<Titus - Lesson 3>

The Just Shall Live By Faith

Romans 1:17 “ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."

Hebrews 10:38 “Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him."

Now that we clearly see the purpose and intent for Titus being left on the Isle of Crete, we need to understand the divine provision for the government of the church of Christ .

Titus 1:5 “For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you ”

In divine affairs all authority is inherent in God ( I Corinthians 11:3 ). In the dispensation of light (Christian dispensation), all authority has been given into the hands of Christ.

Ephesians 1:22-23 “And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”

Elders are appointed in each congregation of the Lord's people to oversee. They cannot make laws but can only function as they are authorized by the will of the Lord. Christ alone has been given legislative authority.

Matthew 28:18 “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, " All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”

Hebrews 9:15 “And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant , by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.”

2 Peter 1:19-21 “And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; 20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit .”

Elders then are not to make creeds for Christians to believe, teach, or live by. Their rule is within the realm of faith (faith comes from hearing the word of God – Romans 10:17 ), in matters of expediency, and within the realm of things authorized by the Lord.

Hebrews 13:17 “ Obey those who rule over you , and be submissive , for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.”

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 “And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. Be at peace among yourselves.”

To refuse to submit to the rule of elders in the congregation as long as they rule in harmony with the will of the Lord; is to rebel against the authority of Christ.

God has always been a God of order and not disarray. A woman is to submit to her own husband ( Ephesians 5:22 ); Children are to obey their parents ( Ephesians 6:1-3 ); Christians are to submit to governments, as long as they do not conflict with their duty to the Lord ( Acts 5:29 ; Romans 13:1 ); members of a congregation are to obey the elders of that congregation that do the will of the Lord ( I Timothy 5:17 ; I Peter 5:2 ).

They are responsible first and foremost for upholding the word of the Lord, and stop those who for whatever motive try to subvert the purity of the word and instruction of God.

Titus 1:9 “holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.”

This has a great effect on our understanding of their importance and is directly applicable to our specific study in Titus, as this was the long term solution for the problems that existed on Crete . They must know the truth, be able to teach and turn back false doctrine and false teachers. However, they have no right to make any demand that cannot be established in the word of God, and have every expectation to uphold with conservation the teachings of scripture.

Acts 20:28 -32 “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 29 For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. 31 Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. 32 So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace , which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified .”

Elders must be able to meet any error with truth, and not just turn away false teachers and insubordinate souls, but protect the integrity of what Christ died to establish.

Titus 1:5 “For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you”

1 Peter 5:2 “Shepherd the flock of God which is among you , serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly;”

They are to take heed to their flock only!! ( Acts 20:28 ) No where in the scriptures did God give elders authority or jurisdiction over members of another congregation. They are responsible for only those that they have oversight.

Hebrews 13:17 “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.”

Contrary to the Catholic practices, elders have no right to interfere with or seek to control or exercise authority over personal, private affairs of any Christian's home, business, social activities, political, or civil affairs. If a Christian, as a member of a local congregation over which they oversee, is not living in harmony with the will of the Lord in any of these relationships, they have the obligation to teach, exhort, and admonish. If the Christian will not walk upright, they also have the authority to protect the rest of the flock from such individuals (this concerns fellowship). However, with all that said, they are to enforce the teaching of the word of God which can affect these affairs and how Christians should live within the world.

Acts 11:27 -30 “And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch . 28 Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar. 29 Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea . 30 This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.”

Just as in this example of congregational benevolence, all aspects of local work fall within the oversight of the elders. There is no indication of any activity within the New Testament church that was an exception to this rule.

God is not a God of Chaos, but order. We can clearly see that if elders did not exist in the churches of Crete , just why they were not yet in order.

Each church on this island required these shepherds in order to protect the integrity of the word of God. Without these overseers, the insubordinate, idle talkers, and deceivers all have an equal voice. Chaos would then ensue, and finally apostasy rules.

To all the congregations that exist today, which year after year, are content to exist without this God given form of government, who will stand up and perform this vital work?

It was evident in the teachings of scripture that the Lord never intended for the preacher to be in charge! Or the most influential member! He intended for a plurality of qualified men (we will look at the qualifications in the next lesson), to set in order and protect the things which were lacking in Crete and in every congregation of God's people.