As preached by Timothy O'Day.
Elders are...
1) Vital to the order of the church.
2) Qualified men, not perfect men.
3) Needed to shepherd the church to her glorious end.
Ordering the Church with Qualified Elders
Titus 1:5-16
October 13, 2024
There are many analogies given to describe the church, but probably one of the most central to grasp is that the church is the bride of Christ. You could answer the question, “Why did Jesus come and die,” in many ways. In fact, John Piper wrote a book called 50 Reasons Jesus Came to Die, so there are at least 50. Let me highlight just one that I think is often neglected. Jesus came to redeem his bride and make her glorious. That is, he not only saves a people for himself but transforms them so that they become unrecognizable. In making the church look glorious, Jesus does not detract from his own glory. On the contrary, he glorifies himself by making the church glorious. How? He shows his power and grace in that he takes ruined sinners and makes them beautiful. He takes people who hated each other and reconciles them as one people.
And he does this by his work on the cross, which we proclaim in the good news of the gospel. After reflecting on this good news, Paul writes in Ephesians 3:21,
“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
The way that the church glorifies God is by being a people defined by Christ and his work, that is, defined by the gospel itself.
But being defined by the gospel doesn’t just happen.
God has means for accomplishing this end, and he provides those means through the church itself. People come to faith in Christ and are brought into the church because the church preaches the gospel. Believers mature in the faith because the church has the mission of making disciples and teaching all that Christ commands.
This glorious end of God being glorified in the church happens because he provides all that is necessary for the church to proclaim the gospel and keep people in the instruction of the gospel.
If you put all of this together, you see that the church is God’s means in this world to call his people to himself and to see them made beautiful by the power of the Holy Spirit, under the Lordship of Christ, to the glory of God.
This is why Paul didn’t simply preach the gospel in Crete and then move on. For reasons unknown to us, Paul did leave Crete after spending time there, but he left Titus behind, as we read in verse 5, “to put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town.”
Without a right-ordered church, God’s people will suffer want and the glorious end that Jesus intends for his bride will not be accomplished. This is why the local church is so important. It is God’s means for accomplishing his ends in the world.
And, as we see in verses 5-16, a rightly ordered church depends greatly on qualified leadership of the church. The church needs faithful shepherds to care for and equip the saints. Thus, it is not surprising that Paul turns his attention first to the establishment of leadership in the local churches in Crete.
This is important for us to grasp. This is not a passage merely for people who are elders or who want to be elders. Everyone in the church needs to have a proper understanding of who elders are to be and what they are to do so that only qualified men are appointed to care for God’s church.
So let’s take the rest of our time this afternoon to walk through what Paul tells us about elders in this passage.
Elders are…
Vital to the right ordering of the church (5-6).
That elders are vital to the right ordering and function of the church is evident simply by Paul addressing this issue first. He will go on in chapter 2 and chapter 3 to address other things that are needed in order for the church to be rightly ordered, but it is telling that this is where he begins.
Why begin with addressing leadership? Because leadership keeps in order what is set in order but is prone to problems. The church cannot be set up and then left as if everything will continue to run smoothly. Even though the church is the assembly of the saved, sin is still present. As we will see in verses 10-16, there are problems that need to be addressed, which is why leaders are needed. Like a police officer having to redirect traffic after an accident, elders handle problems and give instruction so that things can be rightly ordered again.
This is why elders are also called “overseers” in verse 7. In the New Testament, the words elder, overseer (also translated as bishop), and pastor are three names for one office. Each name accents a particular aspect of the one office. Elder points to seniority in the church, overseer to the role of leadership and direction, and pastor to the care, protection, and nourishment provided.
And this task is so vital, that Paul gives three more ideas that we will do well to pay attention to.
First, elders should ideally work as a team, not on their own. Notice that in verse 6 Paul instructs Titus to appoint elders “in every town.” This could be referring to individual elders of each house church in the town, but the fact that the church in Jerusalem had multiple elders, who work together as a unit, (see Acts 15) indicates that these elders serve together to care for the church as a whole in each town. Having a plurality of leaders in a church protects the men serving and means that a church will be blessed by the various gifts of multiple men serving in this role.
Second, elders are appointed with the consent of the church. That isn’t explicitly stated in these verses, logistically this is necessary. Titus is called to appoint men who are above reproach. But who is going to know if these men are above reproach? The church. The church will be able to vouch for an individual and say, “yes, he is a man who is above reproach.”
Third, elders should only be appointed if there are men who are qualified. After giving the direction of appointing elders, Paul adds the caveat in verse 6, “If anyone is above reproach…” While leaders are vital to the right ordering of the church, having an unqualified man is worse than having no man. This is why I said earlier that elders ideally work as a team, but this concept does not trump the need for elders to be qualified men. Great damage is done when men, who do not meet the qualifications, take on the role of elder in the church.
So, while we must recognize that elders play a vital role in the right functioning of the church, this role is not so vital that we need to elevate unqualified men. How are we to judge who qualifies? That is what we see next.
Elders are…
Qualified men, not perfect men (6-9)
If you are looking for a perfect man, you will not have an elder. It will be a constant striving without ever achieving, for no man will be perfectly like Jesus until Jesus himself returns to make all things new. At the same time, Jesus has standards for leadership that exceed the expectation of the rest of the church. God has a higher standard for the life, conduct, and knowledge of leaders than he does for everyone else, and this is a good thing.
This concept is stated simply in verse 6 as being “above reproach,” which can also be translated as “blameless.” Being blameless is not the same as being perfect. It means that you are a man against him no major accusation can be leveled. It is a man who, as the church looks at him, they do not see a major character flaw or issue with his conduct.
But how exactly are you to test that? It seems like a pretty vague description to simply say, “Do you see any areas in which this man could be reproached?” It is indeed a big category, so we are given three areas to test: competence in the home, character in his life, and conviction in his teaching. Let me summarize this by saying that qualified men are 1) proven stewards, 2) examples of Christ’s Lordship, and 3) teachers under authority. Let’s walk through each to explain what I mean.
Proven Stewards (6-7a)
The first half of verse 7 tells us that an overseer is serving as God’s steward. A steward is one who is put in charge of another’s property in order to care for it and rightly provide for those in the household. He is a manager, not an owner. As one leads God’s church, it does not become his church. It remains God’s church and he simply acts as a steward over what belongs to God and, on the final day, will have to give an account for how he managed what was put into his care. Christ loves his bride and will hold men accountable for how they treat her, especially those entrusted with her care as elders.
Therefore, we should only put men into this position who have a proven records of caring well for what God has put in their charge—that’s why we are directed to first look at how men care for their families. Shepherds of the church learn how to shepherd in the context of the home. If a man cannot properly steward the wife and children that are entrusted to him, then he should not be trusted to steward the church, which is God’s family.
Now, before I explain more about this, I do not think that this means a man must be married and have children in order to be qualified to serve as a pastor. The gist of this qualification is that a man must be exemplary in stewarding what God has entrusted to him. He has shown himself, proven himself, as a man who can properly care for what is entrusted to him.
Here is what that is usually going to look like:
Where to Look
First, he has one wife or, literally, he is a one-woman man. This is more than just a statement against polygamy (although polygamy is disqualifying for church leadership, which shows us that Joseph Smith was certainly disqualified). It is a statement about a man’s faithfulness to his covenant promise in marriage. In marriage, husbands and wives make promises, but these promises are not simply to each other. They are also made to God. In marriage, a spouse is saying to the other person and to God, “I will be faithful to you and devoted to you.”
Husbands, marriage is a gift from God and a responsibility before God. You are entrusted with a stewardship to care for and love your wife as Christ loves the church. Ephesians 5:25-28a,
“Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way, husbands should love their wives as their own bodies…”
If a man is not able or willing to do this, what makes us think that he is able or willing to do it for the church?
Second, his children are submissive to his instruction and leading. This is what is meant when you read in the second half of verse 6, “And his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery.” If you are reading from the ESV, you will see that there is a footnote by the word “believers” saying that this word can also be translated as faithful, which is a word that helps us understand what this qualification means. You can read this verse as saying that the qualified man’s children will all be baptized believers, but you can also read it as saying that they are faithful to their father’s instruction. I think this second reading is the preferable reading for 3 reasons.
When you compare the qualifications for a pastor in Titus to those laid out in 1 Timothy 3:1-7, there is no qualification given in 1 Timothy that the children must be baptized believers. The qualification is instead listed as “he must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?” (Verses 4-5). It would be strange if the qualifications for pastoral ministry diverged widely from place to place and it is best to let Scripture interpret Scripture on this point.
If we read the verse as “faithful,” this perfectly contrasts with what is said next in verse 6. To be faithful to their father’s instruction means that they are “free from the charge of debauchery or insubordination.” A child does not need to be a believer to be free of this charge, but he must be one who submits to the authority of his father, heeding his instruction and discipline.
Saving faith is simply not in the power of a father and a mother. Parents cannot control whether or not their child believes. Fathers, you must labor to teach your children, discipline your children, lead your children, and even plead with your children, but you cannot convert your children. That is the work of the Holy Spirit.
Children are a gift from God that fathers must steward. The test of stewardship here is not whether or not your children come to faith. The test is whether or not you will faithfully lead your children while they are under your authority.
Qualified men are proven stewards and this stewardship is primarily proven with how competent they are in handling the responsibilities given to them in their homes.
Do you aspire to be an elder? Then devout yourself to shepherding your home first and foremost.
Example of the Lordship of Christ to the Flock (7b-8)
After reviewing the qualification of proven stewardship, Paul turns next to personal character that must also exist in the qualified man. Simply put, the qualified man is one who is noticeably mastered and ruled by Christ. This is seen in the two lists given in these verses, lists that lay out what must not be present and what must be present.
What He Must Not Be: Mastered By His Passions
The qualities that must not be present are qualities that show a man is in the grip of the power of the flesh. This list in 7b describes a man who is mastered by his passions and holds himself at the center of his world.
Arrogance refers to insisting on his own way, dismissing criticism, and viewing events and life as being about himself.
Quick-tempered speaks of a man who is living as the ultimate judge. Anger is always a response to perceived evil, and the quick-tempered man is the one who is prepared to act as judge, jury, and executioner instead of submitting his views to the true judge, Jesus Christ.
A drunkard is one who is unable to say no to the temptation for pleasure, seeking to gratify his desires without restraint.
A violent man is one who is prepared to use his own strength to destroy and dominate instead of using it to build up and serve.
A man greedy for gain sees the church as something to exploit, as an opportunity to get rich, live easily, or gain advancement with honor and prestige—not as a place to pour himself out.
To be clear, none of our men should be characterized by these qualities. But sometimes immature believers are, so they should not be entrusted with leadership even if they possess great teaching ability, are wise in how to be administrators, or are great at drawing a crowd. Why? Leaders will always be viewed as examples, and their example will set the culture and identity of the church. Arrogant men will never admit they are wrong; angry men will abuse the flock; drunk men will excuse destructive desires in others; violent men will destroy whatever stands in their way; and greedy men will bleed their people instead of feed their people.
The church cannot have perfect leaders, but they must insist on having leaders who are mastered by the Lordship of Christ and growing in his likeness, which is exactly what the list of qualities that must be present shows us
What He Must Be: Mastered By Christ
All of the qualities listed out in verse 8 should make us stop and say, “that sounds like Jesus.”
A hospitable man is one who invites others into his world and shares what he has.
A lover of good rejoices when good things happen to other people instead of growing bitter that it didn’t happen to him. He puts others before himself, counting their own benefit as his own benefit.
A self-controlled man is one who is sober in his thinking, not pursuing his whims and desires. He stays the course and learns to control his passions, fears, and desires.
An upright man is a fair man, who wants justice and works for justice, even at cost to himself.
A holy man is one who is devoted to God and that devotion is showing itself in his thinking, feeling, and acting.
And the quality of being disciplined sums it all up. To be disciplined means that you sit under the authority of another. The disciplined man is one who submits his desires to someone or something else. In this case, he submits his desires, his plans, his agenda to the Lord.
As you consider this list, you should be thinking of Jesus. The qualified man is one who, as he submits to Christ and follows Christ, is able to serve as a man to whom the whole church can look at say, “follow his example.” As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”
As I say all of this, I want you to know I feel the weight of this charge that I have as a pastor in this church. I feel the weight of being an example to you. I am not Christ. You must always look to Christ. I am a broken man like you. I am a sinner like you. Pastors are not perfect examples, but they are supposed to be helpful examples. Christ, not the pastor, is the standard. The pastor is an example of a sinner aiming to be like Christ, which is why he is a helpful example to the flock.
But he cannot simply be one who is watched. He must also be one who speaks.
Teacher Under Authority (9)
The last qualification listed is in verse 9, which addresses the qualification of teaching. Look there with me: an elder must have a firm grasp on the word of God as he was taught. This means that he must
See Scripture as trustworthy. He cannot merely be a good communicator. He must look at Scripture and be able to say, “You can trust this word is true. You can build your life on it and not doubt it. It is without error and true in every sense.”
He must teach it as one under the authority of Christ. This is what is meant by the expression “as taught.” As an apostle, Paul declared the word of God rightly interpreted. When he went into synagogues and debated, the Jews with whom he spoke did not question the authority of Scripture. They questioned his interpretation of Scripture. He would open up Scripture and show that Jesus is the Christ. But others rejected him and said that he was not reading Scripture correctly. And elder must read Scripture and teach Scripture in line with apostolic authority. He cannot say, “Well, the apostles were wrong about this.” They cannot say, “well, that was a different time.” This is what teachers do who want to justify homosexual practice, women in ministry, or to say that there is more than one way of salvation.
Why must he have this firm grasp of Scripture? Because the office of elder is an office of instruction and rebuke, as we read in the second half of verse 9. The pastor is one who must be able to lead others to healthy, sound doctrine. In order to to this, he must know the word and be able to teach it. But the pastor is not merely in charge of forming the way people think, he is also responsible for tearing down false doctrine and wrong ways of thinking about God. He must be able to rebuke and correct those who stand against sound doctrine.
Why must an elder be able to do this? Because there are clear and present dangers to the church that must be refuted by elders. This leads us to our last point.
Elders are…
Needed to protect and shepherd the church to her glorious end (10-16)
Verse 10 tells us why Titus needs to appoint only qualified men to this position of elder, saying it is because there are many who do not submit to the word of God and instead hold themselves and other men up as the ultimate authority.
Follow the logic of these final verses with me. Qualified men are needed because
Verse 10, there are insubordinate—which means they are disobedient to the authority of God’s word. Instead of heeding God’s word, they provide their own reasoning and thinking, providing their own empty words that do not rest on divine authority as a substitute.
Verse 11, these insubordinate men must be silenced because they are upturning the faith of whole families—which could actually refer to churches meeting in homes—by pointing to their own authority and teaching as opposed to scripture. They are destroying the faith of many.
Verses 12-13, Paul now turns to speak as to why these men are so dangerous: they are caught up in the flow of worldly culture, not the ways of God’s Kingdom. He does this by quoting Epimenides of Knosses in verse 12. Ancient literature attests to the fact that Cretans did have a reputation for being liars and cheats. In fact, Greek words for falsehood and lie (Kretizo) are derived from the word “Crete.” While this is obviously a generalization—after all, Titus is supposed to appoint men who are not liars and cheats, but faithful stewards and examples submitted to the word of God—generalizations are based on common trends in a culture. There is a reason Americans are generalized as loud and disrespectful by other cultures. That isn’t true of every American, but it is generally true enough to be said about Americans. Every society, in some shape or form, is characterized by sin. So the point is this: Paul is saying that there are many in Crete who fit this characterization and they must be silenced. They are dangerous because they are characterized by fallen culture and not by Christ.
Verse 14, They are doubly dangerous because they rejected the truth of the gospel and instead trust in the teachings of man. In rejecting the gospel, they have rejected the only means by which men can be reconciled to God. So instead, they hold onto other practices in order to count themselves as justified before God. That is what is meant by verse 15. What Paul means in verse 15 is that if you are made right with God—made pure—then you do not have to follow food regulations or other Jewish purity regulations in order to be counted as holy and right with God. But if you reject the gospel, then you remain defiled and you think that purity comes primarily by how you handle food and religious washing customs.
But exterior actions cannot transform the heart. Therefore, as we see in verse 16, while they claim to know God, their lives remain defined by sin and disobedience to him.
In short, these men must be silenced because they deny the authority of God’s word which declares the good news of Jesus Christ, are teaching others to also deny the authority of God’s word, follow the flow of sinful culture in denying God’s authority, and instead trust in human action to make themselves right with God.
This is why it is necessary to have faithful men who will continue to point to the authority of God’s word and preach the glorious news that one is saved by faith, because of God’s grace, through Christ, as proclaimed in Scripture, to the glory of God.
Qualified men submit their lives to the Lordship of Christ, are found as competent to lead through the evidence of their homes, and firmly hold to the centrality of Scripture.
Men are qualified because they hold to Scripture and are transformed by the gospel proclaimed through Scripture. If you lose Scripture, you lose the gospel. If you lose the gospel, you lose the glorious end for which Christ will move his church.
Conclusion:
But Christ will have the prize for which he died. This is why, as God promises in Jeremiah 3:15, he provides the means necessary to work for the preservation of the church. He says, “I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.”
What we need as a church and what Zach and I aim to do as your pastors, is to set our own hearts after the Lord and feed you what the Bible says. This is what our church needs more than anything else.
At our core, we are all legalists. We all feel the strong pull to make ourselves right with God. But this is impossible. Sin is not just something that we do; it is fused into the core of who we are. Therefore, we do not merely need to reform our actions. We need to be made new to our very core. That is the glorious news of the gospel that kept safely for us and declared to us in the word of God.
Scripture tells us the true story. We were created to know God and to glorify God through our knowing him and reflecting him as we heard and followed his word. But each one of us has turned astray, acting as our own authority and jumping headlong into rebellion against God. We are guilty of rebellion against God and rightly deserve hell for this rebellion.
But God is more loving and merciful than you could ever imagine. In love, he has claimed a people for himself and sent his Son to redeem this people. God the Son took on flesh and lived a life of perfect obedience—the life you and I should have lived—and then went to the cross where God’s wrath was poured out on him—which is the death you and I deserve to die. But Jesus, because he is God and sinless, fully absorbed the wrath of God and rose from the dead. This shows us that if you come to Jesus by placing your trust in him alone for your salvation, then he really is able to rescue you from the death you deserve because of sin.
This good news is not just for unbelievers—it is for us. A rightly ordered church is a church ordered on the gospel and, if it is going to continue to be ordered, it needs shepherds who are transformed by the gospel and declare the Savior from all the Bible.
As we come to the table now, having heard the glorious gospel of Christ with our ears, we get to use our other senses to rejoice in it.
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