Who is An Elder (Titus 1:5-16)

We’re going to eventually land in Titus 1:5-16. But before we get there we need to do a little bit of work. What do you want in a pastor or an elder? If the church decides to adopt elders part of what we’ll need to do is call a few men to be in this role. How do you decide who is an elder? How do you pick them? What are we looking for?

Let me give you a little bit of context to what is happening in Titus. Titus is ministering in Crete. It’s a difficult gig. As one person from Crete said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” Not to mention that as Paul will say there “are many insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers…

Some of y’all are thinking...”Oh, he’s ministering in Washington.” Okay…let’s go with that. Let’s say that we’re in a very similar context to Titus. What will it take? What kind of leader do you need? What are you looking for?

I’ll tell you how one church in Ohio answered that question…or well…how they had written it until a wise secretary did a little editing. This was the original:

Due to the retirement of our former Pastor, the fellowship here at Grace Church is seeking a new Pastor. Because of the church’s strong youth outreach the type of man we are looking for must be less than 35 years of age. He must have wisdom and knowledge, therefore, we are looking for someone with at least 20 years experience. There are many unchurched, unwed mothers in the community so our candidate must have the counseling ability to help with the social problems of these women. He must have the integrity to never be seen alone with a woman that is not his wife. Several immigrant families have moved into the area so the ability to speak Chinese (they look Chinese, we’re not sure what they are) is a plus but not a requirement. Because the church is small and stretched financially, the new Pastor may need a second job. It should also be noted that the congregation, like all other church families, has so many needs the Pastor will be on 24 hour call. If you have any questions please contact the head of the Deacon board, Mr. Myles at

I’m in a group with some other pastors and on occasion they’ll pass around some of these advertisements like this. One, I wish I could find it and give the specific words said something like, “We’re a group of cranky people just waiting to die. We need a pastor to be patient with us, bury us, and then close down the church. Minimal pay. But great eternal rewards.”

There is also a rather comical Help Wanted Ad that flows around social media on occasion—it’s not real, but it’s a church looking for the perfect pastor. This is one version:

2. He preaches exactly 20 minutes and then sits down.

3. He condemns sin, but never steps on anybody’s toes.

4. He works from 8 in the morning to 10 at night, doing everything from preaching sermons to sweeping.

5. He makes $400 per week, gives $100 a week to the church, drives a late model car, buys lots of books, wears fine clothes, and has a nice family.

6. He always stands ready to contribute to every other good cause, too, and to help panhandlers who drop by the church on their way to somewhere.

7. He is 36 years old, and has been preaching 40 years.

8. He is tall on the short side, heavy-set in a thin sort of way, and handsome.

9. He has eyes of blue or brown, (to fit the occasion) and wears his hair parted in the middle - left side, dark and straight, right side, brown and wavy.

10. He has a burning desire to work with the youth, and spends all his time with the senior citizens.

11. He smiles all the time while keeping a straight face, because he has a keen sense of humor that finds him seriously dedicated.

12. He makes 15 calls a day on church members, spends all his time evangelizing non-members, and is always found in his study if he is needed.

Unfortunately he burnt himself out and died at the age of 32.

I don’t think that’s sustainable. But here is why I’m saying this…I think we kind of have that lens…and I think we put on those glasses as we read a text like this. But here is Paul’s answer…what is needed in Crete:

Titus 1:5–9 ESV

This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you— if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. 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.

Sermon Introduction:

I’m going to be making the argument today that we can have a tendency to view these lists (here in Titus and in 1 Timothy) with the wrong set of glasses…from the wrong starting point.

But to do that we need to go all the way back to the Garden of Eden. I want to show you something important there.

Is the fall of man because humanity broke rules or because they broke relationship? I’d argue that it’s a little of both…but I think that relational fracture actually came first.

Verse 2...

Did God actually say…you shall not eat of any tree in the garden.

Okay, that’s our challenge…that’s the seed of the culture of Crete. That’s the lostness pervading our community. Did God really say....threat to reality from the outside...

Now catch this...

“and the woman said to the serpent…we may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden....but God said, you shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden....”

Good job Eve…but she keeps going. Neither shall you touch it, lest you die.

And there it is. That’s the break. Matthew Myer Boulton says it this way:

human beings confidently declare (a little too loudly) that they are beyond reproach, that they have been unimpeachably careful (indeed, more careful than God has instructed them to be), and thus that they do stand aright before God. With this apparently confident declaration, then, they betray their anxiety, deny their vulnerabilities, and thus deny their creatureliness. The hairline fissures grow wider. Now religion insinuates itself into the story. Because of this, Karl Barth called Eve the first ‘religious personality’

I’m not sure if you’re catching this or not. But by saying “we don’t even touch it” what they are doing is taking God’s Word in their own hands. They are attempting to do things without God. To protect themselves apart from God. To offer something to God which He didn’t demand...

It’s putting a fracture there. And it’s religion that’s doing it. Then Satan gives them the offer. As Mike Cosper has said,

“The serpent offers the possiblity of self-improvement. You can be like God if you eat from this tree. He doesn’t appeal to their sense of risk or forbidden pleasure. He appeals to them with religion: Eat this meal with me and transcend your limitations. Live your best life now.”

And look what happens after their eyes are open to their nakedness. They don’t run to God. They run away from Him. They try to cover their own nakedness. They try to shore up their anxieties. They try to deny the things that are going on inside of them…oh if I can just fix this…oh if I can just do this to make myself acceptable again. Friends, that is the essence of religion. “I obey so that I’m accepted.”

What I’m saying is that every single one of us knows that something is messed up. We know there is brokenness and sin and wickedness and all kinds of harm and awful stuff “out there”…we know that we need to protect ourselves…and in some of those quiet moments of the soul…when our phone’s battery died, when the electricity is out, or when we’re just drifting off into sleep…we realize…the problems aren’t only out there…they are also in here. In our very own hearts.

And we try to fix it. We try to put on the fig leaves. We rally anything we can to help us feel better about ourselves, to make the acceptable offering, to obey so wonderfully that maybe we can fix the problem. And that might even mean hiring a preacher to help us to become more religious.

There is another option here too…that we just flat out deny that there is any kind of issue here. We numb the conscience. Numb the ache. We don’t listen to the brokenness…always distracting it…here we might run away from the preacher because he exposes our ache…but more likely than not we’ll make friends with him. Keep him close. Because then you’ll see that he is but human…and you can come to the conclusion that the whole religious enterprise is a sham. And you’re probably not entirely wrong.

But none of this is how the Bible says we make it out of this mess. None of these solutions is what the Scriptures proclaim to us. Now what does this have to do with our question at hand? What does this have anything to do with selecting elders...

Everything.

Because here is what we tend to do with these lists in 1 Timothy and in Titus. We religion them up. They become a checklist. Jot and tittle. And then we argue about well…this man did this, this guy has this in his past, this guy isn’t married…what does that mean for us…if the text says “husband of one wife, well what if you aren’t married...”

And why are we doing this. Well because we want a good religious person to lead us and guide us in our efforts to be religious. To bring something acceptable to God. I mean how many churches will call to themselves a young preacher in the hopes that he’ll turn the ship around…grow the church…reach people in the community....and why?

Acceptable.

We know…and this isn’t wrong…as the preacher goes, so goes the people. And so we come into this text and think it’s about character (and it is) but we think it’s about character for all the wrong reasons. We think it’s about character because this guy is a little more religiously successful than I am…and if I follow him…well maybe he’ll help me hide better. Or to be acceptable to God finally.

I want to show you this from the text. Hard at fast rules right. Okay if you go in 1 Timothy 3 you’ll find a qualification there, “He must not be a new convert”. Scroll through Titus here....do you see that qualification?

It’s not there. Do you know why? Because if it was there then Titus wouldn’t have had a single elder. They were pretty much ALL new converts.

Let’s just look at the flow here of Titus. I think we might see this better if we start at verse 10.

For…that means that everything here is grounding that list in verses 5-9. Here is why I’m saying that these must be people of character...

Because there are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. Now what is that? It doesn’t sound like any party I’d really want to go to. Not much fun.

It’s a group of people who are…catch this…digging into religion. If you want to be acceptable to God…great that you’ve got Jesus…go Jesus…we’re pro Jesus really....but guys you’ve got to be circumcised…you’ve got to follow the Law....if you’re going to be acceptable to God, well this is what you’ve got to do.

Paul is saying, “they must be silenced…they are upsetting whole families…they are doing it for shameful gain” (Religion sells.)

Rebuke them sharply.

Cretans are awful…dirty scoundrels.. And what has been the answer of the circumcision party? Well…clean ‘em up. Let’s change their diet. Get them believing these “Jewish myths”.

The picture here is that they’ve got this religious culture…here are the things we do to make ourselves pleasing to God…people are coming to know Jesus…and these are then attempting to really help them move along in their faith…by switching it to religion. Do these things and you’ll be acceptable to God.

To the pure all things are pure…to the defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure. What’s that saying. The pure are those who are washed by Christ. Cleansed by Jesus. The One in whom God covers our nakedness, who heals the brokenness, forgives our rebellion, gives us new life. Transforms everything.

But the defiled…well they aren’t okay with just the gospel. They are trying to improve upon it. Did God really say....oh yeah…he even said we can’t touch it...

Same thing we saw in the Garden. Now let’s think again about the flow of Titus…what is happening here. This is the culture…wicked Cretes…and one prominent group shouting religion…do this and you wicked Cretes will be acceptable.

And Titus is entered into this culture but with the unchanging and life-altering gospel of Jesus.

Appoint elders in all of the towns…how do you know who to pick. Well make sure they are above reproach, husband of one wife, children are believers, and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination.

Now if we look at this through religious eyes we’re going to grab our checklist. Anybody in the town think this guy is a scoundrel? That might be a fine test…but what happens if you’re in a community of liars, evil beasts, and lazy gluttons? What happens if you’re being persecuted? What happens if you have a group of hyper-religious people who are upset because you aren’t following the rules in the way they think? Well....you aren’t going to be above-reproach.

Just maybe what this means…and this word for blameless or “above reproach” is found in a couple other places in the NT. 1 Corinthians where Paul says of that messed up church that they are blameless in God’s sight by virtue of the sufficiency of Christ’s death. And then again in Colossians when it says we’ve been reconciled to God through Christ and are thus “without blemish and blameless”.

I like how one commentator summarized this: “To be blameless as a pastoral candidate in Titus 1:6–7, therefore, could have to do with living in the present in a way that is consistent with what the grace of the gospel confers on those who believe and receive it.”

It’s to be a gospel person…and a gospel person that is impacting the family (if you’ve got one). Then in verse 7 he tells us why this character matters…you shouldn’t be arrogant, or quick-tempered, or a drunkard, or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a love of good, self-controlled, upright, holy and disipclined. Holding firm to the gospel and giving instruction to others.

What does that mean? It means that character does matter. The transformation of Jesus in your life does matter…the gospel needs to be coursing through your veins. Constantly being shaped and changed by Jesus. Surrendered to the work of Christ in your life.

It’s simple really. Paul is saying…look for somebody who is just drenched in the gospel. Who isn’t playing the religious games. But someone who has this decisive break from the brokenness of the world. Someone who is hospitable—opening themselves up for others for the sake of Christ…who loves good…who sees the fingerprints of Jesus on things and just celebrates!

That’s what you’re looking for Titus. When you see these holding firm and giving instruction and pushing back against these gospel-deniers…well, there you’ve got your answer. You want to find some hope-peddlers Titus.

Because…now back to verse 10…because you’ve got a lot of emptiness around here Titus. You’ve got some posers. Those who sound good—who are professing to know God—but they deny him by their works.

Their lifestyle isn’t matching up to their profession. Do you know why that is? Because religion doesn’t ultimately work. It’s powerless. It doesn’t cover you in the way you think it will…because it doesn’t go deep enough. And because it doesn’t go deep enough and transform what you’ll see is an exterior that’s all cleaned up, that can talk a big game, but when it comes to some of those things that get challenged they’ll be empty.

Let’s use verse 7 and 8 as our guide. Let’s say that you have an opportunity where you can really toot your horn spiritually…let people know that you’ve arrived. That you’re a great follower of Jesus. That you’ve got this religious thing down…to be arrogant.

Well a religious person is going to take that bait every time. To show themselves to be spiritually superior. Do you know why? Because that is where their identity is found. On the negative side of things such a person will be insecure and paranoid. They have to protect and lift up their identity at all costs....

But when the gospel goes deep…well, my identity is firmly fixed in Christ. I can take that criticism. It’s okay if my performance is attacked—because my performance isn’t ultimately what it’s about. My identity is firmly fixed in what Christ has done on my behalf. I come naked…no fig leaves…with all my sin, brokenness, and come to Jesus for forgiveness and cleansing.

Such a person isn’t going to be quick-tempered. Now a religious person…oh, they’ll be quick-tempered. Why? Because their standard of righteousness is themselves…the gospel hasn’t gone deep enough there.

Drunkard, violent, greedy for gain. Same stuff. I heard a sermon..oh probably 20 years ago now…that just rattled me to the core. Changed my whole direction.

This guy listed eight things that were true of us when the gospel hasn’t gone deep into our hearts. Basically, when we’re still religious people. Exposed me to the bone:

1. are worried, anxious, or fearful

2. are insecure or paranoid (protect your identity)

3. cannot take criticism (your performance is attacked)

4. constantly explain or defend yourself (protect your reputation)

5. are consumed by thoughts of yourself and how others perceive you in conversations

6. fish for compliments

7. need to advance yourself—make your name great

8. are struggling with pleasure-related sins (escape when attacked)

You can see each of these in that list in Titus if you look. And so…that’s why I’m saying what are you looking for in an elder....This isn’t all that can be said but here is the answer...it’s really those of whom the gospel has gone down deep.

Those who’ve been broken and realize their only hope is Jesus Christ. Because if that hasn’t happened…well, when put under pressure they’ll bow a knee to religion or be swallowed up by Cretan culture.

We need elders who are confident enough in the gospel to stand up to the religious. To stand up to the foolish enterprise that thinks we can somehow progress by human effort—even religiously intended human effort. Who realize that our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness.

Otherwise…if that hasn’t gone deep enough. We’ll sell it for a pot of stew. We’ll get hungry and worn out and exhausted like Esau out in the field and we’ll sell our birthright—the precious gospel of Jesus Christ for a pot of stew....for political expediency, for shameful gain, for foolish power, for a falllen kingdom.

No…our only hope…the place where we will rest our hearts is in Christ and Him crucified. This is the only kingdom we want to build.

We need elders who are confident enough in the gospel that they believe the power to change Crete is in an offensive gospel. To love people as they are, where they are, to leave people in the hands of Jesus, and to proclaim the good news. Jesus is King. Not Caesar. Not your money. Not your meth. Not your partner. Not your president. Not your brokenness. Not your rebellion. Not what words you say about yourself or the words that others say about you. Jesus is King. Not the things you’ve done and not the things that have been done to you. Jesus is King.

The gospel isn’t just for elders…the gospel is for all of us. Elders aren’t those who’ve gotten religion right. Elders are beggars who’ve found where you can get bread and call to others, “Take and eat.”

That’s an elder.

Do they help you grab hold of Jesus? Do they stir up your confidence in the finished work of Christ?

Do you know Jesus?