The Positive of the Negatives in the Characteristics of the Elder/Overseers of Christ’s Church

Titus 1:7

Titus 1:7 NASB 95

7 For the overseer must be above reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain,

We are observing the Holy Spirit here highlighting characteristics of the new man in Christ Jesus. Such characteristics as we observed last week are those that make-up a faithful and mindful man who abides in a walk of godliness.

The list before us is not a list for interrogation, but a list of that which becomes a thankful, willing and cheerful soul who is pleased to walk in the character of the new man, and a people who are pleased to have such a one appointed in the church.

In our current text, we read that the church is to observe those men who are presently living as one whom now charge can be brought and substantiated against him. He is presently living as a one woman man in terms of the characteristic of the attitude of his relationship

I see this blameless man as a repentant man. A man who’s heart and mind is turned not unto his own will, but upon the sacrifice and work of Christ in His life. He is well aware of the failures of the flesh, and walks repentant, wholly trusting upon Christ. That is the only walk which is blameless. It is the walk of Christ, your walk in Christ. You cannot make yourself blameless, but Christ has, and the only way that we walk in the understanding of that blameless state is with a repentant mind. A mind turned away from self and unto Christ.

Every charge looses it’s power at the cross, and everyone called finds the power of their new walk in the empty grave. In the cross self has died, and with the empty tomb it is not I but Christ who lives through me.

And so, we have here the characteristics of the men to be appointed to eldership. The characteristic of the one walking in the new man. Again, as I emphasised last week, for consistancy sake -these are characteristics in my view, not a list of facts.

For example, I believe that you can have a man who at one point lost his temper or was self willed, but has repented of it and is living for Christ, seeking both patience and the good of others. Such a man, because of loosing his temper, in his repentance we would not say this list disqualifies him from eldership, but that his present walk, testifies to the work of Christ in him. It is that consistency of interpretation that we must hold to the whole list that is given. We can’t treat some parts as factual checklist and others as characteristic descriptions. We do much better if we apply consistent means to our interpretation.

How am I blameless = Christ

How am I faithful = Christ

These things are all things which becomes one who is mindful of Christ, and walking in a mindfulness of Him. This is not one that is tip toeing around trying to do right, but one who’s eyes are fixed upon the righteousness of Christ, and Christ directs then his steps in the way that is right.

What does that way look like? Verse seven and eight will further describes it. Continuing on from last week verse seven and eight will describe the nature of that character. Verse seven will hold the negative attributes, meaning that these things are things that will hinder a walk in godliness, because they are not of the mind nor character of Christ. Verse 8 will be the positive identifiers of it.

Titus 1:7 NASB 95

7 For the overseer must be above reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain,

First we observe that we have moved from elder or older man to overseer. So the description of the subject to the position of the position. The word is for overseer or bishop or one who watches over. Both overseer and elder are used to describe the save function.

Here we are speaking of certain older men that will be charged with the responsibility of seeing that things are done correctly in the local gathering.

This position must be held by those who are blameless, just as verse 6 mentioned. Again this isn’t saying no charge, but no charge that can be substantiated. This also in my thought is not telling you to do a FBI background check, for all have sinned. But again this is a repentant person who is walking in unity with the spirit and Word of Christ.

This is a necessary characteristic for a steward of God. Meaning the one who is to manage the household of God, must not be walking in a way that is contrary to the ways of God.

Now we have the negative list given:

selfwilled - The overseer must not have the characteristic that is one of seeking to insert their own will. I’ll tell you what I notice here. It simply says not selfwilled. It doesn’t say that they must not try to insert the wrong will or desires, it says that the self is the wrong. The overseer doesn’t seek the determination of self but of God for the good of those whom he is overseeing. There is no room for self-interest in the ministry. There is no room for self-interest in the walk of godliness. It will make you miserable because it is in constant friction with God. Even if you think you are seeking something good, if the determinations are in self, then you rob yourself of the peace of God. It is true that if we walk by our own determinations, our patience will be short with others and we will become easily angered, because everyone will not be our brother, but our competitor, and arrogance will be our dominor and our love will grow cold. So then, the elder/overseer, in his daily repentance, has the characteristic of dying to self. He does not wake up to think how he can get ahead, but wakes up to seek how God will use him in the service unto God and unto those whom God has given him to oversee.

soon to anger- this isn’t just a quickness to anger but a being prone to it. Meaning the inclination of one or the primary response is one of anger. The overseer of the church cannot live life vexed. A mans prone to anger with others is in reality a unsettleness with the soveringty of God. Patience is simply the outward action of the man who is inwardly bowed before God.

given to wine - I will find the continual returns to wine rather interesting in our text. To be clear this is speaking of given, addicted or literaly a tarrying at wine. It’s the man who finds his staying, his settling, his peace at the fermintation of the drink rather than in the drinking of the Word. Tarrying at wine will rob you not only of your time, but also your health and your mind. A overseer is to be devoted to the constant watch to a sobriety of life in God, not only in himself but also in others. This isn’t saying that one cannot sip wine, but it is the description of that is where they stay. The drinking of wine is where they go, it is where they abide in their downtime, then to their out time, fellowship time and eventually all of the time. This is where ones character even becomes identified by the wine.

striker - pugnacious - an elder/overseer is not looking to fight in the form of striking. They are not a contentious person. They are not given to angry debate which excalades to finding it’s resolution in the use of violence. Vengence belongs to God, and the man of God who seeks to move forward by his own stregnth or might espessially in violance will find himself under the disciplining hand of God. The man of God has no need to contend against another, because it is not where our wrestling is. Our wrestling is not against flesh and blood.

fond of sordid gain - literally here we are speaking of base gain. The overseer of the church is not given to the increase of their own net worth. They are not fixed on the things here below, even their own net worth, their own monetary value. Why? Because in the walk of godliness - our value, our lot, our all in all is found in Christ, not a human system of monetary measurement. To manage the household of God well is not to give yourself to increase your own net worth. The man who says that I have to get to a certain net worth so that then I can serve God and serve His people does not walk in the path of godliness, but of self establishment. The overseer understand that the great gain is found where godliness is bound together with contentment. That contentment is not in looking at the lots of the earth, but at what is yours in Christ. It is there in Christ that the things of this earth yes grow strangley dim, but they also find their purpose.

The will of God is good and perfect and worthy of my proving out. I am His servant, He holds my life in His hands. All that I have or don’t have is by means of what God has seen fit. His ways are above my ways. He blesses that I might bless, and takes that I might know His power. He is my strength and my comfort and all that I have and all that I am is in Him alone. It is these truths that become the believers liberation of walk in godliness. It is these truths that becomes the mans liberation to serve God, to manage His household well.