Titus 1:9 Elder Devotional

I. 9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

An Elder must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught (9a).

Holding firm to the trustworthy word is not optional for the Elder. The word of God is the only basis worthy of belief in all matters of faith and practice. But the word of God is not up for grabs when it comes to interpretation. The Apostolic teaching of the word is foundational and authoritative. We should remember that Christ gave His Apostles authority and promised the Holy Spirit to guide them in all truth. He (Holy Spirit) would be their guide in all truth and would cause them to remember all the things that Christ taught them.

2 Peter 1:3 “3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,”

2 Peter 1:20-21 “20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

John 14:26 “26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

This reminds us that the Apostolic understanding of the Old Testament is revealed in the New Testament and it is critical to understanding the true Christian faith. No one is free to redefine the Apostolic gospel.

How would redefining the Apostolic Christian faith be destructive to the practice of “Christianity”? Does this ever happen?

An Elder is to hold firm to the word as taught by the Apostolic witnesses so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it (9b).

The trustworthy word is the standard rule for instruction in sound doctrine. The term “instruction” here denotes the idea “to instill someone with courage or cheer, comfort, encourage” (BAGD). Therefore the trustworthy word is the means that Elders use for biblical instruction for sound doctrine.

The Elder must also be able to rebuke those who contradict sound doctrine. The term “rebuke” refers to bringing a person to the point of recognizing wrongdoing (BAGD). Sound doctrine is the Apostolic truth about God as revealed in the Old Testament understood through the revelation and teaching of Jesus Christ.

By sound doctrine Paul doesn’t just mean theological truths about God but he is also referring to moral truths that are to govern a person’s behavior as reflected in the law.

1 Timothy 1:8-11 “8 Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, 11 in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.”

What are the biggest challenges to sound doctrine today?