Titus, Part 1: God's Standard for Leadership

Titus 1:1-9 (CSB)

We are starting a new sermon series on the book of Titus. At only three chapters long, it’s a short letter, but it is packed with important instructions.

Today, we’re looking at the first nine verses, where Paul gives us a clear picture of what godly leadership should look like.

Let’s begin by reading the introduction, verses 1-4:

1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness, 

2 in the hope of eternal life that God, who cannot lie, promised before time began. 

3 In his own time he has revealed his word in the preaching with which I was entrusted by the command of God our Savior:

4 To Titus, my true son in our common faith.

Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

Paul wrote this letter to Titus, but really, he wrote it to all the Christians living in Crete. It seems reasonable to assume that Paul knew this letter would be shared and read by more people than just Titus, because as we’ll see, he includes background information that Titus already knew.

But for the sake of all the people who would read this letter, Paul introduces himself. He’s a servant of God and apostle of Jesus Christ. Not an ordinary servant, but according to the Greek, a “doulos” or “bondservant” which is defined as a voluntary, fully devoted servant. That is his identity. And his task is to grow the faith of God’s people. It’s clear that Paul was secure in not only who he was, but what his purpose was.

I think we all have a pretty good grasp on who Paul was, but before we go further in the letter, I want to give some background on Titus, the man whom Paul wrote this letter to. Who was he? Unfortunately, we don’t know very much about him, other than what we can discern from Paul’s letters. But from his other letters, we can piece together part of Titus’ history.

For example, in Galatians 2:3, we learn that Titus was Greek, not Jewish, and that he was not circumcised after he came to faith. That may seem like a minor detail, but it’s actually very significant. Just a verse earlier, in Galatians 2:1, Paul says, “Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along also.”

So that means that Titus was converted sometime before the 14th year after Paul himself was converted, and Paul valued Titus so much he brought him along to meet with the early church leaders in Jerusalem. At that meeting, Titus was a living example that Gentile believers didn’t need to follow the old Jewish ceremonial laws like circumcision or food prohibitions in order to be accepted into the faith.

Titus was more than just a helpful testimony, though, for it seems like he was instrumental to Paul in many ways. Just in 2 Corinthians alone, Paul mentions him eight different times. As one example, in 2 Corinthians 8:23 he says, “As for Titus, he is my partner and coworker for you.”

So while we don’t know exactly where Titus lived or the specifics of how he came to faith, we do know this: it was Paul who led him to Christ. That’s why in Titus 1:4, Paul calls him, “Titus, my true son in our common faith.”

Barnes’ Notes on the Bible points out that, based on 2 Corinthians, Titus spent time with Paul in Ephesus, and Paul even entrusted him to deliver the first letter to the church in Corinth—a huge responsibility, since that church was struggling with major division. Titus was not only the messenger but also the mediator, sent to bring unity and restoration.

Barnes also mentions that Paul’s letter to Titus was likely written around A.D.62, after Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome. He also mentions the scripture shows us that Titus doesn’t stay in Crete but continues to travel, but tradition holds that eventually “he returned to Crete, and preached the gospel there and in the neighbouring islands, and died at the age of 94.”

So, with all that background in mind, let us now turn back to this letter and ask: Why is Titus on the Island of Crete? Paul tells us in verse 5. He says:

5 The reason I left you in Crete was to set right what was left undone and, as I directed you, to appoint elders in every town.

Paul had left Titus in Crete to appoint elders in each town. But what exactly is an elder? Paul uses two words in this letter, and they are interchangeable. He uses the Greek word presbuteros in verse 5, and in verse 7 the Greek word is episkopos, which means “overseer.”

Now, it’s important to understand what these words don’t mean. They don’t refer to a “bishop” in the later liturgical sense of the word, nor does it describe a modern church board member. Barnes explains this clearly when he says, “According to all modern notions of Episcopacy, one such bishop would have been enough for such an island as Crete…But if these were not prelates who were to be ordained by Titus, then it is clear that the term ‘bishop’ in the New Testament is given to the Presbyters or elders; that is, to all ministers of the gospel. That usage should never have been departed from.”

So, Barnes is pointing out that the terms Paul uses are to be understood as a “minister of the Gospel.” In other words, a pastor.

And then Paul gives Titus a reminder of what he is looking for in these candidates. He says in verse 6:

6 An elder must be blameless, the husband of one wife, with faithful children who are not accused of wildness or rebellion. 

First off, is Paul saying that only men can be elders? Does this mean that a pastor, as we should more accurately call this position, must be a man? The answer to this is highly contested, but I don’t think it’s as complicated as it’s often made.

As with all Bible verses, we must look at the context and at the broader Biblical witness, which shows us clearly that God calls not just men, but also women, to lead and teach His people. While Paul assumes a male candidate due to his cultural setting, the broader biblical witness—including examples of women leaders like Priscilla, Phoebe, and Junia—shows that God calls both men and women to lead and teach His people. We also must remember that the New Testament contains the profound truth found in Galatians 3:28, where Paul declares: “There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Only with all of Scripture in mind, can we look at what Paul is saying and understand it accurately.

Proof that we must read this verse carefully is seen in the problems that arise if we take this verse at face value. If we do that, then all “elders” must be married with children. Well, that can’t be correct because that would disqualify Paul, for he was never married. Obviously, we need to think deeper about this verse.

As we think deeper, we will see that over time, this verse has been changed to fit our culture, but as it has done that, it has lost its meaning. Nowadays, most people read this and think it means that an elder must be male and not a polygamist, end of story. But when they reduce it to that meaning, they’ve thrown out the part about children needing to be believers, and they’ve narrowed the marriage part to only mean polygamy. But in Paul’s time and place, polygamy was very uncommon. It wouldn’t make much sense for him to talk about polygamy, so what is he actually saying?  

First, let’s look at this verse in the Greek. It reads: “if anyone is blameless, of one wife the husband, having believing children, not under accusation of debauchery, or insubordinate.”

“If anyone is blameless,” or “above reproach,” as the Greek word is also defined, means that this person must not be accused of living inappropriately. They need to be “above board,” so to speak. Right off the bat, that’s going to disqualify a lot of people, don’t you think? It makes me think of Proverbs 20:11, which says, “Even a young man is known by his actions — by whether his behavior is pure and upright.” So, an elder can’t be someone with a bad reputation.

Next, looking at the marriage clause—the husband of one wife—we will see that Paul was not speaking about polygamy.

Scholar Marg Mowczko has an excellent article explaining what early church writers like Tertullian and Justin Martyr understood this phrase to mean. She notes, “The overwhelming evidence from surviving Christian texts is that the early church understood ‘husband of one wife/ wife of one husband’ idiomatically to mean ‘married only once in one’s lifetime.’”

So, while this phrase is translated as “husband of one wife,” Paul is actually saying that a person, if married, must have been “married only once.”

That certainly changes things a bit, doesn’t it?

For a deeper dive on this, you can find Marg’s full study at https://margmowczko.com/husband-of-one-wife-early-texts/. She also explores in great detail the case for women serving as pastors. It’s excellent.

But putting aside the reasons why women can serve as elders or pastors, let’s just ask this: Is the Church today following Paul’s directive that an elder—or pastor—should be married only once?

I can almost hear the objections, can’t you?

Some people might argue that the New Testament gives guidelines on divorce and it never prohibits remarriage after the death of a spouse. And they would be correct.

However, those guidelines are for the general life of believers, not the specific qualifications for leaders. What Paul is describing is a higher standard. This list contains the extra requirements for these specific positions of leadership. I think the Church would be wise to reexamine this qualification. As we’ve drifted from the Bible’s teaching, it’s opened the door for even pastors who have committed adultery to resume leadership roles. I do not see a biblical allowance for that practice. And as we’ve seen, compromise in one area often leads to greater compromise in other areas as well.

But now that we’ve addressed the clause about marriage, we must also look closer at the other clause that has been misinterpreted so often: faithful children.

It is only in recent times that the Church has understood this to mean anything other than adult children. In Ellicott’s Commentary he writes, “These presiding Cretan elders should be married men, with children already grown up. These requirements evidently show that Christianity had been established in Crete for a very considerable period. We must remember some thirty-three years had passed since that memorable Pentecost feast of Jerusalem, when ‘Cretes’ were among the hearers of those marvellous utterances of the Spirit. Besides the children of the candidates for the presbyter’s office being professing Christians, they must also be free from all suspicion of profligacy.”

Ellicott is saying that these children are old enough to be accused of profligacy, which means immoral or wasteful behavior. Young children wouldn’t be accused of that.

Paul also addresses this topic in 1 Timothy 3:4-5, which says, “He must manage his own household competently and have his children under control with all dignity. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of God’s church?).”

In typical Paul fashion, he asks the rhetorical question that is also the main point. If elders can’t lead their families to follow Christ, how can they lead churches?

I’m afraid that too many pastors and Christian leaders’ children have walked away from the faith or never even believed, and so as not to disqualify those leaders, this requirement has been dropped. But because of this, the Church’s witness has suffered catastrophically. When church leaders fail to raise their children to follow God, it’s not just personal. It doesn’t affect just their family. It affects the whole community. It weakens the body of Christ.

Just look at Samuel in the Old Testament. Samuel was a prophet, and he faithfully served the Lord, yet even he failed at home. In his old age, he appointed his sons as judges, but they were not believers. Samuel had failed to lead them in following God.

1 Samuel 8:1-3 says, “When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel. His firstborn son’s name was Joel and his second was Abijah. They were judges in Beer-sheba. However, his sons did not walk in his ways—they turned toward dishonest profit, took bribes, and perverted justice.”

Samuel had learned under Eli, and sadly, he repeated his mentor’s mistakes. As you may know, Eli failed to lead and restrain his own sons, and Samuel’s sons also turned away from God. The consequences were enormous. This failure to lead well caused the people to reject God’s rule and demand a king. Picking back up the text, 1 Samuel 8:4-5 says, “So all the elders of Israel gathered together and went to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, ‘Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Therefore, appoint a king to judge us the same as all the other nations have.’”

This is proof that God’s standard for elders in Titus is not arbitrary—it is given for a reason.

Imagine if the church actually followed the Bible’s rule. If pastors were evaluated not just by their sermons, but by the well-being of their children, I think we’d see far fewer pastor’s kids grow up to be bitter, rebellious, or out of control. If a pastor’s job depended on it, maybe they’d stop prioritizing the church over family and spend a lot more time modeling at home the life they tell others to live from the pulpit.

Because this rule is not enforced, the number of PKs who are out of control has become a punchline to non-Christians. As the Church has made excuses for pastor’s unfaithful children, the epidemic has only grown stronger, and our witness to the world has grown weaker. I think it is far past time that the Church heeds these instructions in Titus and 1 Timothy: to lead a church family, you must demonstrate that you can lead your own family well.

This is not just a guideline. This is a warning, and it is with good reason we must follow it.

When the mouthpieces of the Body of Christ aren’t held to these standards, our whole witness suffers—our voice is stifled, and our message grows faint.

But Paul doesn’t stop there. Moving on from family requirements, Paul mentions more qualifications for leadership. Verses 7-8 say:

7 As an overseer of God’s household, he must be blameless, not arrogant, not hot-tempered, not an excessive drinker, not a bully, not greedy for money, 

8 but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, righteous, holy, self-controlled, 

It’s a rather tall order, isn’t it? Some of these characteristics are certainly attainable, but always being these things—that’s another level. Are you always blameless? Never arrogant? Always sensible, righteous, holy, and self-controlled? Do you know many people who fit this bill? If I could talk to Paul, I think I’d quote what Elizabeth Bennet said to Mr. Darcy: “I rather wonder now at your knowing any” (Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice).

But that is no reason not to heed this list. These are the qualities we should look for in elders and pastors.

Fellow pastors and elder friends, this list is our target goal. It should spur us on to do better. And it should prove to us how much we must pray and ask the Holy Spirit to transform us and mold us into better reflections of Jesus. There is no room for arrogance or pride. Look how sorely we need God’s help to become the people He calls us to be. Let us repent where we are failing and pray that the Lord would grow the fruit of the Spirit within us so we can be filled with these qualities.

Then finally, Paul lists one last qualification. After addressing family dynamics and personal characteristics, he then adds the need for Biblical accuracy. He says in verse 9:

9 holding to the faithful message as taught, so that he will be able both to encourage with sound teaching and to refute those who contradict it.

In order to meet this requirement, church leaders must know the Word of God. That seems like a given, but looking at the number of false teachings that have proliferated within Christianity, I’m worried that people aren’t being faithful in doing this.

We need leaders who can do as this verse says. Reading it again, this time in the ERV, it says: “An elder must be faithful to the same true message we teach. Then he will be able to encourage others with teaching that is true and right. And he will be able to show those who are against this teaching that they are wrong.”

It’s exactly how Paul started this letter when he said in verse 3, “In his own time he has revealed his word in the preaching with which I was entrusted by the command of God our Savior.” In other words, God has given His message through the Word and entrusted pastors to correctly explain that message to His people.

In order to do that, a pastor/elder must be fully committed to the truth. A pastor/elder must be educated and know God’s Word and believe it. If a leader is unlearned or is doubtful about the Bible, how can they teach others? How can they refute those who contradict it? Really, what I think Paul is saying is this: a leader must be skilled at apologetics, ready to make a defense of the faith.

Peter also says this same thing in 1 Peter 3:15 when he says, be “ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.”

I know we’ve been learning about qualifications for pastors or elders, and you may think this doesn’t apply to you. But this is just the beginning of this letter to Titus. As we will see, Paul will go on to speak to all people as he gives instructions to Titus. Yet even this passage from today is ultimately for all of us. 

We all, as ambassadors for Jesus, are called to hold faithfully to the message taught in God’s Word. We all must study it and learn it, so we can combat the lies of the enemy and reject the world's deceptions. We all, also, can look at this list of qualifications for pastors and elders, and hold our churches accountable to follow these directives so we can adhere to God’s Word in all things.

Following God’s directives is not optional in our walk with the Lord, neither for pastors nor for all followers of Jesus. May the Lord help us and guide us as we seek to rightly apply His Word to all areas of our lives. Our witness to the unbelieving world depends on it.

Pray: Heavenly Father, we pray that You would help us by Your Holy Spirit to rightly apply the teachings in the Bible in all areas of our lives. Help us to follow Your ways in all things. Please fill us with the fruit of the Spirit, so we can better reflect the characteristics of Jesus, our Savior. In His name we pray. Amen.