Having greeted Titus and stated clearly his intentions for writing in Titus 1:1-4, Paul reminds Titus that the mission entrusted to him in establishing elders throughout Crete (Titus 1:5).
Meaning of Titus 1:5
Paul states that he left Titus in Crete, therefore, the tradition maintains that Paul had previously been in Crete with Titus, but departed from him, heading to his next known location of Nicropolis (Titus 3:12).
A seemingly trivial detail, but one that suggests Titus had existing knowledge for the qualifications of elders that Paul hereafter outlines to him.
This detail changes the tone of the passage, for it becomes less instructive and more of an encouragement. Paul is stamping his authority over the mission, perhaps in anticipation of push back from the Cretans.
Meaning of Titus 1:6
I've discussed the qualifications in my article titled Qualifications of Eldership, but here I want to demonstrate the process of concluding those qualifications from the passage.
Paul opens the list of qualities with anyone above reproach. There are two logically possible takeaways for the use of anyone in this passage; I will demonstrate how the first is plausible, and how the second is unlikely.
The first possible takeaway is that eldership was not an aspirational title intended for a select few. If anyone is above reproach suggests that a number of people would already meet these criteria and it's these people that Titus should entrust.
Titus isn't instructing people to behave this way to become elders, they are all to behave this way, and those that do are qualified as elders. We can see this demonstrated in the similarities between the qualifications for eldership and the godly conduct expected of men, women, boys, girls, slave, and free written throughout Titus 2.
The second possible takeaway is that anyone could truly mean anyone, even women. This view is unlikely in light of his following statement that an elder should be "the husband of one wife", which matches the qualifications written to Timothy (1 Timothy 3:2), and upholds that women are not permitted to teach or hold authority over men (1 Timothy 2:12).
For this reason, the first qualification I have listed for biblical eldership is that an elder must be a man. You can read more on my thoughts of women as pastors, and why Deborah should not be used as an example of female eldership.
Does Titus 1:6 exclude men who are unmarried? That interpretation is unlikely. Many of the apostles, as far as we know, never married, but did lead churches. Paul elsewhere writes that people should remain as they were when they heard the good news, if you were unmarried, then focus solely on pleasing God (1 Corinthians 7:25-40).
In the same way, should we exclude men who are without children? This interpretation is dependent on the former; to have a child would require marriage. If the former is not required, then the latter is also unnecessary.
We can deduce from the above that an elder should be faithful. If they are married, and if they have children, they should be faithful in their marriage, only committed to one wife. And if they have children, he should be faithful to them by keeping them from debauchery and insubordination.
In situations where a prospective elder is unmarried and childless, the requirements to lead people towards godly lives and encourage believing hearts must still be measured in their lives. If not inside their family, it must be present in their witness to unbelievers.
Meaning of Titus 1:7-8
The requirement to be above reproach is broad, vague, and ambitious. Broad in the sense that many things harm one's reputation. Vague in the sense that specifics for acceptable criticism are yet to be enumerated. Ambitious in that Crete was known for being liars, evil beasts, and lazy gluttons (Titus 1:12).
Paul starts by enumerating disqualifying traits: arrogant, quick-tempered, drunkard, violent, or greedy. These characteristics would be a reproach upon a man, though not because the world condemns it - because God does. The world might also find some of these unpalatable, but drunkenness is fun, violence is justified, and greed is tolerable for so long as you're not the recipient of misfortune.
By contrast, Paul provides qualifying traits: hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. These characteristics are expected of all God's people:
We are all called to hospitality without complaint (1 Peter 4:9).
We are all called to desire good works (Titus 3:8).
We are all called to demonstrate self-control (Titus 2:2, 2:5, 2:6, 2:12)
We are all called to be upright
We are all called to be holy
We are all called to be disciplined
This standard is not unique to elders. These characteristics are expected from all Christian men and women. Meeting these criteria does not mean that you should be an elder, however, not meeting them definitely means you shouldn't.
Therefore, the third requirement for eldership can be summarised as living godly lives.
Meaning of Titus 1:9
The final requirement for an elder is an ability to teach sound doctrine, as well as rebuke those who contradict it. While there is enormous emphasis on the ability to teach, many pastors today are slow to do the latter.
The church has divided issues into primary (concerning God and salvation), secondary (concerning habits of believers), and tertiary (personal preferences).
It's my belief that this division is an error. Speaking in tongues should rightfully be a secondary issue, but early Pentecostals esteemed it to a level so high that it can only be considered a primary issue. Personal music preference is not important, but worship reinforces our beliefs about God.
Pastors refusing to take a stance on these secondary or tertiary issues leads to a lack of sound doctrine. It's not sufficient to recite basic truths about God each week, eldership is called to engage in full spectrum of beliefs and to refute those who contradict sound doctrine.
We can summarise the final qualification as teaching sound doctrine.
Final Thoughts
This section of Titus focuses primarily choosing leaders and their character. However, as we've discussed throughout this article, these standards are universal.
In the following section of Titus, verses 10 to 16, Paul explains why these requirements are so vital and the challenge that elders face.
Comments