Click ⟳    |    Please refresh this document to insure the latest copy. Note, the Firefox browser does not reliably give an updated copy. One may try the “F5” key as well to request a fresh copy from the web-server.

October 16, 2022
The Order Of Truth
Titus 1:5-16

• Title: The Order Of Truth
• “Truth” is found 93 times in the ESV translation in 22 books of the NT. All Christians are instructed to stand for God’s truth, even when it is difficult. God has given many spiritual gifts in the church to help the Church thrive in truth. Prophecy, teaching, exhortation, wisdom knowledge, faith, interpretation of tongues, shepherding, governing all must contain and facilitate truth.
• In the first century, God placed an apostolic representative, Titus, to facilitate the placement of truth leaders in Crete.
• Our passage today will remind us of the importance of truth in the church.

5 This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—

• Paul gets to one of the main purposes of his letter to Titus: order was needed in the churches.
• It is unclear if the disorder was from simply new church plants, continuing new-church issues from growth, or from disorder resulting from the sinfulness or a lack of Christian understanding in the church’s members.
  • No matter what the source of the disorder, Paul gave clear instructions on how to fix it: leadership.
• Paul knew that God had always placed leaders over people for it is necessary. Therefore Paul delegated the task of appointing elders to Titus.
  • elders = πρεσβύτερος (presbyteros, pres-boo’-ter-os) = of age; where two persons are spoken of, the elder …; advanced in life, an elder, a senior … (LSJ)
• Notice the phrase “in every town.” Remember both Timothy and Titus were apostolic delegates of Paul, not local pastors. (cf. Utely) COMMENT
• Both Titus and Timothy were agents of the apostle Paul with apostolic authority were in positions of authority over the other local Christians, including the elders. (Constable)

Church Governments

• Plural-Elder Led Congregation
  • Bible churches, many Baptist churches (in some the deacons function as elders), Some Reform churches.
• Presbyterian Government
  • Presbyterian churches and some Reform churches
  • "…in a regional setting where the churches work together through their elders to oversee the churches; and in a national way where there is the gradiation of church courts."^1.b
• Congregational Government
  • Most Baptist churches
• Episcopal Government
  • “Orthodox [Greek] Church, the Roman Church, the Church of England, Anglican, the Lutheran Church, the Methodist Church…” ^1.a
  • Leadership from Bishops
  • Regional and national groupings have responsibility for oversight.
• Pastor led
  • Charismatic churches, some Pentecostal, church plants
• What is the NT example? What we see in the first century was at least a plurality of elders in the churches (deacons if necessary), under apostolic accountability to a degree, under Jerusalem council accountability to a degree (Acts 15).

Before we move on to the qualification of the church’s leaders, let’s take a note of a few things:

• Something stands our in Titus: the book does not includes deacon qualifications as we find in 1 Timothy 3 for Timothy.
  • I think it is obvious that the churches sizes did not warrant them at the time Paul wrote to Titus.
• Another note on these qualification is that they are what a mature Christian looks like too. They are the biblical standards for Christian maturity.
• Another point here, I agree in part with Utley, about his experience with western churches …
  • … “they proof-text one or more of these qualifications, but ignore or depreciate others.”
  • Also that “they add to these guidelines and claim biblical authority for the additions.”
  • Furthermore that “they take ambiguous phrases and turn them into dogmatic rules that universally apply.” (Utley)
• “The following qualifications look to find stability by ensuring acceptability with believers and unbelievers.” (Utley)

Let now move on to Paul’s 17 qualifications for an elder.

• We see social and domestic elder qualifications starting in verse 6 if anyone is above reproach,
  • above reproach = ἀνέγκλητος = cannot be called to account, unaccused (LSJ)
  • doesn’t mean perfect—no such thing.
  • “above reproach” … means that he should possess no regularly observable flaw in his character or conduct.
  • “an elder should be a person that no one can legitimately criticize for the way that he lives. He should be free of guilt even though he might be accused of something inappropriate or sinful.” (Constable in his 1 Timothy 3 commentary)
• 6b the husband of one wife,
  • This phrase has caused much discussion. I have an article on the website that goes into more details to the “one wife” debate.
  • Some say it means …
    1. … no divorce or widowers.
    2. … a man must be faithful and attentive to his wife and family.
    3. … a man who only has “eyes” for his wife. “One” = “one” (1)
    4. … a man must be married.
    5. … no polygamists.
       • I was taught that having multiple wives was not a practice in the First Century. But Utley wrote that there was a possibility of it. Constable cites Barclay who wrote, polygamy was practiced in all three cultures of the first century, Roman, Greek and Jewish.² The testimony is conflicting regarding the case of the Roman and Greek culture. (Concubines were another story altogether.)
       • But in the case of the Jewish culture it is more clear. Generally polygamy was allowed, but often cautioned against. The Tamud allowed the Jews to have numerous wives. It reads, "… a man may marry several women in addition to his first wife, and there is nothing wrong with this practice as long as he has enough to support them all."³
       • “Justin Martyr who was born in 100 AD rebuked the Jews of his day when he rebuffed them for being allowed to quote: “have four or five wives,” (Chapter 134) and he said this was the practice quote in "all the earth” (Chapter 141). (In Dialogue with Trypho)
       • Polygamy "was not … formally forbidden among Jews until circa 1000 AD.” (ISBE, “Marriage”)
  • … means he must presently be a moral husband at least.[36] (Constable)
• and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination.
  • children are believers
  • kids are not open to debauchery = ἀσωτία = life of riotous and drunken behavior; depravity, licentiousness (LSJ)
  • kids are not insubordination = disobedient; refusing to listen to and obey their parents.
  • My experience: the strongest families that raise godly kids have parents that live Christ in front of the children.
  • There is no grantee here. Parents can do a wonderful job and the kid can still be rotten!
  • Nevertheless it is a requirement.

Verse 7 For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach.

• The term “elders” (which we saw earlier) is synonymous with “overseers” (what we see here).
  • Utley took note that term “elder” has a Jewish background, while “overseer” has a Greek city-state political-administrative background.
  • overseer = bishop = many definitions: one who watches over; guardian of the mind; scout; supervisor, inspector; superintendent.
• We also we another title for the elder which gives powerful insight into their role: God’s steward = the manager of household; the superintendent of the city’s finances (Thayer)
  • Elders are managers of what they have been entrusted with. They don’t make things us. They relay what the boss has said. The Boss of the universe.
  • APPLICATION: We are all just managers of what God has entrusted us with.

We see personal qualifications start in verse that keeps an elder from reproach:

• Verse 7b He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered
  • arrogant = self-willed, stubborn (today: prideful)
  • quick-tempered.
• or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain,
• 8 but hospitable [generous to guests],
  • Hospitable contrasted with greed
  • Proverbs 23:6-7, Do not eat the bread of a man who is stingy; do not desire his delicacies, for he is like one who is inwardly calculating. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.
• 8b a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. COMMENT
  • The negative ones seem easy.
  • The positive more difficult.

Barclay summed these qualifications up well when he wrote, “The result of faith and knowledge must be a truly religious life. Faith must always issue in life and Christian knowledge is not merely intellectual knowledge but knowledge how to live. Many people have been great scholars and yet completely inefficient in the ordinary things of life and total failures in their personal relationships. A truly religious life is one in which a man is on the right terms with God, with himself and with his fellow-men. It is a life in which a man can cope alike with the great moments and the everyday duties.”

Paul takes writes the doctrinal qualifications beginning in verse 9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word…

• Hold firm to the trustworthy word COMMENT
  • He has experience with the Bible’s truths in his life; he trusts God’s word in reality not in theory. COMMENT
  • In other words, someone who does not apply the Bible cannot teach the Bible.
• Look at verse 9b “as taught”
  • Able to endure cultural pressure to change to worldly standards.
  • Job one for the leader and Christian: tow God’s standard in life.

ILLUSTRATION

• Small group leader
  • “Do our own thing.”
  • Teaching something that confuses people.

APPLICATION

• I have two application points in this section of Scripture
• #1 Our lives must prove to us the trustworthiness of the Bible before we can prove it to others.
  • He must apply the Bible
  • Godly character must be a part of any leader’s life. Application is paramount!
  • If there is no application then they are disqualified to teach others.
• #2 Leadership is important to us all.
  • In the Church, no one is an island unto themselves: plurality of elders.

TRANSITION

Now that we see that Paul explained the leadership requirements to Titus, let’s now turn our attention to the purpose of the resume’. Look at verse 9b.

9b, so that [we see purpose here] he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

• Purpose #1: instruction in sound doctrine = accurate doctrine.
  • Non- dogmatic docrine vs. dogmatic truths
    • Most of the Bible is dogmatic
• Purpose #2: rebuke those who contradict it.
  • He knows what the Bible says and what it means.
  • He is able to handle challenges of the ignorant and the enemies of the truth alike.

Notes

^1.a Embraced by Truth. FORMS OF CHURCH GOVERNMENT. http://embracedbytruth.com/Church/Church Government/Forms of Church Government.htm

^1.b Luca, Sean. “What is the Biblical Model of Church Government?” 2017, RTS, https://rts.edu/resources/biblical-model-church-government/.

² “Regarding the Roman World, the World Encyclopedia recorded, “Childlessness was considered a great misfortune and a man could take a second wife if the bride proved infertile.” Furthermore, I man could have unlimited concubines if he could support them.” From Mark, Joshua J. “Love, Sex, and Marriage in Ancient Mesopotamia.” Published 16 May 2014, https://www.worldhistory.org/article/688/love-sex-and-marriage-in-ancient-mesopotamia/. See also “A Brief Look At The Different Types Of Marriage In Ancient Rome,” https://medium.com/lessons-from-history/a-brief-look-at-the-different-types-of-marriage-in-ancient-rome-6d4f6a01df5f.

³ The Talmud. “Yevamot 65a.” https://www.sefaria.org/Yevamot.65a.1?lang=bi

⁴ “The Cretan poet that Paul quoted was Epimenides, who lived in the sixth century B.C., and was regarded by his contemporaries as a prophet, a great religious reformer, and a predicter, as well as a poet.”[57] (Lock, p. 134 in Constable)

⁵ See “Mishnah.” Jewish Virtual Library, https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/mishnah. Cf. “Mishnah.” Jewish History, https://www.jewishhistory.org/the-mishnah/.

Bibliography and Works Cited

• NOTE: Please click here to access the web-page for all of the works cited—save those above in “Note(s)” (if any) and those below under the “Other Works Cited” (if any). Most of the works cited on the web-page correspond to the verses they are outlined with. In the case of background information and other general reference citations, one will find cited material with the Bible books the citations are associated with.
• Scripture quotations [unless otherwise noted] are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

⁶