Titus 1:1-9 - Elders Minister God’s Promised Word

Titus 1:1-9

Greeting

1 Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness, 2 in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, 3 but has in due time manifested His word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior;

4 To Titus, a true son in our common faith:
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.

Qualified Elders

5 For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you— 6 if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination. 7 For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, 8 but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, 9 holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.

Paul was a special minister of God’s word, the gospel, along with the rest of the twelve as eyewitnesses of Jesus Christ our Savior.  These apostles appointed elders (bishops, overseers) to oversee the continuation of the teaching of the church as Jesus commanded (Matthew 28:20) in the process of making His disciples.  This charge was based on God’s eternal promise and sovereign plan to give certain people the faith to understand and repent of their sinful rebellion against His word and to acknowledge the truth that leads to the godliness found in Christ’s righteousness and not our own.  We agree with God that our calling is based on the Son’s work and righteousness and receive Him and His word worked for us by faith as we trust in Him alone and not our efforts to earn salvation or a place with our God in heaven.  This message of hope is the good news of God’s grace in Christ which had been laid out before time and the universe of all creation was started.  It has now been revealed and the mystery of Christ in us (Colossians 1:27) is told through preaching and teaching by those who are gifted to do so, first the prophets of old, then the apostles commanded to explain it all by the Savior, and now overseers as under-shepherds appointed in local churches to continue teaching the established truths unveiled to us through them.  This is done with the hope of promised eternal life in and with our Lord Jesus Christ the Son and our Father in heaven as testified to us by the presence and witness of His Spirit now living in every saint of God, each made holy in Christ as chosen and called to do and to be in His holiness which we are unable to work our way to obtain apart from Him.  Such was the testimony of Paul to Titus here who was reminded of these foundational truths and given grace, mercy, and peace with God in our Father and in the Lord Jesus the Christ who saves us from the wrath of God (1 Thessalonians 1:10) on sin to come at the day of final judgment on the world who reject Him and His gospel (John 12:48, 2 Thessalonians 1:8-10).  For this reason, it is written, we are to be appointing overseers to keep the flock in order to follow Christ as we are called to, but with wisely chosen men of tested and proven faith who are able to serve the Lord and the sheep wisely and faithfully.  These servant qualities and qualifications are measures of comprehending the teachings of Christ by application in their own lives that they may be good stewards of the word over the flock and able to guide them into the guiding and corrective principles of the word of God as in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and other places, especially when the young converts argue against the principles of scripture.  This means these elders need a firm grasp of God’s word to teach them with patience, humility, and authority.  May all who are so called be faithful and hold fast to the doctrine of Christ and may all under their guidance take heed and willingly submit to the word of God as ministered to them with honor and obedience (Hebrews 13:7-9, 17, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13, 1 Timothy 5:17) as the scriptures tell us.  Remember that these elders are shepherds given to guide and protect us (Acts 20:28, 1 Peter 5:1-2) as they minister God’s word faithfully to us. Elders are appointed over us in the church to Minister God’s Promised Word for our good and Gods glory.  May we follow Him in them together.