“Elder Roles and Rule” (Titus 2:15)

Series: “Titus: Godly People, Godly Church,” #13Text: Titus 2:15

By: Shaun Marksbury Date: August 11, 2024

Venue: Living Water Baptist ChurchOccasion: PM Service

Introduction

Several years ago, I was involved with a church merger that didn’t go so well. There was a church we knew about that had a small congregation, and we had a slightly larger congregation without a building. On the surface, it seemed like we had compatible ministries and theologies — we were both Baptists, we had similar liturgies, and we both seemed to like a lot of the same teachers. However, our members expressed concern — while the other church had Bible readings, the pastor allowed women to lead in those readings. In my mind at the time, 1 Timothy 2 and 1 Corinthians 14 would forbid this, meaning that only men should lead in the Bible reading.

That wasn’t the only issue, but we continued talking. The pastor of the other church said that he only had women reading because there weren’t enough men without us, and that his church was open to a couple of changes like that. He said that he had even talked to his people about all this, and they were open, as well.

So, we combined congregations. However, after the merger, we realized he had not communicated our concerns to his congregation, which was, in fact, not open to changes! While we tried to make the merger work, the pastor’s deception made it appear to his congregation like we were the ones not up front, surprising them with changes to their church. Even after the other pastor gave a half-hearted public confession that he had not been honest through the process, the animosity toward us remained, so we backed out of the merger and left in an attempt to preserve the peace. I had been told that my error was in dealing mainly with the pastor of the church rather than the true authority within the church.

Today, we’ll delve into Titus 2:15, a verse that encapsulates the significant responsibilities and authority given to elders within the church. This verse reiterates important themes in this chapter. We can see that the Apostle says to “speak,” a command which goes back to the beginning of this chapter: “But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine.” This verse also goes back to Paul’s instructions to Titus concerning his selection of elders and what kind of leadership he should exude.

The Apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, outlines clear directives for Titus as well as a description of how he should operate in godly churches. And as Titus is supposed to be setting churches in order and selecting elders to make the church sound, we can apply this to what we should expect of our leaders. We’ll note that elders have a unique function and authority in godly churches. Let’s get started.

First, Note the Function of Elders

These things speak and exhort and reprove

There has been much debate on the function of elder. Some Southern Baptists, for example, have tried to split the difference between the role and function of elder, which is not biblically permissible. Nonetheless, some supposedly conservative churches have had women like Beth Moore come and preach to the congregation with the reasoning that, if they don’t claim she is a pastor, it’s okay for her to preach. The Bible doesn’t make such a distinction, though.

Paul gives three verbs which identify the function of elders, and they are all connected to God’s Word. We can describe it this way: elders are to communicate God’s Word, they are to call people to God’s Word, and they are to correct people according to God’s Word. It’s not that non-elders don’t sometimes counsel and do these things privately, but the public work of communicating, calling people, and correcting people falls upon the pastor’s shoulders. Let’s consider the first of those.

Godly elders communicate God’s Word.

He first says to speak or to talk about these things. The ESV says to “declare,” and it is a command in the original language. Again, it’s the same command found in v. 1. While it could simply mean that Titus is supposed to talk about these things wherever he finds himself, the meaning within the context of these three verbs seems to be best fitting for fulfilling the office; i.e., “preaching” or “proclaiming.”

What things are Titus to proclaim? Looking backward in this text, Titus is to teach what older men and women should do within the church. Titus is to teach what younger men and women should do within the church. Titus is to teach what the amazing grace of God does within the church. He’s to always speak about the kind of grace and resultant living we need in our lives.

As I’ve continued to think about the issue I brought up at the beginning of the sermon, I’ve taken an even more firm stance. The more biblical view seems to be to reserve Bible reading for the elders alone. As such, at this church you will only see the pastors leading in the Bible reading, or someone who is qualified to be in that position (perhaps someone who is on the path to being in elder or a pastor at this church). Is that too firm a conviction?

Scripture identifies certain functions within the church as belonging to the office of elder. If God commands the elder to speak in churches, then this should be something peculiar to the role of elder or someone qualified for the office of elder within the church. There certainly shouldn’t be a man guilty of adultery addressing the congregation, and there also shouldn’t be a woman reading Scripture and preaching a sermon.

The pastor is wielding the Word of God in a particular manner that must be accurate. Not only is he declaring what God has said, he is thinking through the implications of the ministry. That brings us to the next point.

Godly elders must call people to God’s Word.

Titus is not only to talk but also to exhort. What does that mean? This conveys the idea of appealing to someone or urging right behavior. Paul used this word in v. 6, where he told Titus, “Likewise urge the young men to be sensible.” It’s an impassioned plea to conform to the Word of God.

It’s not enough for a preacher to stand behind a lectern and provide linguistic analysis of the text. It is not enough for him to flatly state, “Christians should be sober-minded.” He must entreat believers; “Get the sinful junk out of your minds and think like Christ! Focus on what Scripture promises, because you can be sober-minded in the power of the Holy Spirit. Wake up from your spiritual slumber and start thinking like God wants you to think!” See the difference? The pastor must never engage in simple academics, and certainly not entertainment; he instead seeks to persuade others to live differently.

This applies to biblical counseling. We balance being gracious and being clear. Here, vv. 11–12 says, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age.” If it’s clear that a counselee is unsaved, then we must urge them to repent and trust in the good news of God’s grace. If it’s clear that the counselee is a Christian but in sin, then we persuade them that the grace of God gives them hope that they can deny those ungodly and worldly desires, living a new life in Christ. We have to say to the counselee, “That was sin, but there is a better way in Christ you can and must follow.” That’s biblical exhortation.

Sometimes, though, the issue proceeds into a more serious situation. That requires correction. That’s our next point:

Godly elders must correct people with God’s Word.

The pastor is also to reprove or rebuke. This is more than just calling people to Scripture, for true believers who are not living carnally will respond to exhortation. This goes a step beyond, involving challenging the beliefs and behaviors people have with God’s Word. Sometimes, he must call a teacher false, or he must call out a church member who is living in sin.

This is what God is looking for in His shepherds. Let’s go back to Titus 1:9, where the spirit says that a pastor must be one “holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.” We see another example of this in 2 Timothy 3:16, where Paul says to Timothy, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.” The rebuking is, again, centered around the Word.

So, a pastor might go to a member privately to discuss an issue. Perhaps it comes up in counseling, and the member refuses to heed biblical exhortation on a particular sinful habit. Or, maybe it’s a teacher in the church who doesn’t believe he or she is doing wrong, despite what the pastor says. Of course, a church member might have initiated this, bringing the pastor in later in the process, but this is the point at which church discipline is beginning to be applied in a more official sense. A pastor/elder has the call and authority to bring this biblical correction, even announcing it to the church should exhortation and reproof go ignored.

Again, anyone can speak, exhort, and reprove with the Word of God in a private sense, and we see examples of that in Aquila and Priscilla. However, the office of elder is a particular one in this function. A biblical counselor may be male or female, and a Christian friend may have just the right verse for you to hear. Yet, to engage the congregation from the front of the church requires qualification, which includes a willingness to go the extra mile and not ignore sins within the church. The pulpit ministry carries an inherent authority, then, bringing us to the next point.

Second, Note the Authority of Elders

…with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

The question of church government has many varied opinions in church history. One deacon once told me his church had a single pastor because they were a Southern Baptist church. I explained that such was not the historic Southern Baptist position, showing him the comparison of the Baptist Faith and Message throughout the years and the position of the founders of the Southern Baptist Convention. He grew angry and stated, “Well, we’re an autonomous church, so the Southern Baptists can’t tell us what to do!” Though he wasn’t a pastor, nor did he believe himself qualified for the role, he carried himself as the true authority within his church.

Many Southern Baptists have faced this issue. Most of the time, though the deacons don’t think of themselves as pastors, they make the pastoral decisions of the church. Many times, a congregational form of government is specified, meaning that the loudest voice who can influence the most votes has authority over a pastoral decision. Having people spiritually unqualified to be elders making decisions for the church isn’t a biblical form of church government.

What does Paul tell Titus? The text says that all of this conveying of God’s Word, all of this communication, calling, and correcting, is to be done “with all authority” or “command” (NASB footnote). Now, this can be done well and it can be done poorly, so let’s back up for a moment. Nearly every translation renders this “authority.”

This is elder rule, which we have discussed in greater detail when looking at elders in chapter one. Scripture entrusts elders with significant authority in the church, stemming from their responsibility to uphold and teach God's Word. The apostles wielded this kind of command, though they spoke at times with simple concession (1 Cor. 7:6; 2 Cor. 8:8). Titus is not an apostle, but he is to operate in this manner, as are the elders appointed to the churches. It’s not that the word of an elder is infallible, nor is his written word inspired. Yet, in as much as he is governing the church according to the word of God, he is to do so with all command.

There are two aspects to this command, and the first has already been mentioned: This is a biblical authority. This is an important distinction, for there are people who would base their authority on themselves. There can be pastors with intimidating personalities; some people can be intimated by the mere presence of a pastor, but I mean there are pastors who cultivate an unapproachability and can even be bullying. A biblical leadership is one of authority, but rather than lording it over others (Matt. 20:25–28), it is tempered with love, grace, and service.

It's an authority that upholds Scripture as a higher authority. When Paul instructs Titus, he says to select men as elders who can hold firm “to the faithful word,” as it has been taught (Titus 1:9). He also commanded Timothy to “preach the Word” (2 Tim. 4:2). The preacher models Christ-likeness by calling his congregation back to the authority of Scripture.

The pastor does not have the right to tell people to do things without warrant from Scripture. He isn’t allowed to tell people who to marry, or what home to buy, for instance. He may, however, give biblical instructions in these regard, and even provide correction if someone is making sinful choices (marrying an unbeliever, for instance).

This is also an authority calling for respect. The Lord says here, “Let no one disregard you.” Now, there are two ways that this is understood.

Jesus even pointed to the bad examples, the Pharisees, and said to listen to and to obey them when they teach Moses (Mt 23:1–3). Why? When God’s Word is taught, authority accompanies it. The preacher should, in turn, teach like what he has in his hand is commands respect.

The first application of this is for the elder. There are those pastors who might engage in disrespectful behavior, thus inviting disregard. This would include sin, obviously. Yet, it also includes an unwillingness of the pastor to wield a biblical authority when needed, including in church discipline, as we will read about in the next chapter (3:10–11). If a pastor has authority, he mustn’t back down at the first sign of resistance.

The second application for this is in regards to the congregation. The word here can refer to thinking around all sides of an issue, with an obvious negative connotation. I’ve seen some notes that inmates keep, sometimes in journals or Bibles, where they have a complete list of the names of officers and their schedules. The incarcerated individual has been silently watching and noting the who and the when, looking for weaknesses to exploit, which is why officers must vary their routines. Paul tells Titus, “Don’t allow anyone to think around you.” Don’t let your authority to be circumvented by unprincipled men.

Sometimes, authority can be circumvented by simple laziness on the part of pastors. The Lord says to congregations, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you” (Heb. 13:17). Yet, I’ve seen pastors wash their hands of particular issues, refusing to assert authority. There were numerous complaints brought to one church about a particular woman in the children’s ministry who was treating others poorly, even yelling at the janitorial staff for not cleaning well enough; the pastors and the deacons literally all threw up their hands and said, “We’re not touching that one!” That is a recipe for folks in the church to begin disregarding elders.

Conclusion

It’s important that we, as a church, have a right view of the offices of the church. It’s important that elders or those on the path to becoming elders understand their roles in Bible reading and preaching; they are to speak, exhort, and reprove with authority, ensuring that the church remains faithful to God's Word. They are also to lead with consistent, biblical authority.

It’s also important for the congregation to affirm the leadership of elders in the decision-making process, respecting and supporting their elders. As a church, let us support our elders, pray for them, and honor their leadership, knowing that they serve as God’s appointed shepherds over His flock.