You can see this week’s passage in Titus 1:5-6:

After a greeting that is typical for Paul, he jumps straight into his reasons for writing Titus. The first and foremost reason is so that Titus can continue the work that Paul began and appoint elders in the churches there.

The letter to Titus can be broken into three sections: Godliness when it comes to church leaders, godliness when it comes to church life, and godliness in the life of the individual believer. Paul begins with the leadership.

He states that this is one of the prime purposes for which he left Titus behind. This suggests that Paul was there himself, working to build the church on Crete. Paul was, in fact, on the island of Crete at one point, according to Acts 27:7-8. But these events don’t necessarily fit that timeline too well. An additional visit, after Paul was released from prison in Rome, however, is likely.

Titus’ purpose for staying in Crete is to set things in order. This is actually a medical term, referring to the straightening of misshapen limbs. The idea that Paul is communicating here is that Titus must set things straight, things left unfinished when Paul had to leave for whatever reason.

Exactly what needed to be set in order is unclear, but the church in Crete was a new one, so solid teaching on doctrine and godly living were probably a part of this. The one thing we do know is that Titus was to appoint elders who could lead the churches here.

It is wise to keep in mind that setting things in order doesn’t necessarily mean that things were going wrong, or that serious problems needed to be addressed. It is more of an instruction to Titus to help these churches get established on a solid footing, so their effectiveness would grow and spread.

The task that will help Titus accomplish this is to appoint elders in every town, presumably every town that had a fledgling congregation. Paul’s list of characteristics for the elder are a bit different here than in his letters to Timothy.

An elder must be blameless

This word is essentially the same as the one used in 1 Timothy 3:2 and 3:10, which means “above reproach.” In other words, any man who is an elder should be a man against whom no charge can be made. His character must be full of integrity.

An elder must be the husband of but one wife

Just as in 1 Timothy 3:2, the elder must be blameless in his family life. His commitment to his wife must be of primary importance. Paul’s comments to Titus are a bit ambiguous, almost as if he were saying “if a man is married…” However, his letters to Timothy carry more weight, and expect an elder to be a married man, as most of the potential elders were likely to be.

Just as in 1 Timothy, Paul isn’t addressing the concept of divorce here. He is more focused on the idea of the elder being a “one woman man.” His focus and commitment to his wife and family are of paramount importance.

An elder must be a man whose children believe

Next, Paul addresses the rest of the family. The children of the potential elder must be believers as well. Most likely, these children would be grown, probably having families of their own. Children who were still pagan would be a detriment to a new elder. His loyalties might be divided, preventing him from serving as well as he ought.

His children must be faithful. His leadership of his home in Christian values and godliness demonstrate his ability to lead in the church.

However, if his kids are wild and disobedient, his leadership in the home might be questioned. The word “wild” carries the idea of loose living, a self-indulgent lifestyle. This could be aptly described as the lifestyle of the younger son in the parable Jesus told of the prodigal son in Luke 15. In Ephesians 5:18, the same word is translated as “drunkenness.”

The word “disobedient” indicates that his lifestyle is out of line with the Christian values of his father. This is the idea of rebellion, and an unwillingness to submit to God’s law (1 Timothy 1:9).

The main point of these first qualifications is that an elder must be expected to lead his household in the things of God. They are expected to be good husbands. They are expected to be good fathers. However, Paul is not asking any more here of the man who might be an elder that he would ask of any man who is a Christian. Each of us is called to be a good husband and father, if that is our station in life.

The home is the best place to train our children to live the life of faith, growing in Christ, becoming the leaders of the church for the next generation.

The post Memorize Scripture: Titus 1:5-6 appeared first on JeffRandleman.com.