in sin does not witness to a man who seeks God’s heart. King David had a significant fall in his murder of Uriah following his adultery with his wife, but in David, we see the response of a godly man who genuinely sought the Lord and therefore dealt with his sin against God. Elders should emulate how a godly man deals with his sin.

Being an elder, therefore, does not make one immune to an accusation of sin. They are held to the high standard to which all Christians should aspire. They are to be the model of accountability and impartiality. In this, the elders are teaching and leading the congregation in how to deal with unrepentant sin.

Lord, I want to be an example to others of how to deal with sin in my life.