A roadmap for elders - a one-woman man

 

Paul told Titus that he should look for men who are spiritually mature to appoint as elders in the new churches in Crete. And we know that spiritual maturity will be seen in a man's home life and in his personal character:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23, NIV)

The fruit of the Spirit is just the starting point! 

Let's dig in.....

Paul uses the term "above reproach" ("beyond" reproach in some translations) twice in these verses; once to speak about a man's home life, and once to sum up his personal character.

namely, if any man is beyond reproach, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, not accused of indecent behavior or rebellion. For the overseer must be beyond reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not overindulging in wine, not a bully, not greedy for money, (Titus 1:6-7, NASB)

The scholars tell us that the Greek word used here is different from the one in I Timothy:

An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, skillful in teaching, (I Timothy 3:2, NASB)

But those same scholars tell us that the meaning is essentially the same. Nothing in the man's life can be seen, for which an accusation can be brought against him. He's a man of integrity, and he is the same guy at church as he is at home. No hypocrisy there. If he sins, he is quick to confess it, renounce it, and ask for forgiveness. 

One who conceals his wrongdoings will not prosper,
But one who confesses and abandons them will find compassion. (Proverbs 28:13)

And the first "evidence" Paul lists as a qualifier for being "beyond reproach" is that he must be a "one woman man." Yep, seriously. No country songs here, just biblical teaching. (Grin)

There have been arguments about interpreting this verse. What exactly does it mean? I'm not a learned person, or a biblical scholar, but let's try to figure this out together. Some people have said it's a prohibition against polygamy, and I think that can be assumed to be correct. Paul cautioned believers to stay away from the practices of unbelievers, who would have wives, concubines, and slaves for sexual pleasures.  It's also been argued, after reading some of the early church leaders' writings, that this meant if a man's wife died, remarriage would make him ineligible to be an elder.

Others have said that remarriage of a widower is not a disqualifier, but that divorce is. Most who hold this view say they only are talking about divorce that happens after salvation - not before. 

Paul is focusing here in the present. He's looking at potential elders' present-day spiritual maturity. I don't believe that he is fishing for sins that were committed years ago. It seems common sense to me, because what if a man used to be quick-tempered? Or he years ago was addicted to alcohol and has lived sober for decades? Would these past evidences of spiritual immaturity disqualify him from becoming an elder? I think if we apply that yardstick, there would be no one who could qualify for the job! And we would be going against the teachings of scripture, where we learn that God extends forgiveness and mercy to those who repent and leave their sins behind . . . . in other words, Titus was to look at present godly character for elders.

The term is literally (according to those scholars, again!) a "one-woman man." He is devoted to his wife alone, and is not a womanizer. His thought life is under control; the Spirit guides him so that he is not pushed around by his lusts. He doesn't look at pornography. He has a track record of mental and moral purity. 

Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers. (Hebrews 13:4, NASB)

Let your fountain be blessed,
And rejoice in the wife of your youth. (Proverbs 5:18)

Here are some applications . . . 

..........a man who has never been divorced and has been married for fifty years may be disqualified from being an elder, if it's found that he has not renounced and turned away from his pornography addiction. 

..........on the other hand, a man who went through a divorce as a young man may have matured. He has dealt with the sins that led to his divorce, or he was the one who was left behind. He is faithful to his present wife in all respects. He could be qualified to be an elder.

..........and a single man could be an elder, as long as he is morally pure, including his thought life (I Corinthians 7:1-9). He might not be able to fully empathize with those parents that he counsels, but he can still be a godly leader in the church. (Grin)

Next time we study, we will look more at spiritual maturity of church leaders.