5:19
Now we have instruction on how to deal with accusations against elders. No accusation was to be even considered unless there were two or three witnesses. This parallels teaching in the Law (Deut 19:15), and supported in the New Testament (Matt 18:16; 2 Cor 13:1). An effective elder will be doing the work of God and God will work through him, so it is not surprising if the enemy seeks to disrupt that work, and false accusations will be one method he uses. Unsupported accusations must not be even given the time of day,
5:20
While frivolous or vexatious accusations are to be dismissed out of hand, elders who are sinning are to be publicly reproved. So we need to take a balanced approach. Real transgressions are to be treated most seriously, but we also need to recognise that totally unfounded accusations will be made. We have a terrible habit of going to one extreme or the other, and this happen in society as a whole and in the church. The Roman Catholic is perhaps most infamous for not taking abuse cases seriously enough, while in recent times education authorities have been too ready to suspend silly accusations against teachers. To go to either extreme has damaging consequences on people. To adopt a balanced approach is difficult, and we will never get things perfect, but we must try.
The motive for publicly reproving elders is so others are aware of the seriousness of the matter and may take due warning. We need something of the fear of God, for arrogance is something that we are all prone to.
5:21
There is a great temptation to show partiality or favouritism. There are some people we have more of a natural affinity to than others, and we can be subject to pressure to favour one person, or one group over another. Or there can be pressure to take the line of least resistance. We need to be aware of how real these pressures are, which is why Paul gives Timothy this very solemn charge. We need to seek to act as fairly as possible, but doing so can be very difficult.
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