if a man is
blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of
dissipation or insubordination.
Titus 1:6
Dear Heavenly
Father, in this colder season, please me
and my family healthy and strong craving the Word of God. Please be with our nation as we struggle
against the draw of world and the confusion between right and wrong. I praise Your name. You are awesome and have given us
everything. I'm so unworthy but I'm justified
through Your Son, Christ. Thank
You. In Jesus's name I pray, Amen.
We are in the body
portion of the letter which focuses on doctrine and encouragement. In verse 6, Paul begins to outline
requirements for elders. To bring deeper
understanding to today's text, let's examine some key words and their companion
or similar verses.
"Man" in
the Greek is tis which means a certain
one, someone, used of persons or things the writer either cannot or will not
speak more particularly. Although the
word is indeterminate, further on in the verse, we see that tis is referring to a man, specifically as
mentioned in the previous verse, presbuteros
or elder . "Blameless" in the
Greek is anegkletos which means not to
be called to account, unreproveable, irreproachable, unaccused, above reproach,
beyond reproach, without disapproval, without disappointment, without
criticism, without admonition. A man can
be an elder if they haven't been called to account or accused of their actions
- a man of unquestionable integrity, the quality of being honest and having
strong moral principles.
"Husband"
in the Greek is aner which means man,
male human being, husband, gentleman, with reference to sex to differentiate a
man from a woman. "Wife" in
the Greek is gune which means woman,
wife, my lady, bride, a woman of any age whether a virgin, married, or
widow. An elder has been married to only
one woman.
"Faithful"
in the Greek is pistos which means
reliable, trustworthy, believing, persuaded, loyalty, believing the faith that
God imparts, confiding, convinced that Jesus is the Messiah and author of
salvation. "Children" in the
Greek is teknon which means descendant,
inhabitant, anyone living on full dependence on the heavenly father, child
living in willful dependence, illustrates how we must all live in utter
moment-by-moment dependence upon the Lord drawing guidance, care, nurture from
our heavenly Father. However in this
verse, child means someone below the age of puberty or a son or daughter of any
age. An elder has sons and daughters
that are convinced that Jesus is the Messiah and author of salvation.
"Accused"
in the Greek is kategoria which means
charge, accusation of a crime, a charge or claim that someone has done
something illegal or wrong.
"Dissipation" in the Greek is asotia
which means unsavedness, wastefulness, watonness, profligacy (reckless
extravagance, licentious, promiscuous, unprincipled in sexual matters,
dissolute behavior, lax in morals), the character of an abandoned man,
incorrigibleness, prodigality (spending recklessly), debauchery. Ephesians 5:18 states "And do not be
drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the
Spirit."
"Insubordination" in the Greek is anuputaktos which means not subject to rule, unruly, not
submissive, disobedient, unwilling to come under Christ's Lordship,
uncooperative, defiant attitude, rebellious, that cannot be subjected to
control, anti-authoritarian. An elder
has sons and daughters that haven't been charged of illegal or wrong doing,
aren't unprincipled in sexual matters, aren't spending recklessly, aren't
incorrigible, don't have a defiant attitude, or are unwilling to come under
Christ's Lordship.
1 Timothy 3:2-4
states "A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife,
temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given
to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not
covetous; one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission
with all reverence." These are very
similar themes to the instruction to Titus.
We can use this verse to more deeply understand our text. "Husband of one wife" could also be
interpreted as a "man of one woman."
Both sections of Scripture give very high standards for an elder.
In First Timothy,
the word for elder or bishop is episkopos
which means overseer, supervisor, ruler, especially used with reference to the
supervising function exercised by an elder or presbyter of a church or
congregation, a man called by God to literally "keep an eye on" His
flock (the Church, the body of Christ) and to provide personalized (first hand)
care and protection. This is same word
used in Titus 1:7. So, is verse 6
referring to elder as presbuteros or episkopos? It is both. The elders,
overseers, pastors, and bishops are the primary spiritual leaders of a
congregation. They teach the Word, preach the Word, and shepherd the souls of
those under their care.
All leaders of the
world fail to meet these standards. Some
even flaunt their indifference to this expectation or plead ignorance if
caught. However, there are plenty Christian
leaders that also don't meet this standard.
Only by the grace of God and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit are the
elder standards even possible. Although
only a few are called to be an elder, we all as Christians are called to have
unquestioned integrity and lead our house toward Christ.
namely, a man of
unquestionable integrity, the husband of one wife, having children who believe,
not accused of being immoral or rebellious.
Amplified Bible
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