Titus, verse-by-verse

Session 2 | Titus 1:6-13

Titus 1:5-9 | Paul's Instruction to Titus Concerning the Stewardship of the Gospel

• Verse 5 -- Green Letter (see session 1)

• Verse 6 -- Blue Letter In the task of appointing elders in every city, believers should search out men who are blameless (which we will discuss in verse 7). Concerning the family, the elder is to be the husband of one wife. I do not think this requires marriage nor prohibits remarriage after widowhood, but rather speaks to the honor of marriage that must be given to the one who holds the role of elder. Furthermore, they are to have faithful children who are not accused of riot, translated from ἀσωτία [asotia“without salvation," and while this could be the intended meaning the usage of the word appears to be someone who has little restraint. The Greek word translated unruly“not under any authority*." *As in the case of marriage, these words do not prohibit an elder who has no children, nor one whose children are grown, assuming that they were not accused of riot or unruly during the time they were being raised. Note that if you do require marriage for eldership based on husband of one wife then you must also require that the elder currently have faithful children, for the verb having is a present active participle.

• Verse 7 -- Blue Letter Elaborated from verse 6, Paul says that a bishop must be blameless. Since no person is perfect, there are two ways to interpret these two verses.

  • The pastor is to be blameless in marriage and as a steward of God, though not perfect in all areas of life.
  • That the word means something like irreproachable and is further defined by the remaining words of verse 7, not self-willed, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre. These words need little explanation. I personally favor the second option, and view verse 7 as an elaboration on the short instruction concerning blamelessness found in verse 6.

• Verse 8 -- Blue Letter Continuing to describe the individual that should be selected as an elder, Paul says adds six more characteristics:

• A lover of hospitality - literally, one who shows love to strangers. While many pastors are introverts by nature, they must also have a love for reaching out to strangers, giving common courtesies, and showing themselves friendly.

• A lover of good men - the word men is inserted by virtue of the Greek word φιλάγαθος [philagathos“Or, good“a lover of good," but must go with a masculine. So, while the insertion of men“lover of good" and incorrect to put “lover of good things."

• He is to be sober, a word that goes far beyond wisdom with alcoholic beverage to a clarity of thinking.

• He is to be just, using the same word often translated righteous.

• He is to be holy. The Greek ὅσιος [hosios] is different from the typical word hagios and refers to his purity more than his being set apart.

• Finally, he is to be temperate, using the Greek word ἐγκρατής [enkrates“in control."

• Verse 9 -- Blue Letter Concluding his remarks on the elder, he is to be holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught. grammatically, there are two ways to interpret this verse:

• To hold fast the faithful word as he has been taught to do.

• To hold fast the faithful word as it has been taught. “the teaching," with the elder being responsible to some set of doctrine. The second interpretation places “the didache" (the teaching/doctrine) above the word itself, and thus must be rejected. The elder should be taught how to hold **fast the faithful word and should do so. Sadly, most future pastors today are not taught in matters of hermeneutics (principles of interpretation) and thus hold the word loosely rather than tightly. If the pastor stays with the faithful **word then he will be able to exhort and to convince, which is his goal. His tool will be sound doctrine and his audience (in this case) will be the gainsayers. The word gainsayers is from ἀντιλέγω [antilego“speak against." This verse speaks to the apologetics movement, a movement that attempts to convince the gainsayers using logic rather than sound doctrine. While I appreciate the heart of those in the movement (who are often young adults), I do not support the movement, and would encourage verse-by-verse knowledge of the scriptures and an understanding of them through right dividing. When Bible study leads to sound doctrine then argumentation to exhort and convince both gainsayers and the doubtful will be enhanced.

Titus 1:10-16 | Dealing With Unconvinced Gainsayers

• Verse 10 -- Blue Letter It seems that the many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers“Christian" pastors who were of the circumcision and likely teaching that which was not sound doctrine to the gentiles. These would be like the false brethren of Galatians 2:4. In many ways, the pastorate is filled today with these same men. Though they are not of the circumcision literally, they teach that which is of the circumcision by mixing the Kingdom pattern with the Pauline pattern.
• Verse 11 -- Blue Letter Paul is very clear: their mouths must be stopped. This is done by elders in every city (v. 5) who meet the criteria of verses 6-9, and especially verse 9. When they are not stopped, they subvert whole houses. The word subvert is from ἀνατρέπω [anatrepo], a compound of ana (again) and trope“overthrow" or “turn it on itself." Their teaching is for filthy lucre's sake. These verses sound so much like modern evangelicalism. Those who rightly divide need to work without ceasing to put elders in every city (v. 5) to exhort and to convince the gainsayers (v. 9).
• Verse 12 -- Green Presumably referring to one of these false Christian teachers (likely Judaizers), Paul claims that a prophet of their own said disrespectful things about The Cretians. Titus was living on Crete and assigning elders among the Cretians, so this became relevant information about what these gainsayers really thought about Titus and his neighbors. The statement was that Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. “one of them said to me," rather than implying that one of themselves was the one who originated the saying. The saying itself seems to come from the 6th Century BC poet Epimenides, who was writing in honor of Zeus, saying-- They fashioned a tomb for thee, O holy and high one The Cretans, always liars, evil beasts, idle bellies! But thou art not dead: thou livest and abidest forever...
• Verse 13 -- Green When Paul says, This witness is true“one of them quoted this to me" (see v. 12). If Paul refers to Epimenides himself as one of themselves (v. 12) then he joins in the disrespect for the Cretans and encourages Titus to rebuke them [the Cretans] sharply. This doesn't sound like a great way to exhort and convince (v. 9) with the use of sound doctrine (v. 9). Rather, Paul wants Titus to rebuke the unruly and vain talkers (v. 10) and to do so sharply, that they may be sound in the faith.