What follows is the first appendix from my book “A Life That Leads.” I have posted it here to make it accessible for anyone purchasing the forthcoming audiobook. The chart in the original text has been converted into a list instead, to enhance readability in this format.
The biblical standard for leaders is essentially the standard for all believers. The vast majority of qualities required of leaders are found throughout Scripture as the ethical duty of all Christians. Leaders therefore aren’t called to a categorically higher spiritual tier but a recognition that they are men and women of proven Christian character. They have demonstrated maturity and strength in the character qualities toward which all believers should strive.
The purpose of this appendix is to demonstrate this continuity by comparing the New Testament qualifications for leaders with ethical requirements for all believers found throughout Scripture. To maximize readability and utility, this appendix primarily presents parallels without commentary. Where the parallel is ambiguous, key words have been bolded, or brief explanatory notes have been added. Lexical references were taken from Colin Brown’s New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Gerhard Kittel’s Theological Dictionary of the New Testament.1
Passage(s) Relating to Leadership: Titus 1:6, 7; 1 Timothy 3:2
Parallel Passage(s) Relating to All Believers:
1 Peter 2:20 — “But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.”
2 Peter 3:14 — “So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.”
Passage(s) Relating to Leadership: Titus 1:6; 1 Timothy 3:2
Parallel Passage(s) Relating to All Believers:
Proverbs 5:8 — “Keep to a path far from her [the adulteress], do not go near the door of her house.”
NOTE: Here Christ makes his argument for marital and sexual ethics using the foundational model of Adam and Eve.
Matthew 19:3–6 — “Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?’ ‘Haven’t you read,’ he replied, ‘that at the beginning the Creator “made them male and female,” and said, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh”? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.’”
1 Corinthians 6:18 — “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.”
Passage(s) Relating to Leadership: Titus 1:6; 1 Timothy 3:4–5
Parallel Passage(s) Relating to All Believers:
Colossians 3:20–21 — “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.”
Passage(s) Relating to Leadership: Titus 1:7 (NASB1995)
Parallel Passage(s) Relating to All Believers:
NOTE: Peter represents self-will here as being morally problematic in general, a quality of the unrighteous who will come under God’s judgment.
2 Peter 2:9–10 — “The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority. Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties” (NASB1995).
Passage(s) Relating to Leadership: Titus 1:7; 1 Timothy 3:3 (NASB1995)
Parallel Passage(s) Relating to All Believers:
Galatians 5:19–20 — “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions.”
Titus 3:1–2 — “Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.”
Ephesians 4:31–32 — “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Proverbs 12:16 — “Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult.”
Passage(s) Relating to Leadership: Titus 1:7; 1 Timothy 3:3
Parallel Passage(s) Relating to All Believers:
Ephesians 5:18 — “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.”
Romans 13:13 — “Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.”
Proverbs 23:20–21 — “Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.”
Passage(s) Relating to Leadership: Titus 1:7; 1 Timothy 3:3
Parallel Passage(s) Relating to All Believers:
Proverbs 3:31 — “Do not envy the violent or choose any of their ways.”
Galatians 5:19–20 — “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions.”
Cf. Cain in Genesis 4; Christ’s response in Matthew 26:52 to Peter’s attack on Malchus.
Passage(s) Relating to Leadership: Titus 1:7; 1 Timothy 3:3, 8 (of deacons)
Parallel Passage(s) Relating to All Believers:
1 Timothy 6:9–10 — “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
Cf. Luke 12:13–34 — Parable of the Rich Fool and subsequent teaching.
Cf. Matthew 18:17 — To be a tax collector (i.e., the ultimate example of sordid gain and love of money) is so sinful as to be virtually outside of God’s community.
Passage(s) Relating to Leadership: Titus 1:8; 1 Timothy 3:2
Parallel Passage(s) Relating to All Believers:
Hebrews 13:2 — “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”
1 Peter 4:9 — “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.”
Passage(s) Relating to Leadership: Titus 1:8
Parallel Passage(s) Relating to All Believers:
Romans 12:9 — “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.”
Matthew 7:17 — “Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.”
Galatians 6:9–10 — “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”
Philippians 4:8 — “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
Passage(s) Relating to Leadership: Titus 1:8 (NASB1995); 1 Timothy 3:2 (CSB)
Parallel Passage(s) Relating to All Believers:
Titus 2:2 — “Older men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance” (NASB1995).
Titus 2:6 — “Likewise urge the young men to be sensible” (NASB1995).
Note: Older women are to teach younger women to be sensible, implying that they too should be sensible.
Titus 2:3–5 — “Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored” (NASB1995).
Passage(s) Relating to Leadership: Titus 1:8 (NASB1995)
Parallel Passage(s) Relating to All Believers:
James 2:1–4 — “My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, ‘Here’s a good seat for you,’ but say to the poor man, ‘You stand there’ or ‘Sit on the floor by my feet,’ have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?”
Passage(s) Relating to Leadership: Titus 1:8
Parallel Passage(s) Relating to All Believers:
Note: Paul’s ethical teaching is contextualized to the Roman social and economic structures that were common at the time. Slavery was prevalent, and so Paul speaks here to how the gospel ought to transform the personal and economic relationship between masters and slaves.
Colossians 4:1 — “Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.”
Cf. Matthew 1:19 — “And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly” (NASB1995).
Ephesians 4:22, 24 — “You were taught to... put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
Passage(s) Relating to Leadership: Titus 1:8 (NASB1995)
Parallel Passage(s) Relating to All Believers:
Note: This quality offers a perfect tension to “not self-willed.” We should have control over our passions, while in submission to Christ.
Galatians 5:22–23 — “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
Passage(s) Relating to Leadership: Titus 1:9; 1 Timothy 3:9 (of deacons)
Parallel Passage(s) Relating to All Believers:
Colossians 2:6 — “Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him.”
1 Timothy 6:3 — “If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, they are conceited and understand nothing.”
Romans 16:17 — “I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.”
2 John 1:9 — “Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.”
Cf. Galatians 1:6–9.
Passage(s) Relating to Leadership: 1 Timothy 3:3
Parallel Passage(s) Relating to All Believers:
Philippians 4:5 — “Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.”
James 3:17 — “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy” (NASB1995).
Passage(s) Relating to Leadership: 1 Timothy 3:2
Parallel Passage(s) Relating to All Believers:
Titus 2:2 — “Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.”
Passage(s) Relating to Leadership: 1 Timothy 3:2, 7
Parallel Passage(s) Relating to All Believers:
Proverbs 14:15–16 — “The simple believe anything, but the prudent give thought to their steps. The wise fear the Lord and shun evil, but a fool is hotheaded and yet feels secure.”
1 Thessalonians 4:11–12 — “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.”
Passage(s) Relating to Leadership: 1 Timothy 3:6
Parallel Passage(s) Relating to All Believers:
Luke 18:14 — “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
2 Timothy 3:1–4 — “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.”
Passage(s) Relating to Leadership: 1 Timothy 3:7
Parallel Passage(s) Relating to All Believers:
Colossians 4:5 — “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.”
1 Peter 2:12 — “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”
Passage(s) Relating to Leadership: 1 Timothy 3:2
Parallel Passage(s) Relating to All Believers:
Matthew 28:19–20 — “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”
Colin Brown, ed., The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, 4 vols. (Zondervan, 1986), Logos Bible Software edition.
Gerhard Kittel and Gerhard Friedrich, eds., Testament, trans. and ed. Geoffrey W. Bromiley, 10 vols. (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1976), Logos Bible Software edition.
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