Irreproachable
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Anegklētos means not open to accusation, blameless, or above reproach. Paul says Christ will sustain believers blameless at His appearing, and he requires tested servants and elders to be above reproach.
Reader summary
Full entry for ἀνέγκλητος (G410) · Open the biblical lexicon
Anegklētos means not open to accusation, blameless, or above reproach. Paul says Christ will sustain believers blameless at His appearing, and he requires tested servants and elders to be above reproach.
The BSB source-word alignment has 5 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include above reproach (2), blameless (2), [so that you will be] blameless (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at 1 Corinthians 1:8. Its strongest book concentrations include Titus (2), 1 Corinthians (1), 1 Timothy (1), Colossians (1).
Anegklētos means not open to accusation, blameless, or above reproach. Paul says Christ will sustain believers blameless at His appearing, and he requires tested servants and elders to be above reproach. The term does not claim that leaders are sinless, universally admired, or immune from criticism. It describes a life for which a substantiated charge cannot properly be maintained.
In leadership texts, household faithfulness, conduct, and stewardship make the qualification observable rather than self-declared. Churches must therefore examine credible allegations instead of using the word as a shield. Blamelessness joins Christ's preserving grace to accountable character, repentance, truthfulness, and a public life that does not give misconduct a rightful hold.
Anegklētos describes a person against whom a sustainable accusation does not stand. Its uses join Christ's final preservation of His people with the tested, visible character required of church servants and overseers.
He will sustain you to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
First Corinthians 1:8 grounds final blamelessness in Christ, who sustains His people to the end for the day of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Additionally, they must first be tested. Then, if they are above reproach, let them serve as deacons.
First Timothy 3:10 requires prospective servants to be tested first and then to serve if they are above reproach. Examination precedes recognition.
An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, having children who are believers and who are not open to accusation of indiscretion or insubordination.
Titus 1:6 places blamelessness beside household faithfulness and the conduct of an elder's children, making the qualification concrete and observable.
As God’s steward, an overseer must be above reproach—not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not greedy for money.
Titus 1:7 repeats the requirement because an overseer is God's steward, then names disqualifying patterns such as arrogance, temper, violence, greed, and lack of self-control.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Greek word. Not subject to accusation or blame; beyond reproach in conduct and character before God.
Not subject to accusation or blame; beyond reproach in conduct and character before God.
(ἀ-, ἐγκαλέω), [in LXX: 3Ma.5:31 * ;] not to be called to account, unreprovable: 1Co.1:8, Col.1:22, 1Ti.3:10, Tit.1:6-7.
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
5 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
irreproachable, blameless
Read verseirreproachable, blameless
Read verseirreproachable, blameless
Read verseirreproachable, blameless
Read verseirreproachable, blameless
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 4 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 1 selected witness from 5 lexical occurrence verses.
ἀνέγκλητος is built from these roots:
Anegklētos is neither a polished image nor a declaration leaders award themselves. Christ establishes His people blameless at the last day, so the church's hope rests in grace. Yet that grace produces an accountable life now. Deacons are tested before serving, and Titus must assess an overseer's household, temperament, use of power, and relationship to money because the overseer manages what belongs to God.
An accusation is not automatically proof, but neither may it be dismissed to preserve a reputation. Churches honor this word through fair process, corroboration, protection of vulnerable people, truthful findings, repentance, and proportionate consequences. Above reproach means a sustained charge lacks rightful ground, not that questions are forbidden or appearances are enough.
Titus.1.7
Anegklētos combines a negative prefix with language of calling in a charge. It points to being unaccused in a sustainable sense or not liable to a valid accusation, rather than never being criticized.
Covenant leaders were judged by public faithfulness, and elders at the city gate were to hear matters impartially. The righteous may face false accusations, while hidden wrongdoing still comes under God's searching judgment.