COMMENTARY ON TITUS
LESSON NUMBER 6
“ Tit 1:5b . . . ordain elders in every city . . . 6 IF any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly. 7For 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.” (Titus 1:6-7)
ORDAIN ELDERS IF –
INTRODUCTION
The body of Christ is well ordered – like the human body. This order is living, not stagnant, and is characterized by spiritual productivity and growth. The particular members of the body are put in place by the Lord Himself, and in strict accordance with His will (1 Cor 12:18). At no point are men at liberty to guess or presume concerning these placements. This is why Paul instructed both Titus and Timothy on making appointments of men to be elders (Tit 1:5-10; 1 Tim 3:1-7). There is a direction in which the stated requirements are pointed. None of them are ends of themselves, and all of them are pointless if the intended work is not accomplished. Elders are not figureheads, nor are they intended to be men who appoint others to do the work that has been assigned to them – a practice that has become altogether too common in the churches. It will further be shown that although the Holy Spirit makes men overseers in the body of Christ, it is still a good work that can be desired. As it is written, “This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work” (1 Tim 3:1). I understand that such a desire, if springing from faith in Jesus and love for God, can be a personal attestation of one’s placement in the body. All of this presumes the one desiring the office of a bishop – who should be the only one appointed to that function – has a strong faith, a godly disposition, and a fundamental and consistent interest in the maturity and stability of the church. It will also become apparent that the individual must also possess an understanding of the things of the Spirit of God, being noted for, “rightly dividing,” or “handling accurately” NASB the word of God. These attributes cannot be learned academically, or developed and handled institutionally. They are evidence of spiritual life.
ORDAIN ELDERS . . . IF ANY BE . . .
Titus 1:5b “ . . . ordain elders in every city . . . If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.”
Paul left Titus in Creme to “set in order the things” that were “lacking” NKJV (v5a). I do not doubt that Titus was already aware of the kind of men that were to be ordained. It is inconceivable that Paul would have left him to do such a thing if all of this was new to him. The instructions that follow do not assume that Titus was ignorant of them, or that he was just then learning them. What Paul is doing is stirring up Titus’ pure mind, and reaffirming the truth lest it be overshadowed by any circumstances in Crete. The very concept of faithfulness assumes that the person knows what he is to do. However, spiritual duty is always fulfilled in the environment of truth – and truth must be continually affirmed because of the competitive surroundings in which lives are lived unto the Lord. This is why Paul also wrote to Titus of things he was to “affirm constantly,” or “stress” NIV (Tit 3:8). While theoretically it may appear as though a single declaration of the truth is sufficient, that is really a thorough misconception. The nature of spiritual warfare, the presence of the old man, and the principalities and powers against which we wrestle, demand the reiteration of what we already know. This is why the expression “we know” is used 23 KJV times in the epistles (30, NKJV, 27. NASB 36, NIV 32. NRSV).
One other consideration: many of these requirements are not unique to elders. Their existence does not suggest that a person can be pleasing to God and lack these qualities. However, due to novicehood, and sometimes to an unbecoming lack of interest, they may require considerable development. But this cannot be the case with elders.
IF. The ordination of elders was not something that was to be done unconditionally – that is, Paul was not saying that Titus was to make sure elders were established in every city. Here he states a condition that will determine whether or not Titus is to do this.
BLAMELESS. Other versions read “above reproach,” NASB “having a good record,” BBE”free from all charges against him,” DARBY “without crime,” DOUAY “unreproveable,” GENEVA “have a good reputation,” GWN “a man of irreproachable character,” NJB and “faultless.” TNT In his letter to Timothy, Paul also cites this as a requisite for being an elder (1 Tim 3:2), and a deacon as well (1 Tim 3:10).
Moral uprightness is an absolute requisite. Nothing that is perceived as a good talent or aptitude can offset being blameable, or found with moral flaws. For example, there have been men who were morally defiled, and yet they were accepted as elders because they supposedly had expertise in Scripture. A defiled life negates any claim to spirituality. Salvation makes no provision for continuing in sin – none at all. At the point sin enters the life, it is to be confessed and abandoned with immediacy and forthrightness. That is true of all believers – but especially for those who are elders. They cannot be men who are in the state of recovery, with all manner of moral weakness still clinging to them. I will deal more extensively with this trait in the next verse
THE HUSBAND OF ONE WIFE. This does not mean an elder has to be married, but that if he is married, he can only have one wife – something that is still unusual in foreign cultures, and even among some in this country who continue to practice bigamy, even though it is against civil law, as well as the law of God.
This does not mean that a widower who remarries is excluded, although some may consider him to have had two wives. We know this is the case because such are neither warned nor upbraided in Scripture. Neither does this exclude those who have been divorced, if that divorce was in accord with Scriptural stipulations. Two conditions are said to be capable of dissolving the marital union: (1) fornication (Matt 5:32), and an (2) unequal marital yoke in which the unbeliever is not content to dwell peaceably with the believer (1 Cor 7:12-13,15). It goes without saying that a great deal of wisdom and discretion is required even where the dissolution of a marriage is technically acceptable. If the condition causes the person to be perceived as blameable, due thought must be given to the matter.
This requirement also includes not being involved in adulterous affairs. The literal rendering of the expression here is “a one woman man.” INTERLINEAR
HAVING FAITHFUL CHILDREN. These are children who remain under the care of their parents. They are to be faithful, believers, and trustworthy – that is, as they come of age, they are to have been so taught that they themselves embrace the Lord, and, in accordance with their understanding, conduct their lives in a godly manner. They are not to be noted for being loose in their morals and conduct, or unruly and disorderly. AMPLIFIED Children being directed by the one who is an elder cannot be boisterous (riot), fundamentally wayward, and questionable in morals. When writing to Timothy Paul adds, “For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?” (1 Tim 3:5).
A BISHOP MUST BE BLAMELESS AS THE STEWARD OF GOD
“ 1:7a For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God . . .”
A BISHOP. Previously Paul told Titus he had left him in Crete to “ordain elders in every city.” He was to do this “IF any be blameless.” Now he elaborates on the matter by referring to the requirement of “a bishop.” The word “elder” refers to personal age or tenure in the Kingdom – one who is of spiritual age. Here we have a different word referring to the same function. In his writing to Timothy, Paul refers to “the office of a bishop,” or “overseer” NASB (1 Tim 3:1). While “elder” has more to do with character and personal spirituality, “bishop” has to do with function, or what elder does.
Peter wrote that elders were to take “the oversight” of “God’s heritage,” not in the sense of managing “the flock of God,” but rather in the sense of feeding it and “being examples to the flock” NKJV (1 Poet 5:2). When speaking to the elders of the church of Ephesus, Paul said that the Holy Spirit had made them “overseers, to feed the flock of God” (Acts 20:28).
A “bishop” is “an overseer, a man charged with the duty of seeing that things to be done by others are done rightly, any curator, guardian, or superintendent.” THAYER “one who watches over the welfare of others.” FRIBERG Doctrinally, the Scriptures speak of bishops as those who “have the rule over you . . . for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account . . .” (Heb 13:17).
The gravity of this office is confirmed by the general state of the church of our day. It is too often marked by spiritual immaturity, Scriptural ignorance, disinterest, and moral failure. It has become the prey of false prophets and religious opportunists. The level of interest in the things of God, and the deplorable level of a hunger and thirst for righteousness are at staggeringly low levels. And why is all of this so? Much of the blame can be laid at the feet of a recalcitrant eldership. They have neither watched nor fed the flock of God. In the elders, or bishops, God has provided for the growth and stability of His people.
MUST BE BLAMELESS. This removes any question concerning the necessity of elders, or bishops, being blameless – morally pure and upright in a manifest and unquestionable way. This is something that must be perceivable.
As used here, the word “blameless” means “beyond reproach, without fault.” FRIBERG This has to do with one’s outward, or expressive, life. There can be no obvious clash with Divine requirements in the person’s conduct. This word describes a state in which all believers are to be found: “blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 1:9), and being presented “unblameable and unreproveable in His sight” (Col 1:22). This was a description of Zacharias and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist (Lk 1:6). It is described as the manner in which we are to live before men – “blameless and harmless” (Phil 2:15). It is equivalent to being holy, or possessing holiness – “without spot and blameless” (2 Pet 3:14), remembering that without holiness, “no man shall see the Lord” (Heb 12:14).
Paul said that before he was in Christ, he was “blameless” regarding “the righteousness which is in the law” (Phil 3:6). That is, there was no activity that it required that he did not do: keeping the Sabbath day and the feasts, tithing, not infringing on the rights of his neighbor, etc. There was no glaring contradiction of the law in the life of Saul of Tarsus. He lived with an acute consciousness toward God, and was thus blameless as the Law defined life (Acts 23:1).
In this text, being blameless would involve a total separation from immorality, faithfulness in assembling with the saints, providing for his own, being obviously separate from the world, not contradicting the Word in his living, not holding to false doctrine, etc. As stated to the Philippians, this would be “without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation” (Phil 2:15). No person whose moral fabric is questionable can be permitted to lead or feed the flock of God. Not only is that unlawful, such people are not capable of the required work.
AS THE STEWARD OF GOD. Other versions read, “God’s steward,” NASB “entrusted with God’s work,” NIV “as God’s servant,” BBE “entrusted with God’s affairs,” CJB “God’s manager,” CSB “a supervisor appointed by God,” GWN “God’s representative,” NJB “the minister of God,” TNT “watches over God’s work,” IE “God’s administrator,” ISV and “God’s trustee.” WILLIAMS
Lexically, the word “steward” means “manager of a household or of household affairs.” THAYER Such a person is made responsible for the affairs of God’s house – like the vice president of a company, or a member of the president’s cabinet. For example, Eliezer was Abraham’s “steward,” and the manager of the affairs of his house (Gen 15:2). In his governmental position in Egypt, Joseph had a “steward” who headed up the affairs of his house (Gen 43:19; 44:1,4). Jesus gave a parable of a vineyard, and the “steward” who was responsible for it and those who labored in it (Matt 20;8).
Not only is the bishop to be personally “blameless” in moral conduct, but in the affairs related to taking care of the church of God. He is to be “blameless” in the matters of feeding and caring for it as God’s appointed representative. Be sure of this, there is no room for wicked and slothful servants in this office, or in any other function in Christ’s body.
A BISHOP’S REQUIRED TEMPERAMENT
1:7b “ . . . not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre.”
The requirements for “the office of a bishop” are suitable to the work that is fulfilled by it. These are traits in which the elders must excel and be exemplary. They must not be areas in which the individual struggles and is “easily beset.” They are also areas in which the required control is obvious. You will note that none of them are facets of life in which the rest of the members of the body can be loose. They are not areas of liberty in which license is given to be slipshod. While some of the members of the household may be in the process of perfecting holiness in these areas, the man who is an elder must have made very apparent progress in them all. Because he is an example to the flock, he is not allowed the luxury of being deficient in any of them.
NOT SELF-WILLED. Other versions read, “overbearing,” NIV “arrogant,” NRSV “pushing himself forward,” BBE “headstrong,” DARBY “proud,” “froward,” GENEVA “stubborn,” PNT and “self-pleased.” YLT The word “self-willed” means “self pleasing or arrogant.” THAYER This is a trait in which the individual prefers what he desires to the will of the Lord. While it may involve wanting his own way in the context of the views of others, it more particularly relates to his will being set against that of the One whom he is serving. In other words, the self-willed person employs his own criterion in caring for the flock of God, ignoring the revealed Divine agenda of caring for and feeding the house of God. Such a person refuses to yield to the Lord, or to the truth as stated by someone other than himself.
NOT SOON ANGRY. Other versions read, “quick-tempered,” NKJV “irritable,” GWN “prone to anger,” NET and “hot-tempered.” NJB The words “soon angry” come from a single word that means “prone to anger, irascible” THAYER (“Irascible” = hotheaded, argumentative, contentious, disputatious, and touchy). MERRIAM-WEBSTER The elder must be temperate, or self-controlled, not bursting forth in wrath, for “the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God” (James 1:20). This is the kind of anger that is to be put from the individual (Eph 4:31) – the kind that causes anger to become sin (Eph 4:26). The elder must be a stabilizing influence, not a volatile one. Again, this requirement does not suggest there are some people who can be “soon angry.”
NOT GIVEN TO WINE. Other versions read, “not addicted to wine,” NASB “not given to drunkenness,” NIV “a drunkard,” RSV “brawler,” ASV “drink excessively,” CJB “disorderly through wine,” DARBY and “drink too much.” GWN The expression “given to wine” is translated from a single word meaning, “one who sits long at his wine, and is quarrelsome over wine: hence brawling, abusive.” THAYER Paul’s letter to Timothy also included this stipulation (1 Tim3 :3).
This requirement is not set within the context of an indulgent society. This is said to a society where “new wine,” or freshly pressed wine, was a common drink (Neh 10:39; Prov 3:10; Isa 65:8). Both “wine and new wine” are said to “take away the heart,” or “understanding” NASB (Hos 4:11). When ingested in abundnance, “new wine” would cause drunkenness (Acts 2:13). This is because it ferments in both bottles and the belly (Matt 9:17). Too, wine was used for medicinal purposes, but was to be used in small quantities (1 Tim 5:23). The elder must not have an appetite for things that produce mental and spiritual weakness. That is the point of the text. There is no suggestion that moderate drinking is acceptable. Like the priest and the king, the elder was to avoid things that tended to distort judgment (Lev 10:9-10; Prov 31:4).
NO STRIKER. Other versions read “violent,” NKJV “pugnacious,” NASB “moved to . . . blows,” BBE “a bully,” CSB “hands swift to strike,” MRD “aggressive,” NAB “fighter,” TNT and “brawling, violent.” AMPLIFIED Paul also gave this requirement to Timothy (1 Tim 3:3). Of all people, those who feed the flock of God must be keenly aware that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood (Eph 6:12). It is therefore wrong to engage in physical activities that are conducted as though that was not the case. Whether it is a “fist” (Ex 21:18; Isa 58:4), or a “weapon” that is formed (Isa 54:17), these are not to be employed in the affairs of God’s people. Any man that is prone to such behavior is excluded from the office of a bishop. Again, this does not insinuate that other members of the body of Christ can be strikers, resorting to physical violence to settle their disputes.
NOT GIVEN TO FILTHY LUCRE. Other versions read, “greedy for money,” NKJV “fond of sordid gain,” NASB “pursuing dishonest gain,” NIV “greedy for gain,” NRSV “desiring profit for himself,” BBE “seeking for gain by base means,” DARBY “shameful ways to make money,” GWN “sordid gain,” NAS “avaricious,” NJB and “grasping and greedy for filthy lucre (financial gain).” AMPLIFIED
The words “filthy lucre” come from a single Greek word meaning “eager for base gain,” THAYER “covetous of,” FRIBERG “greedy of material gain,” UBS and “greedy for money.” GINGRICH Some of the versions, as well some lexicons, leave the impression that there are lawful ways to desire money. I am not sure that can be established by Scripture. Those who “will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in perdition” (1 Tim 6:9). Such gain is also called “uncertain riches” (1 Tim 6:17), and “deceitful riches” that choke the word of God (Matt 13:22). Jesus also said that it is more difficult for a “rich man” to enter the kingdom of God than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle (Lk 18:24). No person can afford to have an aim to be rich, but this is particularly unlawful for those who are elders.