cf. Titus 1:6-9

Doug V. Heck

1. The title ⁽¹⁾

2. The title has reference to his ⁽²⁾

3. The title

The NT charges these men with a fourfold function: to there is safety.

Paul reminds Titus in v. 5 why he was ) means, "the things left to do." Evidently the Apostle was not able on his short trip to Crete, after his first two years of Roman imprisonment, to complete all the preliminary structuring of leadership or correct the areas of spiritual immaturity. Because it was vital, he left Titus to finish the task.

Personal Qualifications of Elders

cf. Titus 1:6-8

If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly. For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate.

In verses 6-9 Paul gives

Notice the use of ⁽³⁾

A. Blameless in His Moral Life - vs 6. The Elder is to be blameless in his relationship with his wife. The phrase Several interpretations have been suggested for this important qualification...

l. The view is held by the Greek Orthodox Church. Those who hold this view point out that an Elder must have the practical experience as head of a family to pastor the family of God. This however, would exempt Paul himself and perhaps Timothy, if not Titus. It would be strange if the founder of Christianity Himself would not meet the first qualification of a Christian minister!

2.

3. ⁽⁵⁾ This view sets adultery as a sin that cannot be forgiven and may be forced by contemporary increases in divorce rates.

4.

5.

A betrayal of that trust between the husband and wife, resulting in adultery, exempts a man from consideration as Elder. The sin of adultery results in the scar of a perpetual reproach and the man is no longer blameless in his sexual life.

Can a man take fire into his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? So he that goeth in to his neighbor's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent. Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry; but if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house. But whosoever committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding; he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. A wound and dishonor shall be get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.⁽⁶⁾

B. Blameless in His Family Life - vs 6. Secondly, the Elder is to be blameless in his relationship with his children. ⁽⁷⁾ They must be

The Greek is ⁽⁸⁾ If the passive sense of the word is allowed, the active sense must also be present. Hence, believing children or children loyal to what they believe, i.e., the Christian faith. An Elder must have had such an impact on his own children that they followed his example in trusting Christ. Also, their children's character must be one that cannot be accused of profligacy, Those offspring who are not subordinate to parental control and live lives of riot, exempt their fathers from office holding in the local church.

The family is the nursery of the church and these two act and react upon each other so that a bad or weak father can never be an efficient elder. (Lipscomb)

C. Blameless in His Character - vss 7-8. The

One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity. For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God? (cf. 1 Tim. 3:4, 5)

So as a faithful house-manager of the local church, his character avoids certain

l.

The Elders which are among you I exhort...Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind. Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being examples to the flock. (cf. 1 Peter 5:1-3)

b.)

2. Six virtues are here mentioned: a.)

c. The Elders Orthodoxy (vs. 9a).

FUNCTIONAL QUALIFICATIONS OF ELDERS

cf. Titus 1:9

As a champion of the Word of God, the Elder is called upon to undertake a positive ministry to the members of the flock and a negative ministry to the enemies of the flock. "The shepherd must be able to tend the sheep and drive away the wolves." (White)

A. The Exhortation of Believers (vs. 9b). To

B. The Refutation of Opposers (vs. 9c). To

Notice that Paul mentions nothing about the actual

l. The NT analogy of the pastor as a

The implications drawn from the analogy are obvious. Just as a ) was not to dispense for the

This distinguished the true spokesman of God from the false preacher. Jeremiah 23:18-26 teaches that he has

This itself necessitates that he himself is a student of the Bible. As Spurgeon stated: "It is blessed to eat into the very soul of the Bible until, at last, you come to talk in scriptural language, and your spirit is flavored with the words of the Lord, so that your blood is

2.

C.H. Dodd in his book

Note: As the pastor

3. This metaphor balances the pastoral ministry. Within this concept is the passion, care, gentleness, meekness, concern , and love that the pastor will (must) show to both

Protestants have a difficulty understanding the concept of

Hence the pastor must be faithful in dispensing the household goods to the house as a

CONCLUSION AND APPLICATION

The local church needs dynamic innovative and caring leaders in the form of

Footnotes:

1. This term is used 20 times in the NT to refer to the leaders of a local church. cf. Acts 11:30; 14:23; 15:2, 4, 6, 22, 23; 16:4; 20:17; 21:18; 1 Tim. 4:14; 5:17, 19; Titus 1:5; James 5:14; 1 Pet. 5:1, 5.

2. This term is used 5 times in the NT to refer to the leaders of a local church. cf. Acts 20:28; Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:1, 2; Titus 1:7.

3. The qualifying list of 1 Timothy 3:1-7 also uses the heading blameless (Greek, anepileeptos) for the elders: marital life (vs. 2a), social life (2b-3), family life (vs. 4,5), and spiritual life (vss. 6,7). Hence Titus gives a threefold qualifying test for those considered for the charge of elder. It is interesting that the qualification list of 1 Timothy is more extensive than in Titus. Even the term blameless in 1 Tim. 3:2 is stronger, in reference to a man of good report who deserves the reputation. The principle implied is that the standard be as high as the available leadership, and as the local church matures, it should require a higher standard!

4. The possessive genitive is indicated by the emphatic position of the Greek word mias, translated "one."

5. cf. Robert Saucy, The Husband of One Wife BiblioTheca Sacra, July-Sept., 1974, p. 234.

6. cf. Proverbs 6:27-33. The man who commits adultery gets two things: 1.) a wound or a scar for his sin. No doubt speaking the wounding of his reputation; 2.) dishonor, speaking of a negative reputation. And this reproach will be perpetual, i.e., shall not be wiped away! Restoration of a fallen pastor/elder to a place of public leadership is impossible according to this passage. He is no longer a blameless man!

7. Paul omits a qualification about a believing wife because it is obvious. cf. 2 Corinthians 6:14-18.

8. pistos, is used 68 times in the NT, sometimes referring to God (cf. 2 Tim. 2:13) or inanimate things. cf. "this is a faithful saying" (cf. 1 Tim. 1:15; 3:1; 4:9; 2 Tim. 2:11; Titus 1:9; 3:8) But when the term is used of men or women, uniformly the sense that they believe and are faithful to what they believe. (cf. 1 Tim. 1:12; 4:3; 4:10, 12; 5:16; 6:2; 2 Tim. 2:2).

9.The Titus qualification about children must refer to older children, because young children would not be given to riot. The First Timothy qualification to children (cf. 3:4,5) implies younger children who are ruled and controled by the authority of the parents. Because an Elder usually suggested an older man, older offspring is the normal way to view the Greek term teknon. Adult offspring could scandalize the reputation of the local church by bringing a question about the Elder's previous qualification as a parent.