Daily Bread 2011 - Titus 1
Titus’s Task on Crete
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. 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. 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. 8 Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 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.
What Does This Mean?
Paul’s teaching to young Titus is similar to the pastoral letter written to Timothy. He uses the similar phrase, “To Titus, my true son in our common faith.” Titus was commissioned by Paul to oversee the churches at Crete. These were young churches, probably house churches, and Titus encounters many of the same problems that Timothy had at Ephesus, though Ephesus is more mature as evidenced by the fact there were already overseers/elders in place.
Specifically, Paul gives Titus qualifications for leaders, much like the qualifications in Timothy, to help him to counter some of the false teachers that had already slipped into the young church. Much like Ephesus, these false teachers were teaching about myths, circumcision and even an overemphasis on outward purity vs. true transformation of the heart. This is why Paul points out in verse 15, “To the pure all things are pure”. Some of these false teachers were advocating an “asceticism” that came from obeying external rules versus being justified by faith in Christ. This is why Paul tells Titus to watch his life and the lives of his co-leaders and also his doctrine!
What Does This Mean For Us?
Building a solid foundation of spiritually mature leaders in a church is of inestimable value. We often focus more on the numerical growth of the church, and yet if there are not leaders who can disciple new believers, we are not ready for growth. We also are reminded again that doctrine matters. It is so easy to slip back into a works-based righteousness. In Crete, as a reaction to gluttony and laziness, they went over to the other side and started a law based purity system.
As Jesus reminded us, it is not what goes into a person that makes him impure, but what comes out of him. What comes out of us is flowing from our heart condition and reflects more of how much God has of us, than what we choose to consume. Many are put off by the church that seems like a bunch of rules and regulations that are designed to take away everybody’s fun. This is not what Jesus taught and we need to stay centered on the true gospel, which is about what God has already done for us in Christ, our hope of glory. As we focus more on what God has done for us and how much He loves us, we naturally start wanting to live a life that gives Him pleasure. Namely this is about reflecting the same love He has given us to those in our spheres of influence.
Father, thank you for your grace that saved a wretch like me/us. Help us all to not get caught back up in a works righteousness, but like Titus to be a model of the freedom we have in Christ to live a life worthy of our calling. Amen.
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. 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. 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. 8 Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 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.
What Does This Mean?
Paul’s teaching to young Titus is similar to the pastoral letter written to Timothy. He uses the similar phrase, “To Titus, my true son in our common faith.” Titus was commissioned by Paul to oversee the churches at Crete. These were young churches, probably house churches, and Titus encounters many of the same problems that Timothy had at Ephesus, though Ephesus is more mature as evidenced by the fact there were already overseers/elders in place.
Specifically, Paul gives Titus qualifications for leaders, much like the qualifications in Timothy, to help him to counter some of the false teachers that had already slipped into the young church. Much like Ephesus, these false teachers were teaching about myths, circumcision and even an overemphasis on outward purity vs. true transformation of the heart. This is why Paul points out in verse 15, “To the pure all things are pure”. Some of these false teachers were advocating an “asceticism” that came from obeying external rules versus being justified by faith in Christ. This is why Paul tells Titus to watch his life and the lives of his co-leaders and also his doctrine!
What Does This Mean For Us?
Building a solid foundation of spiritually mature leaders in a church is of inestimable value. We often focus more on the numerical growth of the church, and yet if there are not leaders who can disciple new believers, we are not ready for growth. We also are reminded again that doctrine matters. It is so easy to slip back into a works-based righteousness. In Crete, as a reaction to gluttony and laziness, they went over to the other side and started a law based purity system.
As Jesus reminded us, it is not what goes into a person that makes him impure, but what comes out of him. What comes out of us is flowing from our heart condition and reflects more of how much God has of us, than what we choose to consume. Many are put off by the church that seems like a bunch of rules and regulations that are designed to take away everybody’s fun. This is not what Jesus taught and we need to stay centered on the true gospel, which is about what God has already done for us in Christ, our hope of glory. As we focus more on what God has done for us and how much He loves us, we naturally start wanting to live a life that gives Him pleasure. Namely this is about reflecting the same love He has given us to those in our spheres of influence.
Father, thank you for your grace that saved a wretch like me/us. Help us all to not get caught back up in a works righteousness, but like Titus to be a model of the freedom we have in Christ to live a life worthy of our calling. Amen.
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