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— 6 if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. 7 For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, 8 but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. 9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. – Titus 1:5-9 ESV
One of the first things Titus was to focus on was appointing elders for the local churches in Crete. As Paul’s letter will shortly disclose, disorder and doctrinal disruption plagued the believers on the island. Paul will describe those causing these problems as “rebellious people who engage in useless talk and deceive others” (Titus 1:10 NLT). He will accuse them of “turning whole families away from the truth by their false teaching” (Titus 1:11 NLT). To make matters worse, they were doing so for financial gain. That’s why Paul reminds Titus that he has been left in Crete to “complete our work there and appoint elders in each town as I instructed you” (Titus 1:5 NLT).
Paul gave Titus a two-part commission. His first priority was to put in order, or complete, what was lacking or left undone. Some issues in the church needed to be addressed, and Paul spends much of his letter explaining exactly what they were. But the second part of Titus’ commission was the task of appointing elders, and Paul knew Titus would need help. A big reason for the lack of order was the void of qualified leaders. If any organization lacks reputable, responsible leadership, someone will rise to fill the void, and those who step into a leadership vacuum will use their power and influence to take charge. Evidently, that was exactly what was happening on Crete.
So Paul told Titus to address the problem by appointing men to help him lead the local body of believers. The responsibilities were too great for one man to handle alone, but Paul insisted that Titus was not to settle for second best. Those Titus appointed to lead the church had to meet certain qualifications to even be considered.
But Paul’s description of the qualifications has everything to do with character and little to do with biblical knowledge, academic aptitude, business savvy, or even leadership skills. Instead, Paul mentions qualities and characteristics visible to all who knew these men. Titus was to look for outward evidence of an inward transformation that had taken place in these men's lives because of their relationship with Christ and their knowledge of the Word of God.
Each of them was to have “a strong belief in the trustworthy message he was taught,” so that he might “be able to encourage others with wholesome teaching and show those who oppose it where they are wrong.” (Titus 1:9 NLT). In other words, they had to know the truth of the gospel and the realities of God and His redemptive plan for man. That was the only way they could refute falsehood and defend the good news from attack. Men with worldly leadership qualities would be insufficient because they would be engaged in spiritual warfare.
Paul appears to contrast the character of these future church leaders with those who were doing harm to the church. Those who would lead the body of Christ had to be men who were above reproach or blameless, but this doesn’t suggest perfection or sinlessness. The Greek word Paul used is anegklētos, and it conveys the idea that these men were to have no glaring character flaws. They were not to live in a way that would cause people to point fingers in accusation, harming the reputation of the church.
They were to be loving husbands with reputations for faithfulness. They were to be fathers who had proven themselves capable leaders at home, with believing children who modeled lives of moral integrity and obedience. This suggests that Paul was recommending that Titus look for older men with children who had been in Christ long enough to demonstrate godly character.
Paul went on to say that an elder candidate “must not be arrogant or quick-tempered; he must not be a heavy drinker, violent, or dishonest with money” (Titus 1:7 NLT). Instead, he was to “enjoy having guests in his home, and he must love what is good. He must live wisely and be just. He must live a devout and disciplined life” (Titus 1:8 NLT).
It’s interesting to note that Paul was so specific in his list of qualifying character traits and went out of his way to list disqualifying characteristics as well. Arrogance, anger, greed, violence, and alcohol abuse would all be huge detriments to godly leadership. They were outward signs of someone under the control of the flesh, not the Spirit. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul provides an even more detailed list of characteristics that mark someone living according to their sinful nature.
…sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these… – Galatians 5:19-21 NLT
A man who is controlled by his own flesh will make a poor leader; he will be disruptive and, potentially, destructive. The church on Crete already had enough negative influences affecting it, so Titus needed to find godly men whose lives reflected their reliance on the Spirit’s control. He would need help to deal with the disorder and negative moral influences within the churches on Crete. He couldn’t handle it on his own, so Paul encouraged him to find the right kind of men to lovingly lead the flock of God, provide much-needed discipline, and model the character of Christ for all those around them.
One of the main qualifications these men were to have was a love for the gospel. Paul tells Titus that each of them “must have a strong belief in the trustworthy message he was taught” (Titus 1:9 NLT). They were to remain committed to the good news that had transformed their lives: the message of salvation through grace alone, by faith alone, in Christ alone.
But there were those in Crete who were preaching a different message, something Paul labels a false gospel. In their version of the gospel, Jesus was not enough. Some of these purveyors of a false gospel were promoting the need for Gentiles to be circumcised. Paul refers to them as members of the “circumcision party.” These were Jews who had come to faith in Christ and believed salvation was available only to those who followed the Mosaic Law and adhered to the rite of circumcision. Paul will remind Titus that people were “listening to Jewish myths and the commands of people who have turned away from the truth” (Titus 1:14 NLT).
The men Titus chose to assist him in leading the church had to be committed to the truth of the gospel message; they were not to accept or tolerate alternative versions. As shepherds of God’s flock, they were to refute all false gospels and destructive heresies. These men were not to function as a board of directors or view themselves as figureheads or members of an ad hoc advisory board for Titus. They were called to be overseers, shepherds, and pastors of the flock of Jesus Christ who were godly in character and bold in their witness.
Paul had a strong view of eldership because he knew these men were indispensable to the church's spiritual well-being. That is why he told the elders in Ephesus: “So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders” (Acts 20:28 NLT).
We live in an ungodly world, and there is an ongoing need for godly men to step forward and provide leadership and protection for God's flock. The church needs men of character who are led by the Spirit of God and committed to the Word of God. Disorder and disruption are all around us, and that’s why qualified men are in great need, even today.
Father, godly leadership is still in high demand today. The attacks on the gospel have not ceased, they have only grown more intense. But You made provision for the battle. You have provided the church with apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers whose responsibility is to equip Your people to do Your work and build up the church, the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-12) The leaders are there, but we must search for them. However, the temptation is to look for those who meet the worldly criteria for leadership. We tend to choose those who are successful and charismatic. We gravitate toward the natural-born leader who has demonstrated his abilities in the business world. But while we fixate on outward appearance, You look at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). You choose those whose hearts are in line with Your own. They may not look like leaders to the world, but because they share Your heart, they will be hospitable, lovers of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined (Titus 1:8). Those are the kind of men You provide and we need. So, help us raise our expectations and look for those You have already provided. They are already in place; we just need to find them. Amen.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.