and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. Be at peace among yourselves.
Truth to Learn
Respect and honor your pastor and be at peace with all your Christian brethren.
Behind the Words
“Esteem” is translated from hēgeomai, which means “to lead,” that is, “to command.” It is often used metaphorically, however, meaning “to lead the mind through a reasoning process arriving at a conclusion.” In other words, here it means “conclude, consider, view, regard, or reckon.”
The word “very” is from the Greek word huper (hyper), which means “above, over, or beyond.”
The Greek word translated “highly” is the comparative form of perissos, which means abundant. Thus, this word means “more than abundant, or highly.”
Ergon is the Greek word translated “work.” It represents the work that someone does in performing his or her job.
“Be at peace” is translated from the verb eirēneuō, which is based on eirēnē, meaning “peace.” Thus, eirēneuō means “to be at peace” or “to make peace.”
Meaning Explained
In yesterday’s verse we talked a little about three of the characteristics of church pastors (or elders). These are:
1. They are hard working. They often work six or seven days a week for very little pay.
2. God has placed them in authority over you and you need to submit yourselves to that authority.
3. Part of their job is to encourage and admonish you regarding what God expects from His children.
In today’s verse Paul tells us specifically how we are to feel about our pastors and how we are to treat all of our Christian brothers and sisters. He starts off today’s verse telling that we are to regard our pastors very highly, not just a little and not just highly, but very highly. Within the church we are all given spiritual gifts by God and these gifts are to be used for the building-up of the Body of Christ. One of these gifts is that of pastor/teacher (see Ephesians 4:11). We are all to be using our gifts in a way that glorifies God. However, He has also ordained a specific order of authority within the church, and we are to honor and submit to those in authority, giving their position the respect that it deserves.
Keep in mind that your pastor has a sin nature, just as you do. He is not perfect! And, most church pastors work in relative obscurity (from a worldly viewpoint). From God’s viewpoint, however, pastors are a key part of His plan for all of His children. Because pastors are in a position of spiritual authority, when they do make mistakes or succumb to the temptations of sin, they receive harsher judgment than the rest of us (see James 3:1).
The other thing Paul teaches us in this verse is that we are to be at peace with others in the Body of Christ. None of us is perfect any more than our pastor is perfect. We need to display a lot of grace in dealing with our brothers and sisters in Christ and be at peace with them.
Application
Show respect to your pastor, give honor to his esteemed position, and submit yourself to his authority. Also, make peace with your brethren. This is God’s will for your life!
In God's service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved