Titus 1:1-9 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is Titus 1:1-9. Let’s go!
Titus 1:1 (NIV)
1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness—
On verse 1: God’s truth is not just something God wants you to know for the sake of gaining more knowledge or for mere academic reasons. Rather, knowing God’s truth is meant to lead to godliness. God’s truth is not just informational; it’s transformational. It is there not just to inform you, but to transform your heart, your mind and your behavior, to make you more like Christ.
Titus 1:2 (NIV)
2 a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time,
On verse 2: God’s intention has always been that we His creation would experience the hope of eternal life. So before the beginning of time, Paul says, God made a promise to make eternal life available to humankind. Also in this verse Paul affirms that God does not lie; in other words, you can count on God to tell the truth and to keep His promises.
Titus 1:3 (NIV)
3 and at his appointed season he brought his word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior,
On verse 3: Paul clearly and confidently believes that God entrusted him with an important ministry to preach God’s Word to others. Notice that he calls God “our Saviour”. Our God is a saving God; He’s not out there to condemn us, but to save us.
Titus 1:4 (NIV)
4 To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
On verse 4: One of the great blessings of trusting in Jesus is that you become part of a bigger body of believers, some of whom – by virtue of their leadership role in our lives – become like parents to us in the faith. Such was the relationship between Paul and Titus, as Paul calls Titus “my true son in our common faith”. Paul and Titus are experiencing the truth of Jesus’ promise in Luke 18:29-30 that “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.”
What can we learn from this? Thank God for those who are like spiritual parents to us, for God has used them to lead us to Himself. Also, God wants to use you to lead others to Jesus, to have your own children in the faith who discover Jesus by watching you and learning from you.
Titus 1:5 (NIV)
5 The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.
On verse 5: One of the big assignments Paul gave Titus was to appoint church leaders for every town in Crete. From this verse and the verses that follow we can see that Paul placed a huge emphasis on picking good quality leaders, and rightly so, for nothing affects the health, growth, and direction of a church more than the quality of its leadership. Picking the right leaders is a hugely important task and should never be done carelessly. Notice also that Paul’s model for picking leaders was for those leaders to be appointed by a more senior leader after prayerful and thoughtful consideration, not voted into office by the members. This model for choosing leaders for God’s people is found throughout Scripture.
Titus 1:6 (NIV)
6 An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.
On verse 6: Paul now begins to list characteristics that a person must have in order to be considered for senior church leadership. Paul begins by saying that an elder (i.e. a senior leader in the church) must “be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient”. In other words, a church leader’s ministry begins at home. If a Christian does not lead their home and family well, that Christian is not fit to lead God’s family, the church. This is consistent with Paul’s instructions to Timothy when Paul says “If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?” (1 Timothy 3:5) Since you are called to serve and to lead in your own way in God’s kingdom, always remember that your ministry begins at home. When you love, lead and serve those in your home with excellence, it is training for learning to love, lead and serve people in God’s house, the church.
Titus 1:7 (NIV)
7 Since an overseer is entrusted with God’s work, he must be blameless–not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain.
On verse 7: This is the second time that Paul uses the word “blameless” to describe what a senior church leader should be like. By “blameless” Paul in particular means that a senior church leader must not be overbearing, quick-tempered, given to drunkenness, violent or pursuing dishonest gain. Do you struggle in any of these 5 areas? Are you overbearing, quick-tempered, prone to drunkenness or violence, or pursuing dishonest gain? Since we are all called to serve God, may we seek to be blameless and self-controlled in all these 5 areas.
Titus 1:8 (NIV)
8 Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.
On verse 8: After identifying 5 traits a church leader must NOT have (not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain), Paul goes on to identify 7 traits a church leader must have. Do these 7 traits describe you? Would those who deal with you describe you as hospitable, a lover of what is good, self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined? No matter how talented, experienced, or knowledgeable a person is, it is their character – not their talent, experience or knowledge – that will ultimately determine the quality of their leadership. So when looking for a leader, focus more on character than on talent, experience or knowledge.
Titus 1:9 (NIV)
9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.
On verse 9: Paul adds that a church leader must also hold firmly to the Gospel message. In other words, what they believe – their doctrine — must be in line with God’s Word. If a person’s beliefs are not in line with God’s Word, then no matter how strong they are in other areas, the direction they are heading in is not the direction God wants His church to be heading in, and there is no point considering that person any further for leadership in the church. For there will be disunity and division at a foundational level from the very beginning of that relationship. Our character – how we behave – determines the quality of our leadership. Our doctrine – what we believe – determines the direction of our leadership.
Heavenly Father, thank You for showing us in Your Word what You expect to see from those who lead in Your church. Thank You for teaching me today that my ministry begins at home. May I be one who displays all the traits that a church leader must have, so that whether at home or outside the home, I can serve Your people well, be an encouraging example for others and please You with my life. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
