Titus 1:5-9: Set in Order the Things That Are Wanting
2022-04-09
Titus 1:5
Titus was left in Crete much like Timothy was left in Ephesus: to establish a fledgling church that was there and appoint elders. Godly leadership is important because without a well-grounded church, it will not withstand enemies’ attack. There was the threat in Crete of false Jewish prophets, which will be discussed in the next section.
A church needs to be secure in its purpose, which is to glorify God, to be grounded in the Scriptures, to edify the body, and to be a witness to the world. Too many enemies exist to derail the church from these principles. Whatever things were lacking, Titus was to fix them and train elders to lead.
As in 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Paul provided Titus with a list of qualifications for elders. Recall that the word “elder” was used here, but the term “bishop” was used in 1 Timothy 3. The difference in terms is not important; these refer to the same office.
Titus 1:6
The elder must be blameless. There is nothing in the elder candidate’s life you can dig up with which to charge him. It is related to the word used of the bishop in 1 Timothy 3. This is likely used because of testimony toward the world. Also, the elder must be a man that the church can trust.
The elder must be the husband of one wife. The Bible requires the elder to be married. He also must be a husband, that is, a man. Furthermore, the commandment specifies “one wife.” This eliminates polygamists and divorced men with or without remarriage.
Remember that marriage exemplifies the relationship between Christ and the church. If he cannot demonstrate his character through his married life, he should not be in the position.
The elder must have faithful children not riotous or unruly. His children obey him and respect him. How he runs his house and how he is respected will indicate what his leadership will look like in the local church. Ruling his house poorly indicates he will not be up to the challenge of governing a church. However, ruling his house well does not guarantee he will be a good church leader.
This passage implies that the elder has children. If he does not have any children, then there is no gauge to see if he qualifies in this criterion.
Titus 1:7
The elder is blameless like a steward of God. The elder is an agent on behalf of the Lord Himself. If he is to represent the Lord, he must be above reproach, both from within and without the church, for testimony’s sake. This term was used of Erastus (Romans 16:23) when we spoke about him in a previous lesson. He was an official from the city of Corinth (presumably); the elder is an official in God’s household.
The elder is not self-willed. This speaks of the elder not being arrogant. His life is centered on the Lord’s will and the lives of others. False prophets are called self-willed in 2 Peter 2:10.
The elder is not soon angry. He is self-controlled and of a sound mind. There is a place for righteous anger. “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath” (Ephesians 4:26). “But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire” (Matthew 5:22). There are times to be angry, but even during those appropriate times, the anger does not control the man.
The elder is not given to wine. This goes with being sober and temperate. Being a drunkard will be a major distraction from duty. It is the opposite of being filled with the Spirit: “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18).
The elder is not a striker. He is not getting into a lot of arguments. The Gospel is divisive enough. He is a peacemaker and upholds unity as much as possible.
The elder is not greedy for filthy lucre. He is not in the ministry for the money. There are many such men out there. All your health-and-wealth prosperity preachers are like this. This has caused many to laugh off Christian preachers as grifters. You do not want such a person leading your church. This does not necessarily mean the preachers should be unpaid. This means the elder is not in the ministry for financial reward. It would also mean that the elder is not given over to gambling and playing the stock market.
Titus 1:8
The elder is a lover of hospitality. He is a welcoming person. He invites people into his home, which will also speak to what manner of wife he has. More specifically, he invites people into his life. There is not much work-life balance with the elder.
The elder must be a lover of good men. He admires and supports those who do good. If he admires dictators and criminal minds, this would be strange and a red flag. His role models are Christians that are led of the Lord. He is not too much into Hollywood, celebrities, and politicians, because these are mostly evil people.
This elder must be sober. This indicates his self-control and being of a sound mind. It is translated temperate and discreet elsewhere. It is imperative that the elder is in command of his speech and actions. What they do and when they do it is calculated.
The elder must be just. Of course, the elder, being a Christian, would be positionally righteous. However, he walks in that righteousness. He is a role model for other Christians in the church. His testimony speaks to those within and without the church the character of Christ.
The elder must be holy. His lifestyle is distinct from the world. His affections are on the things of God. He lives for eternal purposes.
The elder must be temperate. He is self-controlled. Like not being controlled by anger, discussed before, his decisions and reactions are calculated. He is controlled by the Spirit.
Titus 1:9
The elder upholds the Scriptures. Just like he was taught the Word of God, He continues to cling to it. He holds to the “faithful word.” The Word is trustworthy! Because of its trustworthiness, he stands on it as the foundation of his life in all things.
The purpose of this criterion is twofold. First, he can use his knowledge of and experience in the Word to exhort his people. The church needs his expertise in the Word for guidance. It also is to thwart those that contradict sound doctrine.