Theological term
Sober-Mindedness
2 sermons · All terms
The Qualifications for Elders, Part 2
Paul's qualifications for elders in 1 Timothy 3:2–3 are not suggestions but binding divine requirements: a bishop 'must be' these things. This exposition works through eleven marks of personal holiness demanded of elder candidates, treating sexual fidelity, temperance, sober-mindedness, good behavior, hospitality, moderation in alcohol, avoidance of violence, financial contentment, gentleness, freedom from quarrelsomeness, and freedom from covetousness. The unifying thread running beneath every qualification is self-control — the disciplined governance of appetite, temper, and desire — which Solomon illustrates across Proverbs and which Paul sets before the whole congregation, not elders alone, as the mark of a genuine Christian.
The Instruction of the Church, Part 2
Titus 2:6–10 addresses young men, Titus himself as minister, and bondservants, calling each group to a specific pattern of conduct grounded in the gospel. Young men are summoned to comprehensive self-control, while Titus is charged to exemplify good works and to teach with integrity, gravity, and incorruptible soundness — precisely so that opponents are silenced and put to shame. Bondservants are exhorted to willing obedience, pleasing service, honest fidelity, and freedom from back-talk or pilfering. The overarching motive uniting every group is that their conduct may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior — not earn salvation, which rests solely on the redemptive work of Christ received through faith alone.