The applicant for ordination as bishop must meet the biblical requirements found in _____.

• A. Titus 1:6-9
• B. 1 Peter 5:2-3
• C. James 3:1-2
• D. 1 Timothy 3:1-7

Answer: (D)

The requirements for ordination to bishop are laid out in a New Testament passage that spells out the exact qualifications for someone who desires this office. Paul’s instruction to Timothy presents a clear, ordered list of character and family-life standards that a person must meet to be deemed suitable for overseer. It covers personal integrity (above reproach), personal conduct (temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach), moral fitness (not given to wine, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money), and family governance (manages his own household well, with children who are faithful). It also includes the caution that a newcomer should not be placed in such a position too soon, to avoid pride. Because this passage directly ties the office to these specific, comprehensive criteria, it is the primary biblical source used to determine eligibility for ordination to bishop. Other passages speak to the conduct and duties of overseers and teachers but do not provide the same explicit, formal checklist for ordination.