Introduction.

1. Titus has the task of ordering and organising groups of believers in Crete into local churches. Titus needs to appoint Elders who will encourage the brothers and sisters of the congregations to maintain and develop their personal relationship with the living Lord. Encouraging believers to become more and more like the Lord Jesus is the high calling of the Elders in the church. The characteristic of truth that Paul emphasised in verse 1 was that it promoted godliness in those who know, understand and apply it to their lives. Elders are primarily the promoters of godly living in the congregation. Titus must look for men whose words, deeds and attitudes promote godliness in others. The promotion of godliness usually comes from men who live blameless lives. The place where this ability or practice will be most evident is the family home.
   
   
2. In order to capture the full teaching of the apostle on the matter of the Elder and his family we need to draw in all the instructions he gives on this matter. There are three passages that need to be considered:
1. Titus 1:6, ‘if a man is blameless, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination.'
   
   
2. 1 Timothy 3:2, ‘A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behaviour, hospitable, able to teach.'
   
   
3. 1 Timothy 3:4-5, ‘one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?).'

Titus is commanded to scrutinise the way a potential Elder organises, leads, teaches and rules his family home before he is considered for the Eldership. John Stott‘The married pastor is called to leadership in two families, his and God's, and the former is to be the training ground of the latter.' carefully summarizes the matter:

1. Elders are to be men who are blameless.

1. Paul is laying down a basic qualification of an Elder, therefore we need to be absolutely sure that we understand the meaning of the word blameless. The translation blameless is correct and chosen by most English translations. It is important to note that Paul uses this word three times; twice in Titus 1:6, 7, and once in 1 Timothy 3:2 The Amplified Bible paraphrases verse 6 as follows; ‘[These Elders should be] men who are of unquestionable integrity and are irreproachable,..' The meaning of word blameless is covered by the terms unquestionable integrity and are irreproachable. While this paraphrase is useful it does not really explain the meaning of the word.
   
   
2. ‘This is a term', explains John Benton, ‘with a Jewish Old Testament background, where it is used to refer to the men of good reputation and wisdom who watched over the affairs of a town or village (Proverbs 31:23) John Calvin is helpful when tells us what Paul does not mean, ‘he (Paul) does not mean one who is exempt from every vice, (for no such person could at any time be found,) but one who is marked by no disgrace that would lessen his authority. He means, therefore, that he shall be a man of unblemished reputation' Alexander Strauch says, ‘The term ‘above reproach' means "unaccused" that is, one whose character or conduct is free from damaging moral or spiritual accusations.'  Douglas Milne makes the following comments; ‘An Elder must be blameless, that is, free from offensive traits that would invite criticism or ridicule of the church or the gospel by outsiders. The Elder must mirror the best fruits of the gospel in his life, both as an example to the membership and as a public defence against outside critics. These four quotations ought to make it obvious that this is a rather complex term to define and explain.
   
   
3. These four quotations bring out a number of aspects connected to the term blameless. This is a man known to have a good reputation that is augmented by the exercise of Biblical wisdom. The good reputation does not come by doing nothing wrong and being invisible in the life of the community, but by being involved in the lives of others. Calvin does us a great service by stating very clearly that blameless does not mean exempt from every vice, for if it did Titus would still be looking for Elders on Crete. We need to remember that the best of men are men at best. Elders are saved sinners struggling against the sin that continues to dwell within them. The good reputation must enhance the man's exercise of authority. A man who has a poor reputation cannot exercise the needed authority, particularly when it comes to disciplining fellow believers who refuse to submit to God's truth. The man of good reputation reveals that he is living under the authority of God's Word and exercises self-discipline in dealing with sin. The Old Testament background reveals a man who is concerned and interested in other people. Using today's language he is a people's person. He is compassionate, but is also hands on in helping others. The men that Titus needs to find must be squeaky-clean and Teflon coated so that accusations of moral or spiritual fault can be sustained against them as a result of public investigation. Politicians in America have complained about the high degree of public scrutiny they are subjected to, potential Elders need to be men who have no need to fear public scrutiny. The potential Elder must be free of offensive traits (like embarrassing people or being abrupt) and the fruits of the Gospel of Jesus ought to be obvious in his manner of life. It ought to be obvious to all that this man is reconciled to God and enjoys serving, submitting and honouring his Lord. This is a man who practices what he preaches. Having established the meaning we now need to see how a blameless life shows itself in family life.

2. A blameless man at work in his home.

1. There are three aspects to look at concerning the family of a blameless man that need to be investigated; (i) his relationship with his wife, (ii) his relationship with his children, (iii) his rule within his home. Each of these aspects requires a combination of skill and commitment that are important to the proper function of an Elder within the life of a congregation. The Biblical concept of covenant families and the church are closely related and intertwined. The way a man relates to his own family mirrors the way he will operate as an Elder in the church. We need deal with the concept as a whole before looking at the blameless man's management of his home and his relationship with his wife and children. In the home the blameless man is both faithful himself and inspires faithfulness in others. The word faithful contains the following qualities; trustworthiness, reliability, loyalty and truthfulness. You cannot be considered faithful if one of these qualities is absent.
   
   
2. The blameless man's relationship to his wife is a vital aspect. What point does Paul make when he says, ‘the husband of one wife?' Is he countering the practice of polygamy? He does that, but that was not his main concern. Is he saying that Elders can be married only once in a lifetime? If an Elders wife dies, is he disqualified if he remarries? Scripture teaches that a marriage ends in the death of either spouse and the surviving spouse is free to marry again. A remarried widower is still the husband of one wife. Is Paul making the point those men who have divorced their wives and remarried are not eligible for the Eldership? Secular history reveals that there was a very high divorce rate among Jews, Romans and Greeks, and that obtaining a divorce was as easy as getting remarried. Some men divorced and remarried so frequently that the term successive polygamy was coined. Does Paul put this restriction in place to prevent the embarrassing situation that could develop between a man and his five or six ex-wives?  Philip H Towner says, the point is not how often one can be married, nor precisely what constitutes a legitimate marriage (that the marriage of the candidate is legitimate is assumed), but rather how one conducts himself in his marriage.' Paul's requirement is that the man's marriage be a positive example of a faithful monogamous marriage. The modern day phrase a-one-woman-man is an excellent paraphrase of what the Greek means. This is a man who can build, maintain and sustain a faithful relationship with his wife, he loves her as Christ loved the church. A man who is able to keep his marriage vows, and show the faithfulness he promised. A blameless man's marriage is a commentary on his faithful heart towards his wife and their marriage.
   
   
3. Regarding the blameless man's children, Titus needs to see his children as ‘faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination.'  Agreement on the correct translation of this verse is almost impossible to determine from the language used. Listen to this verse in the NIV, ‘An Elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being disobedient.' The KJV and NKJV are almost alone in translating the Greek word ‘pistos' as faithful rather than believing. The Greek word used in Titus 1:6 can be translated as faithful, believing or trustworthy; therefore a word study will not help us in determining the meaning of this requirement. In order to interpret this word correctly we need to look carefully at what Paul says about the children of a blameless man being considered for the Eldership in 1 Timothy 3:4. (The blameless man is) ‘one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?).' The Amplified Bible elaborates on the matter of being in submission with all reverence by saying, under control, with dignity, commanding their respect in every way and keeping them respectful.' This is a very good description of a home with faithful children. The description in 1 Timothy 3:4 does not refer to the matter of the children being saved at all. If the closing words of Titus 1:6, (‘not accused of dissipation or insubordination') qualify or explain the meaning of ‘pistos' which is translated as ‘faithful' then the KJV and  NKJV is correct and the translation ‘believers' is poor. In the larger context of the teaching of the Pastoral Epistles, it would be unusual if the apostle Paul had different standards, a more lenient one in 1 Timothy 3:4 (obedient) and a more stringent one in Titus 1:6 (believing). Taking the word ‘pistos' to mean faithful removes the issue of different standards. The broader teaching of Scripture supports the concept of faithful children far more than it does believing children.
   
   
4. There are two additional reasons not to accept the translation as ‘believers' as the intention of Paul.
1. In dealing with the potential Elders family Paul's thoughts are on his ability to manage his own household well. The home must reflect his managerial skills and his sense of responsibility. No matter how good a man's managerial skills are, or how great his sense of responsibility is, these abilities will not secure the salvation of his children. Salvation is determined by the free sovereign will of God. Saving faith is always the product of God's great grace and not the product of human skill or effort. Good management skills and a sound sense of responsibility will bring the children under the means of grace to hear the Gospel. Romans 10:17, tells us ‘Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.' Good management skills will bring his children under God's word so that they hear it and see the results of believing in the example of their father. In a Christian home the father must be faithful in continuing to bring the Gospel to his children and teach them to obey the word. If a father has this concern for his own children he will have the same sense of care for the children of others within the congregation and bring them under God's word.
   
   
2. Paul in Titus 1:6 requires the children of prospective Elder to be those who cannot be accused of dissipation and insubordination. The more modern translations use the words wild and rebellious to convey the concepts behind the Greek words. Both words describe attitudes and actions that refuse to submit to authority. The prodigal son in the parable Jesus told had the traits that would disqualify the father from the Eldership. Children who fall into this category adopt and pursue the things in life that the Scriptures condemn as unacceptable in the eyes of God. The concept of a wild and rebellious child does not refer to occasional disobedience but deep-seated rebellious attitude against parental authority. This is a child that is arrogantly in rebellion against God. This is a child that will not submit to God's authority. Listen to Deuteronomy 21:18-21 ‘If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and who, when they have chastened him, will not heed them, then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city, to the gate of his city. And they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.' Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones; so you shall put away the evil from among you, and all Israel shall hear and fear.' Without getting into the controversy of whether or not this law should be practiced by New Testament believers, we need to recognise the important place Scripture gives to children submitting to the authority of parents. The vast majority of children in non-Christian homes are not wild and rebellious, but show respect and submit to authority. If a man cannot command the respect of his children as God requires, then he is disqualified from holding the office of Elder. This is the point that Paul is emphasising in Titus 1:6.
   The conclusion to be drawn from the above evidence is that, the word ‘pistos' used in Titus 1:6 needs to be understood as conveying the sense "faithful" or "obedient" but not "believing" in the sense that only men whose children are born-again believers are eligible to serve as Elders.
   
   
5. We do need to address one more question concerning wild and rebellious children; ‘At what point does a child become an adult and no longer live under the authority of his parents?' When does a child carry the full responsibilities for his behaviour? It is clear from Deuteronomy 21:18-21 that the rebellious son was old enough to be a glutton and a drunkard. In Jewish culture a child was considered to be of age the day after celebrating his thirteenth birthday. Being of age did not mean that a child's obligation to be obedient to his parents ceased after he turned thirteen, it simply meant that the child was responsible for keeping the law and contributing to society. It was only once a child left his father's household that the obligations of obedience ceased; the child was no longer under the sphere of the father's authority. Age was not the issue, the issue of authority was. The husband is head of the home and all those of his family who live under his roof are under his authority. The exercise of that authority is to influence and encourage others to be faithful in all things.
   
   
6. The last aspect we need to consider is the way a blameless man uses his authority to rule over his household. Exercising authority is a very difficult thing as it can easily be abused. Authority must be motivated by love and a desire to please the Lord. A husband and father who exercises authority as a tyrant to satisfy his ego or to get things done his way is not fit to be an Elder, because he is not managing his home well. A tyrant is obeyed out of fear, not out of principle or conviction of truth and knowledge. The love a father has for his children, if it is biblical, is expressed in teaching his children that to love God with all their heart, soul and mind is the most important thing in life. Children need to be taught that loving God and pleasing him is the most important thing in the world. Authority is used to accomplish this goal and encompasses every aspect of life. In the teaching of Deuteronomy 6:1-9, parents are called to teach their children how to please God and to show love for God. The purpose of this teaching is to promote a desire to please and love God in the children. The rule of fear promotes confusion. A child living in fear of his father's punishment vacillates between loving and resenting his father. An Elder in the church promotes obedience motivated by love for God in others.

Conclusion.

The church is a family and those who lead, are to be faithful and promote, inspire, influence, encourage and expect faithfulness in others. A potential Elder is recognised by his promotion of faithfulness in those who are under his authority. It is important to emphasise that it is God's desire for all men who love him to be blameless and manage their families well to his glory. Elders love God and out of love they encourage others to know God and love him.