God’s Steward

In the middle of today’s passage, Paul says a phrase that stands out to me, especially following the series we were just in. In Titus 1:7, he calls an elder, “God’s steward.” A steward is someone who’s been entrusted with something that belongs to somebody else. You know what that means here? The church doesn’t belong to the pastor. It doesn’t belong to the members. The church belongs to God. Those who lead the church and who make up the church are stewards of what belongs to Him.

That’s true specifically for elders, but there’s something in this passage for all of us. Everything we have has been entrusted to us by God. Our families. Our gifts. Our time. Our opportunities. We are to be stewards of it all. So, what does faithfulness look like for those who have been entrusted with God’s church? For all of us? Titus 1:5-9 shows us:

5 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— 6 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. 7 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, 8 but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. 9 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. 

The church matters. (5)

Verse 5 says, “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.”

The term Paul uses here for elder is presbuteros.[1] Elsewhere, and with Paul it is used interchangeably[2] with episkopos[3] and poimen.[4] Different terms but the same office. Pastor, overseer, shepherd, elder. And what is more than implied here is that there is to be a plurality of elders for the sake of the health of the church. That’s why we have the polity, the ecclesiology that we have here at First Baptist.

About the state of the church there in Crete, Chuck Swindoll paints a good picture for us:

“The apostle found the churches broken or twisted by apostasy and was determined to realign them. “Set straight” is derived from the Greek word orthoō, which medical writers used to describe the process of setting and splinting broken bones. We get our words “orthodontics” and “orthopedics” from this term.”

So what we see from this text is that what matters for the sake of health of the church is the health of its leaders. That’s why godly character is the number one criteria for a church leader. Actually, that is the only criteria that Paul lists here. Every criteria he lists in Titus for elders has to do with their godly character. You can see that from how verse 6 starts out: “if anyone is above reproach…” Some translations right here say “blameless.” Now, as Chuck Swindoll says,

“Above reproach” means (lit.) “blameless” or “without accusation.” This is not a requirement for sinless perfection or a pristine past; it’s a general assessment of a man’s maturity and reputation. John Calvin paraphrased this idea as “not marred by disgrace.” This general quality of character frames all the rest, which can be divided into three broad categories: home life, public life, and church life.”

Paul gives Titus two assignments in verse 5. He is to “put what remained into order,” and he is to “appoint elders.” Those both go together. One of the primary ways Titus is to help set these churches straight is by making sure they have godly leaders.

There were already believers—real people just like you—at the church at Crete. But just because something exists doesn’t mean it’s healthy. It was like a broken bone that needed to be set. And a broken bone needs to be set straight so it can heal and function the way it was designed to function. Paul doesn’t tell Titus to just be happy there’s churches in Crete and leave them alone. He loves the church too much. Ephesians 5:25 says, “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” Acts 20:28 calls it “the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.” The church matters to Jesus because He payed for it with His own blood.

So, church health matters. And Paul connects the health of the church to the health of its leaders.

Faithfulness to family matters. (6)

Verse 6 says, “…the husband of one wife and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination.”

Elders can’t be expected to manage God’s family if they have failed to manage their own. Paul says similarly in 1 Timothy 3:4–5,

4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church?

Paul starts at home because the home tells you a lot about a person. Public ministry can hide things that family life exposes. You can polish up a sermon. You can have everything prepared for a meeting. You can put on your best clothes and smile for a few hours. But the people who live with you see who you really are.

Regarding the family, Paul first says he is to be “the husband of one wife.” This literally means he is to be a one-woman man. The emphasis here is faithfulness. He is to be devoted to his wife. How he loves his wife is part of the evidence of his character.

Then Paul talks about his children. There’s some debate over whether the word translated “believers” here means that his children must be Christians or whether the emphasis is that they are faithful and submissive while they are under his authority. But the rest of the verse makes Paul’s concern super clear. His kids aren’t to be known for “debauchery or insubordination.” There should be order for the most part in the home.

So, Paul’s logic is simple. If a man doesn’t know how to care for and lead the people God has entrusted to him in his own home, how is he going to care for the larger household family of God, right? This doesn’t mean a dad can save his children. He can’t. We can teach our children the gospel. We can pray for them. We can live out our faith before them. We can discipline them and point them toward Jesus. But only God can change their hearts. Paul’s point is that each person’s faith should be lived out with their family who knows them best.

So, we need to ask, what does your faith look like at home? Does your family get the same person we all get at church? Do your kids see you repent when you’re wrong? Do you have family devotions together? Do they see that God truly matters to you? Does your spouse see the fruit of the Spirit in your life, even when it’s hard? Faithfulness to God should show up in faithfulness to the family He has entrusted to us.

Godly character matters. (7–8)

Paul lists specific areas that elders, and all of us, should be watchful to live above reproach. Verses 7-8 show us:

7 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, 8 but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined

Paul lists the five negatives first. They relate to five areas of strong temptation, namely pride, temper, drink, power and money.” (John Stott, 176) John Stott also notably says,

“The leading thought, which applies to them all, and which occurs twice in verse 8, is that the pastor must be ‘master of himself’ (Rsv), which the Nrv translates self-controlled (sophron) and disciplined (enkratés), the latter being also the final fruit of the Spirit.'” (176)

This is the part of the text where I mentioned in the intro that Paul says an overseer is “God’s steward.” We must remember this in every area of church leadership: The church isn’t ours. 1Peter 5:2 calls it “the flock of God.” An elder is entrusted with the care of something precious that belongs to God. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4:2, “it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.” Faithfulness is God’s standard for good stewards. Notice what’s not God’s standard for pastors. Not famous. Not seen. Not known. Not impressive. Not even liked. But faithful.

And because he is God’s steward, Paul immediately turns first to the kind of man he must not be. The five negatives touch five strong temptations: pride, temper, drink, power, and money. Think about how easily any single one of those can completely destroy a leader or any life for that matter.

“He must not be arrogant.” An arrogant man has to have his way. He’s always right. He doesn’t listen well because he assumes he already knows. He sees leadership as a way to get other people to do what he wants.

“He must not be quick-tempered.” Ministry involves people, and I don’t know if you know this, but people can be a little difficult. Pastors face criticism. There’s disagreement in the work of the ministry. There will be times when people disappoint you. A person who is controlled by anger will eventually hurt the people he is supposed to help.

“He must not be a drunkard.” He can’t be mastered by alcohol. He needs to be sober-minded and filled with the Spirit.[5]

“He must not be violent.” He shouldn’t use force, intimidation, or harshness to get his way.

And “he must not be greedy for gain.” Money can’t be the motive behind his ministry. If he’s in it just for a paycheck, he needs to quit tomorrow.

Paul then moves from what shouldn’t be there to what should be there.

“He should be hospitable.” Literally, there should be room in his life for people.

“He should be a lover of good. He should be self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.”

Stott’s earlier word about self-control here is so key because it brings both lists together. The man who is going to help oversee God’s church has to be learning to “master” himself. Pride can’t master him. Anger can’t master him. Alcohol can’t master him. Power can’t master him. Money can’t master him. His appetites can’t master him.

Galatians 5:22–23 says self-control is a fruit of the Spirit. Godly character is the work of God in a person’s life as that person walks with Him. That’s why these qualifications matter to all of us, not just elders. It is evidence of walking with God and God doing a transforming work within us.

Biblical faithfulness matters. (9)

Remember, sound doctrine and godly living go hand in hand. The purpose for their godly living is for the effectiveness of their sound teaching.

Verse 9 says, “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.”

The main function of an elder is to care for God’s people by teaching them. Danny Akin points out,

“Sound teaching may be the heart of Titus. The phrase occurs four times in the New Testament, all in the pastorals, with two of those in Titus. Literally it is “healthy teaching.” Again, if there is healthy teaching, then there can be sick, weak, even deadly teaching. With sound doctrine, healthy teaching, we “exhort” and “encourage.” Faced with false, weak, sickly teaching that “contradicts” by compromise, opposition, or neglect, we “refute” with sound doctrine.”

Paul gives two reasons the elder has to know the Word. He needs to be able to “give instruction in sound doctrine,” and he needs to be able to “rebuke those who contradict it.” There is a positive and a negative side to the work. He feeds the sheep with truth, and he protects the sheep from error. John Calvin put it this way: “A pastor needs two voices, one for gathering the sheep and the other for driving away wolves and thieves.” That’s a pretty good picture of verse 9. Teach what is true. Confront what is false.

Bad doctrine doesn’t stay theoretical. It hurts people. It makes people sick. That’s why sound doctrine matters so much throughout Titus. Like Danny Akin says, sound doctrine is healthy doctrine. Healthy teaching produces healthy Christians. Sick teaching produces sick Christians.

We need this desperately today. We have access to more teaching than any generation before us. You can listen to sermons all day long. You can watch clips, podcasts, videos, and teachers from all over the world. But more access doesn’t mean more truth. Some of it’s really good. Some of it is downright garbage that completely twists God’s Word. We need to know God’s Word well enough and know God’s character well enough to know when they’re being distorted.

Paul is showing us what matters in these verses. The church matters. Faithfulness to family matters. Godly character matters. Biblical faithfulness matters. He’s describing a whole person’s life. What a person is in the church, what he is at home, what he is in his character, and what he believes should all agree.

And you know, none of us can read this list and say we’ve fully arrived there. Being above reproach doesn’t mean we’re sinless, but this passage still fully exposes our sinfulness. We’ve been selfish. We’ve lost our tempers. We’ve wanted our own way. We’ve been undisciplined. We haven’t always loved what is good. We haven’t always held as tightly to the Word as we should.

We need more than a list of qualifications, don’t we? We need a Savior. We need Jesus.

We aren’t saved because we can check every box in Titus 1. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. But the grace that saves us also changes us and starts to make us look more like Jesus.

God has entrusted something to every one of us. Your family. Your gifts. Your time. Your influence. Your resources. The people He has placed in your life. For elders, He entrusts the care of His church. None of it ultimately belongs to us. We are God’s stewards.

Last week we saw that we are all saved to serve. This week Paul shows us what God is looking for in those He entrusts with His work. 1 Corinthians 4:2 says, “it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.” Would we all be found faithful.

[1] https://biblehub.com/greek/4245.htm

[2] Acts 20:17, 28; 1 Peter 5:1–2

[3] https://biblehub.com/greek/1985.htm

[4] https://biblehub.com/greek/4166.htm

[5] Ephesians 5:18 – And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit