TITUS 1:6-9 - ELIGIBILITY FOR ELDERSHIP

TITUS 1:6-9

ELIGIBILITY FOR ELDERSHIP

Titus 1:6 If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.

Susie: Paul wrote to Timothy concerning the qualifications of elders as well (see 1 Timothy chapter 3). The list found here in Titus 1:6-9 differs only slightly from the list in the letter to Timothy. We made a comparison chart that we will include in our summary of the Pastoral Epistles.

Susan: Blameless does not mean perfection since no human is completely perfect except Jesus Christ. It means that nothing could be brought against them in court that could stand up to judicial scrutiny.

Susie: If someone accused him of wrongdoing, those who know him would have a difficult time believing that were even possible. We might say, “He is above reproach.”

Susan: The elder is a “one-woman man,” but the emphasis is not on gender so much as on the fact that the person must be faithful to their spouse.

Susie: This requirement would not necessarily rule out someone who had been divorced or widowed as long as they had remained morally pure, especially if divorce happened before their conversion to Christianity. The situation of divorce would, of course, be evaluated on a case by case basis, taking many factors into consideration.

Susan: Their children should demonstrate faith in Jesus by not behaving in a manner of a rabble-rouser or brawler. They should exhibit self-control.

Susie: 1 Timothy 3 speaks about the children being in subjection which would indicate smaller children living at home. Here in Titus, the influence the elder has in his family should extend to his adult children as well. They should be believers who are living out the faith they have learned in childhood.

Titus 1:7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled⁸²⁹, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker⁴¹³¹, not given to filthy lucre;

Susie: The word rendered bishop means overseer, not a term indicating a high position than elder or pastor. The elders were stewards of the church. A steward is someone who is responsible to their master to manage his property and take care of his people in his absence. Susan, what does it mean to be a faithful steward as a leader of a church?

Susan: The elder, overseer, pastor is responsible for what they are teaching their flock in accordance with God’s word. They must minister to God’s flock under their care in accordance with godly character. They need to be an example in principle and demonstration that the finances of the church and, for that matter, of every believer belong to God.

Susan: A better translation of self-willed might be self-gratifying. They should be the complete polar opposite of the type of men described in 2 Timothy:

2 Timothy 3:2a For men shall be lovers of their own selves . . .

Susie: A church leader should be slow to anger, or as Paul wrote to Timothy, “not a brawler.” James, the brother of Jesus, affirmed this as a godly trait as well:

James 1:19-20 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

Susie: The leader must not be one who drinks or uses any type of drug to the point of dulling the senses. It is not possible to be a wise steward, remain morally pure, and control one’s temper while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Susan: He should not be one who stirs up fights or settles disputes with his fists.

Susie: I’m rapidly getting the idea that the leaders of a church must be extremely self-controlled, or better yet, Christ-controlled!

Susan: They cannot put themselves on “cruise-control” and drift through life but must actively choose “Christ-control” each moment or each day.

Susie: They must not be after “filthy lucre,” or, as we would say today, they should not be in ministry for the money. Paul elsewhere asserts that pastors should be compensated:

1 Timothy 5:17-18 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. For the scripture saith, thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.

Susie: However, the elders should not be greedy or focused more on monetary gain than spiritual growth.

Titus 1:8 But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober⁴⁹⁹⁸, just, holy, temperate¹⁴⁶⁸;

Susie: Hospitality meant more than hosting a fellowship at his house. In those days, a person may be called upon to allow a traveler to stay in his home on a moment’s notice. Fellow believers may have been evicted suddenly from their homes or be fleeing persecution and need a place to stay. Already thin resources would need to be stretched to provide for guests. It might even be risky to take them in if they were fleeing for their lives from the ruler’s army. The elder must not extend hospitality grudgingly but with a heart full of Christ-like love to strangers as well as church members.

Susan: Elders must be lovers of good people, good things, and those who consistently promote good. For an understanding of that which is good see the Fruit of the Spirit:

Galatians 5:22-23  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Susie: To be sober-minded is to be sensible, serious, thinking things through. It implies being of sound mind and reining in the passions.

Susan: Just or upright—treating people from a place of righteous character. It boils down to treating others in the same manner that you would want to be treated in any given situation if the tables were turned.

Luke 6:31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

Susie: Holy is being set apart for God’s purpose. In and of ourselves, we cannot achieve holiness. However, the Holy Spirit works within us to make us more and more like Jesus, closer to holiness. Those who would be elders must be yielding daily to the Spirit’s control.

Susan: As soldiers of the Lord’s army, elders must be temperate (disciplined). They must be listening for and obeying their Commander, Jesus Christ, rather than going off half-cocked on their own. They must be in control of their tempers, their emotions, their behavior, etc. They must be strong in the sense of mastering of their body and mind, bringing it all under the control of the Holy Spirit.

Titus 1:9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers⁴⁸³.

Susie: In order to hold fast to the word, the elders must be people who have been under sound teaching long enough to know the word of God. This corresponds to Paul’s admonishment to Timothy that the elder should not be a “novice” (1 Timothy 3:6). In order to disciple others, one must be a faithful disciple of the word of God.

Susan: The elders needed to have a thorough understanding of biblical teaching in order to encourage and build up the body of Christ. They needed to be able to convince the “gainsayers” or in our vernacular the “naysayers,” those who were false teachers or completely in opposition to the truth of the Gospel.

QUESTIONS

1.       List the traits that should NOT be true of an elder.

2.       List the positive traits that an elder should exhibit.

3.       In countries where Christians are experiencing extreme persecution, hospitality may resemble what it was in the time of Titus. Would you be willing to take a Christian fugitive into your home? (Think Corrie Ten Boom during WWII) Why or why not?