A Study Of The Book Of Titus.
Lesson 4 Chapter 1:6 – 7
By Pastor Randy Johnson
- Verse 6 “If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.”
- Titus was left on the Island of Crete for a purpose and that purpose was to make sure the church were conducting business and services in proper order.
a. The first order of having a proper church instituted is having a qualified Pastor. Not just anyone is a Qualified Pastor.
b. A qualified Pastor is not a perfect man but one that holds himself above voluntary sinfulness.
c. Pastors will never be perfect nor will they forever remain faithful to their biblical charge, but it is up to a church as to how much they will allow.
d. Each church is sovereign in selecting and maintaining their Pastor when a church agrees enough is enough then a change must be made. No outside church has the authority to influence another church from acting on a Pastor.
e. But this point must be boldly reiterated no man is above sin and no man perfectly fits this bill as described.
- “If any be blameless…” this word means – unaccused – that is of any crime or of any charge. The Pastor is the leader of the church and has the greatest influence on the church but he also has the greatest microscope on him.
- “…the husband of one wife” this is one of the most abused pieces of scripture that exist in the scriptures as far as Pastors are concerned.
a. The scripture is not absolutely completely clear on its meaning and leaves a lot for the imagination.
b. What is the meaning of the words “the husband of one wife” one living wife, one wife in a life time, one wife at a time, or etc, etc. This is a requirement that must be independently defined. For any one to say absolutely it carries their line of thinking is wrong.
c. I believe it deals with polygamy; I believe that things changed from the Old Testament to the New Testament and what we know as polygamy is unscriptural in the New Testament.
d. I believe that a Pastor is only allowed to have one single wife at a time. I do not believe it deals with divorce at all.
e. We can argue this point to we all fall over dead with exhaustion and still not settle the issue.
f. However it does amaze me at the amount of energy put into this one single point. How about we put that energy into the first point “If any be blameless…” and say that any Pastor who sins at all is unqualified to continue as Pastor?
g. I believe that some Pastors think to highly of themselves.
- “…having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.”
a. The word “riot” means – unsavedness – and the word “unruly” means – unsubdued – A Pastors children are not always saved and therefore some live for years and even grow up as unsaved but even in their unsaved condition and as long as they live under the Pastors roof that are to live as upstanding citizens.
b. This is a test for a Pastor’s qualification to control a body.
c. A Pastors child often refuse to see that their unruly life is harmful to their Pastor Father just as often an unruly church member fails to see that their unruliness hurts the church. Proverbs 28:7 “Whoso keepeth the law is a wise son: but he that is a companion of riotous men shameth his father.”
- Verse 7 “For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;”
- “For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God…” A “bishop” is a Pastor period it is nothing more or less.
a. The word itself means - Christian officer in general charge of a church or overseer – there is one overseer and that is the Pastor. They are the chief officer in the sovereign local body.
b. The word “steward” means - the manager of a household – one simply cannot manage the house of God it they are not blameless. 1 Corinthians 4:1 - 2 "Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. (2.) Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful."
- “…not selfwilled…” This means - self pleasing, that is, arrogant – one who leads and cares for the needs of others cannot think about himself first.
a. John Gill said: “not doing things in the worship and house of God, in the ministry of the word, and administration of ordinances, according to his own will, but according to the will of God, revealed in his word.”
b. 2 Peter 2:10 "But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities."
- “…not soon angry…” means – not one who angers quickly – how can one properly teach if he is quick to anger.
- “…not given to wine…” – This means – not staying near wine – or not to be a social drinker of wine. Wine is not forbidden in the scriptures but for a Pastor it is not good to be seen in public drinking wine.
- “…no striker…” – means - a smiter or through the idea of flattening out, to pound – this to me means one who hits another or a physical fighter. 2 Timothy 2:24 - 26 "And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, (25.) In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; (26.) And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
- “…not given to filthy lucre…” - means – a lover of money - Isaiah 56:10 - 11 "His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. (11.) Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter." - 1 Peter 5:2 “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;”
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