[:en]SCRIPTURE: TITUS 1
“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.” (Titus 1:6)
“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. Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined” (Titus 1:7-8)
Titus was a Greek who had traveled with Paul as his special assistant. He became leader of the church at Crete. Paul wrote this letter to give instructions to Titus so that he could teach the truth of God and become a good leader of the church. Paul wrote this letter stating the qualifications and duties of elders and urged him to organize the local church and deal with the false teachers.
Paul’s instructions to Titus:
- Preach His Word (v. 3) – The people in Crete was abusing the grace of God. They thought that since God had saved them by grace, so they were free to commit sin. Paul explained that grace save us and sanctifies us to live godly lives. True faith in Christ means godliness and holiness in one’s life.
- Organize the church (v. 5) – Paul instructed him to select the elders with the following qualifications – husband of one wife, blameless, not overbearing, not quick tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. He must be hospitable, self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold fast to the faithful Word, be able to minister to the saints.
- Refute the false teachers (v. 13) – Some people in Crete taught legalism (Jewish myths), traditionalism (commandment of men), and ascetism (dietary laws). They mixed laws with grace that ended up with false doctrines. Their motive was to gain money. So Paul told Titus to rebuke them sharply.
LESSON:
The message of grace is faith with godliness. Holy life should always follow when a person is truly saved by grace.
When problems arise in church, we should face them honestly and prayerfully settle them according to the Word of God. The pastors or elders must be “spiritual physicians” to repair and set it straight. They must possess the qualifications set forth, be able to minister and refute the false teachers. We must never compromise truth so that “sound doctrine” and “sound faith” can be preserved.
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