SERMON: “Understanding Elders, Part 2” (Titus 1:6)
“Understanding Elders, Part 2” (Titus
1:6)
Series: “Titus:
Godly People, Godly Church” Text: Titus
1:6
By: Shaun
Marksbury Date:
April
28, 2024
Venue: Living
Water Baptist Church Occasion:
PM Service
(If you're interested in donating to our ministry, visit https://www.lwbcfruita.org/give !)
I.
Introduction
God
has given qualifications for us to consider, such as this verse and its parallel
passage in 1 Timothy 3:2–4. Remember
that Paul left Titus behind to “set in order what remains and appoint elders”
(Titus 1:5). He challenged Titus to
cultivate a sound or healthy church, including correcting the false teachers
confusing poor souls about God and His gospel.
So, Paul informs him to, not to employ a vote through a popularity
contest, but to appoint qualified men who have careful doctrine and lives and
who are able to instruct others about God and His glorious grace. God inspired these letters for the
edification of churches, so we will know how to operate as a body.
He
has given us multiple lines of qualification to consider when appointing
pastors. Based on 1 Timothy 3:1–7 and
Titus 1:5–9, an elder must…
- be above reproach,
- be not addicted to wine,
- be not a new convert,
- be the husband of one wife,
- be not pugnacious,
- be self-controlled,
- be temperate,
- be gentle,
- be sensible,
- be prudent,
- be uncontentious,
- be not self-willed,
- be respectable,
- be not fond of sordid gain,
- be not quick-tempered,
- be hospitable,
- manage his household well,
- loving what is good,
- be able to teach,
- control his children with dignity,
- be just and devout,
- be free from the love of money,
- be able to exhort in sound doctrine and
to refute those who contradict, and
- have a good reputation outside the
church.
That
is quite a few! This evening, we will
only be considering some of these as we continue through the Book of
Titus. Just based on v. 6, an elder is
to be a man, someone above reproach, a one-woman man, and he must have faithful
children. Let’s consider the first of
these:
II.
An Elder is to Be a Man
if any man
The
word for “man” is not in the original, but comes from the masculine pronoun
here, which is best translated “man.” This
is why neither the NASB or the KJV places “man” in italics to show that it has
been added for clarity in English. In
this case, the translators believe the text of the original demands that
word be supplied.
This
is exactly the case in the parallel passage of 1 Timothy 3:1–7. Everything in that passage of qualifications
reads naturally as demanding a male role.
In fact, that matches the context.
Paul specified back in 2:8 that men should lead in prayer. In 2:11-12, He says, “Let a woman quietly
receive instruction with entire submissiveness. But I do not allow a woman to
teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.” That parallels
what he said in 1 Corinthians 14:34 — “The women are to keep silent in the
churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves,
just as the Law also says.” This is a universal rule for churches.
So,
in the church, women are to be under the authority of the elders. They are excluded from teaching men or
holding positions of authority over them.
This is why the Bible does not know of a female elder — it is a role
specifically for men. It’s not that
there isn’t plenty of ministry for women, and we’ll note some examples in Titus
2, but this is a role that God has called qualified men to step into and lead.
Of
course, these qualifications are what we’re studying now. Simply being male isn’t enough to certify
someone as an elder. He must be “above
reproach,” which is what we see next.
III.
An Elder is to Be Above Reproach
is above reproach
We
read here that he is to be “above reproach” or “beyond reproach”
(LSB). Yet, the NIV has a
different translation: “An elder must be blameless.” The word “blameless” is the literal
translation, which is also how the NKJV and KJV reads.
What
does it mean that an elder should be blameless?
The Lord makes us “blameless” (1 Cor. 1:8), and certainly, an elder
should be a Christian, someone who’s sins are forgiven. Yet, this seems to speak more of horizontal
rather than vertical reproach.
Being
blameless does not mean that there are no sins in the life of the individual,
for sinless perfectionism is impossible and an unbiblical idea. Nor does this mean that a person doesn’t have
anyone who would possibly falsely accuse or blame him; a man can sometimes be
known through his enemies. People who
are in love with their sin get mad at elders for holding to Scripture and the
standards of the Lord. This term simply
refers to a conformity to biblical ethics.
This
term answers the question, “Does this man live a life that Scripture does not
condemn?” As one study notes, “To be
“above reproach” translates the words anepilēmpton
(1 Tim. 3:2) and anegklētos (Titus
1:6) and connotes the fact that an elder should be one who is free from any
deficiency of character that could call into question his ability to lead the
church.”[1]
Another puts it this way:
In
light of the positional reality, the believer is called to live in such a way
as to attain the quality of blamelessness. In these cases, it is evident that
blamelessness refers to public respectability as an outgrowth of private moral
character. Christians must “make every effort to be found spotless, blameless
and at peace with him” (2 Peter 3:14). By
growing in discernment and avoiding a critical spirit, believers can become
“pure and blameless” in an age marked by wickedness (Phil. 1:10; 2:14–15).[2]
So,
an elder should be someone that other believers can look up to as a model,
imperfect as it may be, of following Christ.
That
is what gives the expression “blameless” or “above reproach” such weight. This one phrase sums up the rest of the
qualifications, and Paul even says it again down in v. 7. No sound minister of the gospel lives without
the daily battle of sin, but he must model what it is for a Christian to
overcome.
Of
course, one way to see someone’s heart in this regard is to see his
homelife. That’s where we turn next.
IV.
An Elder is to Be a One-Woman Man
the husband of one wife
This
expression engenders much debate. Some
wonder if this forbids bigamous or polygamous marriages. Others wonder if this refers to divorce, permissible
or otherwise. Others wonder if a single
man is forbidden from holding office.
These are all important considerations.
We
must first keep in mind that this is within the context of a pagan society that
has just learned about Christ. There may
have been some Jewish converts who led godlier lives, but none live a life of
perfect Christian virtue before coming to Christ (nor afterward!). There may have been otherwise qualified men
on Crete who had poor relationships before coming to the Lord; are they
permanently disqualified from holding office?
It seems that this would have to be examined on a case-by-case basis.
Today,
if the man was divorced “BC,” before Christ, there may not be as much debate as
if someone experienced divorce after coming to Christ. If a man has a divorce after becoming a
Christian, but it is on biblical grounds (she unrepentantly committed adultery
or abandoned the family), then it is possible that that person could be
qualified one day. If a man has an
unbiblical divorce but repents after remarriage, and demonstrates a consistent
life with his new wife for 10-15 years, then he might be qualified. If a man has an affair during his pastorate,
then not only is he disqualified from continuing in office, but he is
permanently disqualified from office, because of his level of knowledge and
culpability.
Again,
these are issues we have to consider on a case-by-case basis. As the Reformation Study Bible notes,
this is most likely addressing “the widespread immorality in the Greco-Roman
world.” That’s an issue that isn’t so
different today! The church needs men
who model faithfulness to their spouses, both internally (purity) and
externally (free from adulterous relationships). It should be a testimony.
It's
important for the church to see a man who is married, especially in a culture
with a lot of sexual infidelity, and the church can learn much about how a man
may operate in how he treats his wife (does he lead his home with domineering behavior,
or is he passive?). Of course, it may be
possible to have a Paul as an elder, one who isn’t married. However, even if he is qualified in every
other way, to exclude his homelife is to lose an important marker of his
qualifications. It’s clearly best
practice to find a married man, if possible.
Of
course, as we consider his homelife, there is another consideration to examine:
V.
An Elder is to Have Faithful Children
having children who believe, not accused
of dissipation or rebellion.
Just
as the previous point engendered debate, so has this one. There is considerable disagreement as to
whether this should be translated “children who believe” (NASB) or “having faithful children”
(LSB, N/KJV). Yet, it seems that the LSB
has once again given us an important upgrade in translation to the NASB.
Some
of this is based on how to translate pistos, which often translates
“faith” but can also be translated “faithful.”
Some rests on how one understands the parallel passage; 1 Timothy 3:4
says, “He must be one who manages his
own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity.” And some rests on how one connects the next
phrase (to the children or to the elder).
The final consideration is to whether Scripture ever promises anyone
(elder or otherwise) that their children will all be saved. Those who claim this means that grown
children must never renounce their faith are reaching.
This
speaks more of their state within the home.
Adult children who have moved out are outside of our direct influence or
control, and they may engage in prodigal living. There’s nothing we can do there except wait
and love, but that is not disqualifying to the elder. If, however, the children of elders are
feral, foul-mouthed, juvenal delinquents, it would be best for the elder to
step down for a while.
There
must be a priority in the local church to build godly households. The onus is placed on fathers as leaders in
the home. Scripture also extols the
importance of motherhood in the task, and it calls children to obey both
fathers and mothers, but fathers are ultimately responsible for the spiritual
instruction in the home. Fathers may
entrust mothers with much of the task, such as in a homeschooling situation
where fathers will be away most of the day at work, but fathers should still
take an active role in the planning and perhaps even the execution of the
children’s instruction.
Can
an elder without kids serve? Again, it
seems so, as Paul gives no indication of having fathered children. Yet, this removes an important marker for the
judgment of pastoral qualifications, which must be carefully considered as it
also potentially removes a formative source of sanctification which can
negatively affect how a man executes his office. At the very least, we can say that the forced
celibacy of priests found in the Roman Catholic Church is an unbiblical practice.
Churches
should consider how potential elders will behave by looking at those over whom
they have authority. Do the elders care
about the spiritual well-being of their children, teaching them the truths of
the gospel? Do elders correct behaviors,
or do the children become more sinful? The
expression, “not accused of dissipation or rebellion” perfectly describes the
behavior of children that churches should watch; it doesn’t demand sinless
little angels (an impossibility!), nor does it describe uber-intellectual
children ready to teach seminary-level courses, but it does describe a
reasonable standard that all Christians should try to repeat within their own
homes.
Similarly,
“rebellion” is a dangerous attribute within the home. A child who is committing crimes even with
mom and dad will only grow in their rebellion.
Paul warns that there are many men in Crete who are rebellious (v. 10),
so an elder should be one who can show how to raise non-rebels, respectful
people who will glorify God.
VI.
Conclusion
The next verse reminds us of why this is all so important
with the term “overseer.” We see quite a
bit about potential elders from their home lives. Does he care for his wife and kids? Does he domineer? These are questions to consider.
Of course, this is a reminder to all of us to strive for
these virtues, however applicable they are.
We should strive for lives that are above reproach. We should strive for sexual purity if we are
unmarried or sexual fidelity if we are.
We should strive to be good parents or good children!
[1] Roy B. Zuck, A
Biblical Theology of the New Testament, electronic ed., (Chicago: Moody
Press, 1994), 362.
[2] William E. Brown, Evangelical
dictionary of biblical theology, 1996, 66–67.
