Qualifications Of An Elder

Tit 1:1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ (according to the faith of God's elect, in the acknowledging of the truth which is according to godliness

Tit 1:2 on hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before the eternal times,

Tit 1:3 but revealed His Word in its own times in a proclamation, with which I was entrusted by the command of God our Savior,)

Tit 1:4 to Titus, a true child according to our common faith. Grace mercy and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.

Tit 1:5 For this cause I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed you,

Tit 1:6 if anyone is blameless, husband of one wife, having believing children, not accused of loose behavior, or disobedient.

Tit 1:7 For an overseer must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not full of passion, not given to wine, not quarrelsome, not greedy for ill gain;

Tit 1:8 but hospitable, a lover of good, discreet, just, holy, temperate,

Here Paul is giving the qualifications for the man who aspires to be an elder or pastor in the local church. Why should this concern you?

These qualifications are there so we might see that kind of man that God calls and appoints to lead His people. We find here and in 1st Timothy chapter three that the elder or pastor is a man and he is to be godly.

These qualifications are given so that you might see what kind of leader you are to follow. Also in 1 Timothy we learn that pastors are to set an example for believers “in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” (4:12)

Not only was Titus instructed to appoint elders with godly characteristics, he was instructed to appoint men who would hold fast to Word of God (vs. 9a).

As a Christian man aspiring to be like Jesus Christ you are to “hold fast the faithful Word”…you are to “hold fast sound doctrine.”

* The Bible doesn’t say that Christian men are to hold fast sport statistics.

* It doesn’t say the Christian man aspiring to be like Christ is to hold fast the popular movies and TV shows.

* It doesn’t say that Christian men are to hold fast his “black book” of women’s phone numbers.

The Christian man is to “hold fast the faithful Word; He is to hold fast sound doctrine.” At the end of verse 9 we find two reasons why:

Tit 1:9 “to encourage people and correct those who oppose the Word.”

In verse 10 Paul tells us why this needs to be done:

Tit 1:10 For there are indeed many unruly men, vain talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision

“Unruly” (anupotaktos, an-oo-pot'-ak-tos) – Translated as “rebellious,” “insubordinate,” “disorderly,” “don’t respect authority,” “not ruled by law,”

“Vain talkers” – Speak nonsense; foolish talkers

“Deceivers” – False teachers; mind-deceivers

“Those of the circumcision” – Converts from Judiasm who professed Christianity but blended Moses, Christ, the law and the Gospel together to create a false way of becoming a believer, saying people can be justified by faith AND by keeping the law.

Paul was telling Titus that he needed to appoint some Godly men, men who loved and held fast the faithful Word and sound doctrine, because there were those in the church who needed to be encouraged, even corrected, so that they might fall in line with Scripture.

There were two classes of people that Titus was to be concerned with:

Those who knew the truth but needed encouragement to follow it.

“Exhort/encourage” – parakeleo – to come alongside and support, comfort, pray for, plead with or entreat

Those who were ignorant of, or opposed to, the truth.

“Correct” – rebuke, reprove, convict, convince

Paul goes on in the balance of this chapter to write to Titus about men in the church who needed to be corrected.

Tit 1:11 whose mouth you must stop, who subvert (upset, overthrow) whole houses, teaching things not right for the sake of ill gain (money).

Someone has said, “Follow the money.” When it comes to false teaching and all the stuff that goes on in the church it is either because of sex or money or both.

Here in verse eleven Paul tells Titus that the men that need to be corrected are in it for the money. Could that be what the reality show, Preachers of LA, is all about? Is it all about the money?

In 2 Timothy chapter three Paul addresses this same kind of man. He says they, “Go secretly into houses, making prisoners of foolish women, weighted down with sin, turned from the way by their evil desires.” (vs. 9)