Lessons #19 and 20
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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual exposition not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GWT = God’s Word Translation, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New English Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
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Qualifications of an overseer (Titus 1:7-9)
... 8 Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.
Desirable virtues (Titus 1:8)
Let me remind you that all the desirable virtues of an overseer should apply to all believers. They are also applicable to any believer in a leadership role of any kind. This aside, the second desirable virtue of an overseer is profound love for what is good. It is this virtue that is described in the clause one who loves what is good of Titus 1:8. The expression “loves what is good” is translated from a Greek adjective (philagathos) that means “loving what is good” that appears only here in the Greek NT. The Greek word is a term used in Greco-Roman world, especially with respect to important and influential persons, those who are kind and generous toward others. In our passage, it is used in the sense of being characterized by a love for all things good, that is, loving to act well and to do what is good often implying one does so with self-denial. Thus, an overseer should be one that is good, who works to realize the good and takes pleasure in it. In effect, he will hate with passion that which is evil as he has the same passion for what is good. He is the kind of person who obeys the command of the Lord to Israel through Prophet Amos in Amos 5:15:
Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the LORD God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.
In any way, the overseer who is described as loving what is good will endear himself to members of his congregation.
The third desirable virtue of an overseer is that of being thoughtful, as implied in the next clause of Titus 1:8 who is self-controlled. The virtue in question according to the NIV is that of “self-control” which is possible, but it does not seem to be what the apostle intended here since he used another Greek word that means “self-controlled” in the same verse 8. Admittedly, it is difficult to be certain of the appropriate English word to describe the virtue the apostle meant. This difficulty may be traced to the Greek where the Greek adjective (sōphrōn) used in our passage belongs to a group of words in the Greek that although is characteristic of Greek thought, is almost impossible to translate so that our Greek lexicons can only describe its meaning using such words “prudent, thoughtful, sensible, moderate, self-controlled.” The Greek adjective used in our passage is related to a Greek verb (sōphroneō) that has two meanings. The first meaning pertains to being able to think in a sound or sane manner and so means “to be of sound mind.” It is in this sense that Apostle Paul used the Greek verb in 2 Corinthians 5:13:
If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.
The clause if we are in our right mind may alternatively be translated if we are of sound mind. Another meaning of the Greek verb related to our Greek adjective pertains to being prudent, with focus on self-control, hence means “to be reasonable, sensible, serious, keep one’s head.” It is in this sense that the Greek verb is used by Apostle Paul in his instruction to the Romans concerning their attitude, especially as it pertains to exercise of spiritual gifts in Romans 12:3:
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
The verbal phrase think of yourself with sober judgment is more literally to think so as to be sensible. Thus, the Greek verb related to our Greek adjective is concerned with thought. Consequently, it is not therefore surprising that our Greek adjective is concerned with rationality or the full possession of one’s mental faculties as opposed to unintelligence or madness so that our Greek adjective means “of sound mind.” This being the case, the virtue that the apostle stipulates with respect to the overseer is one that involves being thoughtful or prudent. This means that an overseer should be known to be an individual who has the capability of being rational so that he has the right thoughts about what he should do, how to do it and when to do it. In any case, there are several ways to describe the virtue the apostle had in mind with our Greek word, but it seems to me that the simplest description of the virtue in question is that of thoughtfulness. A person who is thoughtful reflects this in his lifestyle in that the person is measured in his conduct or he is moderate in dealing with things because he tries to maintain balance in his views. An overseer must be a person who knows how to balance his views so that he is moderate in his dealing with others. His moderation will also be evident in how thoughtfully he handles the truth of Scripture that are subject to various interpretations.
The fourth desirable virtue of an overseer is that of moral integrity. It is this virtue that is given in Titus 1:8 with the word upright. The word “upright” is translated from a Greek adjective (dikaios) that in Greco-Roman world refers to a person who conforms to the custom or law and things concerning normal behavior that include public service that make for a well ordered, civilized society. In the NT, the Greek adjective is used to describe the person who conforms to what God requires or who carries out His will so that the person may be described as righteous or upright. Anyone that consistently complies to God’s requirement although not perfect by any means is one that is righteous or upright. It is for this reason that our Greek word is used to describe Zechariah and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist in Luke 1:6:
Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly.
What it means that Zechariah and Elizabeth were upright in the sense of consistently carrying out God’s requirement is defined for us in the verbal phrase observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly. Anyway, a person described as upright or righteous should be an honest person so that our Greek word may be used to describe someone who is honest. It is with the sense of “honesty” that our Greek word is used to describe what the spies who came to trick Jesus with questions during His earthly ministry were not, as we read in Luke 20:20:
Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be honest. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor.
The clause who pretended to be honest is more literally who pretended to be upright. A righteous or upright person must have a sense of justice or fairness. The point is that an overseer should be a person others observe to be honest in his dealing with others with a good sense of fairness. He should be a person who has been observed by others as being devoted to God’s word in that he strives to keep God’s requirements. Again, we should be careful to understand that such a person is not perfect since there is no one on this planet that is perfect but a person can be described as righteous in the sense of having moral integrity that is the result of consistent striving to do God’s will.
The fifth desirable virtue of an overseer is being devout or pious. It is this virtue that is described with the word holy in Titus 1:8. The word “holy” is translated from a Greek adjective (hosios) that in secular Greek refers to a quality of a person who feels inward awe before the gods and eternal laws, and who act accordingly and so means “pious.” In the Septuagint, the Greek word is used predominantly to translate a Hebrew word (ḥāsîd) that means “faithfulness” in the sense of one who observes the terms of God’s covenant with Israel, as it is used in Psalm 4:3:
Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord will hear when I call to him.
The phrase the godly is more literally the faithful one. The Greek adjective (hosios) appears eight times in the Greek NT, three of these are used with respect to humans while the rest describe Jesus or God. It has two categories of meaning. It pertains to being without fault and possessing certain essentially divine qualities in contrast with what is human and so means “pure, devout, pious, pleasing to God, holy.” With respect to humans, it is used with the sense of moral qualities. Therefore, the word is used to describe the state of believers who should pray in 1 Timothy 2:8:
I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.
A hand cannot be considered holy or unholy per se, so that the phrase holy hands is to be understood in a figurative manner so that “hand” is a reference to the whole person or specifically the soul. Thus, lifting of holy hands is concerned with way of conduct. So, the phrase holy hands, is a way of describing the believer who is devoted to God and lives righteously according to truth. The Greek adjective is used to refer to Jesus Christ as the “Holy One” as indicated by Apostle Peter in his sermon on the day of Pentecost when he quoted from psalms, as per Acts 2:27:
because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
Another meaning of the Greek adjective pertains to being the standard for what constitutes holiness and so means “holy” but in this sense, it is used only of God. It is in this sense that the word is used in Revelation 15:4:
Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
In our passage of Titus 1:8, the Greek adjective is used in the sense of “pious, devout.” This means that an overseer must be one who is committed to God’s word. He must be a person that others would recognize as being committed to God and His word and so such a person has a profound respect for God. There is also the sense that because such a person is devoted to God, his faithfulness to things of God should be evident to others. It is not difficult to understand the importance of being devoted to things of God for an overseer who is to be responsible for God’s people. If he were not devoted to God and faithfully serve Him, it is possible that such a person would become discouraged when he finds that some believers in the congregation are not committed to God’s word as he is. But because he is committed to God and His word, then he is not distracted from his own devotion to God and his function to the local church.
The sixth desirable virtue of an overseer is being self-controlled. It is this virtue that is given in the NIV of Titus 1:8 with the word disciplined. The word “disciplined” of the NIV is translated from a Greek adjective (egkratēs) that appears only here in the Greek NT; it belongs to a group of Greek words that relate to a Greek stem that denotes power or lordship. Thus, our Greek word pertains to having one’s emotions, impulses, or desires under control and so means “self-controlled, disciplined”, sometimes in relationship with sexual desires, as implied in the instruction regarding spouses not withholding sex from each other in 1 Corinthians 7:5:
Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
Anyway, the Greek adjective used in Titus 1:8 means “self-control” in a general sense and so the meaning “disciplined” is appropriate since a person who is self-controlled is an individual that is disciplined. It should not be surprising that the virtue of being self-controlled is one that is expected of an overseer. This is because an overseer who lives a self-controlled life is one that implies he is being controlled by the Holy Spirit since a facet of the fruit of the Spirit is self-control, as per Galatians 5:23:
gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
The overseer should be an individual who is consistently under the control of the Holy Spirit to carry out his function with respect to the congregation. As we have indicated, one way others could believe that such a person is controlled by the Holy Spirit is if he were known to be a person who is self-controlled. It is important that an overseer be self-controlled so that he is not quick to anger when things are not going well. In effect, an overseer should be one that keeps level head in every situation as it relates to his function of ruling over the congregation. There are things that would happen in a congregation that may cause him to respond emotionally in a wrong manner but if he were a person who is self-controlled then he will be careful in how to respond. He does not react quickly to things that are contrary to his expectations whatever they happen to be. He remains cool under provocation of all kinds. This does not mean that he will never be angry but that his anger would be clearly one that is in keeping with the Scripture, that is, that his anger is directed towards sin or unrighteousness. Self-control, as we have indicated, helps the overseer as he carries out his duty in that he does not react in a manner that will be detrimental to the local church when things are not going well so that he causes further damage to the congregation by his inappropriate response to whatever the situation is. But then if an overseer has self-control, it will be beneficial to him in that he would not be easily hurt personally. We mean that self-control is a defensive mechanism for an overseer or for any believer for that matter. You see, if you have self-control you have protection from those who want to irritate you because when they try to irritate you, you do not respond the way they wanted and so you disarm them. It is probably because of the benefit of self-control as we have described that a person who lacks self-control is compared to a city wall that has been broken down so that the inhabitants of the city are left unprotected, as we read in Proverbs 25:28:
Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.
Self-control or discipline is particularly important in the overseer as it relates to his function of teaching the congregation the word of God. It requires great self-control or discipline to study the word of God daily. This is because there are many things that can distract a pastor from studying the word of God if he does not have the discipline or self-control to recognize what his priorities are. But one who is disciplined will be so much focused on the study of God’s word that he would not allow anything to distract him from it. It is this lack of self-control or discipline that is in part one of the reasons many pastors are not studying the word of God to teach it to their congregations even though their most important function to their congregations is to teach God’s truth. That the most important function of an overseer or a pastor is to teach the word of God is indicated in the next qualification of an overseer the apostle states in Titus 1:9.
Devotion to Christian message (Titus 1:9)
He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.
The apostle guided by the Holy Spirit has focused on the kind of person that is to be considered an overseer or a pastor. This kind of person has been described in terms of his family life, the vices that he should not possess, and the virtues he should possess. Following these, the apostle comes to the qualification of an overseer or pastor that is necessary to carry out his primary function that involves the propagation and defense of the Christian message. I submit to you that the order of presentation of the qualifications of an overseer is not arbitrary. There are at least two reasons the Holy Spirit directed the apostle to focus first on spiritual life or character of an overseer before that of the qualification necessary to carry out his primary function. A first reason is to ward off a wrong view that might develop later in the church, which is to focus on the function of an overseer while ignoring his spiritual life. This kind of wrong view has shown itself among some believers who take the position that the message is more important than the man. By which, of course, they imply that it is not the life of the one who teaches the word of God that is important but what he teaches. Some of those who have this view erroneously quote the apostle’s writing in 2 Corinthians 13:8:
For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth.
The typical argument is that since the apostle indicated that he and his team could not do anything against the truth that the implication is that they could not in a personal or moral sense work against the truth. So, some take the view that even the teacher’s lifestyle cannot work against the truth, implying that such a person’s lifestyle is not that important as the message he delivers. It is true that no human has the power to thwart God’s plan but it is contrary to the entire Scripture to imply that the lifestyle of the teacher is not important or has no effect on his teaching. For one thing, the apostle who wrote this statement is one that advocated many times that believers should follow his example. This being the case, it is difficult to see how the apostle could have remotely envisioned that his lifestyle would not work against the truth. The apostle in this passage of 2 Corinthians is eager to proclaim that he and his team are incapable of acting in a way to oppose the truth. Furthermore, consider the fact the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul wanted Timothy to pay attention to his lifestyle and doctrine in 1 Timothy 4:16:
Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
Anyway, it is our assertion that to ward off this kind of thinking that minimizes the importance of the lifestyle of the teacher of God’s word that the apostle first began the qualifications of an overseer by focusing on his spiritual life.
A second reason the apostle focused on the spiritual life of an overseer that is related to the first is that effective ministry requires the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. A person who is not careful about his spiritual life will not enjoy the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Related to this empowerment of the Spirit is the fact that God uses effectively the individual that his lifestyle is in keeping with the truth of God’s word. This fact is conveyed by the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul regarding the kind of person that the Lord uses as he stated in 2 Timothy 2:21:
If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.
This passage in 2 Timothy reveals that a useful instrument of God is one who is conscious of the spiritual life in ensuring that the individual’s spiritual life is such that the Holy Spirit is in control of the individual since the Holy Spirit will not control a sin-laden individual. Therefore, it is important that an overseer that is to be used of the Lord be an individual that his spiritual life is exemplary.
In any case, the apostle having focused on the spiritual life of an overseer focused on his qualification that will enable him to carry out his primary function of propagating and defending the Christian message. Therefore, the apostle states this qualification of an overseer in the sentence of Titus 1:9 in the NIV He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught. A surface reading of this sentence would imply that the apostle was concerned with one qualification of an overseer that will enable him to carry out his function with respect to the Christian message, but the qualification is two-fold. A first aspect of the qualification is that an overseer should be one who has interest in the Christian message or doctrine and so be devoted to it. It is this qualification that is given in the first part of the sentence He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message.
The expression “hold firmly” is translated from a participle of a Greek verb (antechō) that may mean to have a strong attachment to someone or something and so means “to cling to, hold fast to, be devoted to.” Thus, it is used to indicate the impossibility of a slave being equally devoted to two masters in Luke 16:13:
“No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”
The Greek word may also mean to have strong interest in someone as to do something for the person, hence means “to help” as it is used in the instruction of the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul of taking interest in the weak so as to help, as per 1 Thessalonians 5:14:
And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
In our passage of Titus 1:9, the Greek word is used in the sense of not only holding fast to something but of having interest in what one holds fast or clings to so that a person becomes devoted to the object of interest.
The object of interest and devotion in our passage is the Christian message or doctrine that is described in the phrase the trustworthy message of Titus 1:9. The word “message” is translated from a Greek word (logos) that may mean “word” in the sense of what one speaks or utters, as it is used in Colossians 3:17:
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Another meaning of the Greek word is “message”, as it is used in Acts 10:44:
While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.
In our passage of Titus 1:9, it is the meaning of “message” that is applicable, that is, the Christian message that consists of the gospel and the other doctrines of the Christian faith.
The Christian message is unique from all the other claims of messages by religious people of the world of the time of the apostle and in our modern world. To ensure that we recognize its uniqueness, the apostle qualified the Christian message with the adjective trustworthy. The Christian message beginning with the gospel is trustworthy because it is from God Himself, delivered by Him to men in the person of Jesus Christ. Hence, the human author of Hebrews could speak of the message of salvation being preached first by Jesus Christ and confirmed by those who heard Him. In addition, the message was confirmed by miracles, as we read in Hebrews 2:3–4:
3 how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4 God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
The Christian message is rooted in historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because Jesus resurrected, we can be certain that the message He brought was true and trustworthy. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit guided the apostles to teach God’s word to men so that Apostle Paul could refer to his message as God’s word in 1 Thessalonians 2:13:
And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.
Anyone who will be involved in Christian message must have the full conviction that it is trustworthy. One of the ways a person could demonstrate that he believes that the Christian message is trustworthy is to have interest in it and be devoted to it. Thus, an important qualification for an overseer is that of true commitment to the word of God in the sense that the individual has great interest in it. I suppose that it is because some who are ordained as pastors did not have this devotion to God’s word prior to their ordination that explains in part the lack of passion on the part of so many pastors regarding the word of God although they give it a lip service. It is difficult for me to conceive of any believer who has not shown a great passion for the word of God being ordained as an overseer. In other words, there must be this unquestionable devotion to God’s word on the part of anyone who desires to be an overseer of a local church. My point is that the first aspect of the qualification of an overseer that is concerned with his function is that of having passion or interest in the word of God so that it can be said that the person is devoted to it.
A second aspect of the qualification of an overseer that is concerned with his function is a prior instruction concerning the Christian message. We mean that a person that is to be considered for the position of an overseer must first receive instruction with respect to the Christian message or doctrines. It is this qualification that is given the clause as it has been taught of Titus 1:9 of the NIV. The translators of the NIV turned the Greek noun used into a verb so that the literal Greek that reads clinging to the teaching of trustworthy word is translated as He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught. The word “taught” of the NIV is how its translators interpreted the Greek noun (didachē) used in the verse that has the basic meaning of “teaching.” However, “teaching” may refer to the content of what is taught, as the Greek noun is used in Romans 16:17:
I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.
Teaching here refers to what one has been taught and so the content of instruction received. Teaching may refer to the activity of teaching hence means “instruction”, as the Greek noun is used in 2 Timothy 4:2:
Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.
It is in the sense of content of teaching that the Greek noun is used in Titus 1:9. The passage we are considering does not explicitly state who gave the teaching regarding the Christian message that a potential overseer should have received. Because the epistle is from Apostle Paul, the implication is that Titus should consider only those who have received instructions from the apostle as being qualified for the position of an overseer of a local congregation. This requirement is ignored in some quarters when it comes to being an overseer of a local church. A person should only be considered for such a position if it can be demonstrated that the individual has received a formal instruction concerning the Christian message. At the time of the apostle, such formal instruction came from him and the other apostles, but today formal instruction is usually through a seminary training. Today, seminary training should equip those who attend to such an institution with the full realm of the Christian doctrine. Consequently, a person who is trained in a seminary is exposed to the various doctrines of the Christian faith beginning with the doctrine of the word of God, doctrine of God that includes the three persons of the Triune God and their work, the doctrine of man, the doctrine of salvation, the doctrine of the church, and the doctrine of the last things. In addition, a seminary training provides one trained with the ability to use the original languages of the Bible, primarily that of Greek and Hebrews, in interpreting of the sacred text. There are other things such as the art of interpretation of the Scripture and church history that are learned from a seminary. The implication is that anyone who wants to be an overseer should have a training that involves what we have stated. Of course, it is possible not to go to a seminary and still obtain close to the training that takes place in a seminary. This is how it can be done. A person could get hold of a good systematic theology book and study it completely. This will give the person similar knowledge to those who attended seminary. Add to this, a person could learn Greek and Hebrew using some of the available tools for learning these languages and such a person will have knowledge that will approximate that of those who obtained a formal seminary training. In any event, it is essential that anyone who seriously considers being a pastor should expose himself to the teaching of another pastor who has been trained in seminary and after studying in such a local church should further his understanding of the Christian doctrine by attending a seminary or do what we have recommended if the person does not have the means of attending seminary. But to do this requires great discipline on the part of an individual that wants to train himself through the available tools out there. The point is that a person who is to be an overseer should have received proper teaching of the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith as implied in the clause as it has been taught of Titus 1:9 of the NIV. Following the qualification that is concerned with an overseer’s function, the apostle then stated the primary function of an overseer or a pastor.
The primary function of an overseer is that of teaching the Christian message or doctrine. Like the qualification of an overseer that is related to his function, this primary function is also two-fold. A first element of an overseer’s teaching is concerned with instructing believers in the sense of teaching them correctly the Christian doctrines and encouraging them to live in accordance with truth. It is this element of the function of an overseer that is given in the next clause of Titus 1:9 so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine of the NIV. The word “encourage” is translated from a Greek verb (parakaleō) that may mean “to urge strongly, exhort”, as it is used by the apostle to appeal to the Thessalonians regarding what he wants them to do with respect to some individuals among them in 1 Thessalonians 5:14:
And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
The Greek verb may mean “to encourage, to comfort”. It is in the sense of “to encourage” that it is used in 1 Thessalonians 3:2:
We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God’s fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith,
The meaning “to comfort” is used for those in trouble, as implied in 2 Corinthians 1:4:
who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
The Greek verb is used to indicate that an overseer has the responsibility of exhorting, encouraging, and comforting of believers through accurate teaching of the word of God as in the phrase by sound doctrine. The adjective “sound” is translated from a Greek verb (hygiainō) that means “to be healthy” so that it is used as a formula in an epistolary greeting in 3 John 2:
Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.
The verbal phrase enjoy good health is more literally to be healthy. Another meaning of the Greek verb is to be sound or free from error and so means “to be correct, be accurate.” In our passage, the meaning is that of being correct or accurate but a Greek participle is used that here functions as an adjective and so it is translated “sound” or “accurate.” So, an overseer is supposed to encourage, instruct, and comfort believers who are in trouble by appealing to the sound doctrine of the Christian faith.
How do we know what is a sound doctrine of the Christian faith? The first and primary way of knowing what a sound doctrine is, is to determine how that doctrine conforms to the gospel message. This is the answer the apostle gave in 1 Timothy 1:10–11:
10 for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine 11 that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.
The contents of the gospel message are given by the apostle in 1 Corinthians 15:1, 3-4:
1Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.
3For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
Add to this passage is an additional information that is implied in the contents of the gospel the apostle preached as given in 1 Corinthians 15 that is concerned with Jesus’ humanity, as stated in 2 Timothy 2:8:
Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel,
Based on these two passages we know that the gospel is concerned with four concepts of sin, death of Jesus Christ, His resurrection, and His humanity. These four concepts help us to determine what is a sound doctrine and so there are at least four criteria for determining sound doctrine. First, every sound doctrine must recognize that sin is repulsive to God and so no matter what doctrine a person presents as being sound, it will inevitably convey this fact. Second, every sound doctrine must indicate that man could not solve the sin problem by himself, hence the necessity of grace and faith in Christ. There are many doctrines that are floated by people that ignore the fact that humans are incapable of solving the sin problem without faith in Christ. So, when there is a teaching that is focused at solving the problem of humanity that ignores this truth then no matter how appealing that teaching may be, we have to recognize it as not a sound doctrine. Third, every sound doctrine must recognize that it is the power that was responsible for the resurrection of Christ that is available to the believer to ensure experiential sanctification. In other words, if anyone presents Christian life without emphasis on the ministry of the Holy Spirit that is not a sound doctrine. Fourth, every sound doctrine must recognize that Christ is the God-man. In other words, every sound doctrine must recognize the humanity of Christ and His deity. Thus, it is not surprising that the Holy Spirit through Apostle John puts this test of sound doctrine as a major test for the Spirit that is from God in 1 John 4:2–3:
2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
Anyway, the criteria we have given should help a believer in determining what is a sound doctrine. When you hear any doctrine, you should measure it with these four criteria. In addition, you should always evaluate any doctrine to determine how it agrees with God’s character. This, of course, assumes you know the character of God as revealed in the Scripture. Nonetheless, an overseer of a local church should teach sound doctrine and guide the members of the congregation towards it.
A second element of an overseer’s teaching is concerned with combating errors. It is this that is given in the last sentence of Titus 1:9 and refute those who oppose it. The word “refute” is translated from a Greek verb that may mean “to bring to light, to expose”, as the word is used in Ephesians 5:11:
Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.
The Greek word may mean “to convince, convict” in the sense of bringing a person to the point of recognizing wrong doing, as the word is used in convincing an unbeliever who comes into the congregation of believers during worship that he is a sinner, as recorded in 1 Corinthians 14:24:
But if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all,
Another meaning of the Greek word is “to reprove, correct” as it is used in public rebuke of someone in a congregation that sins, as stated in 1 Timothy 5:20:
Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning.
It is probably in the sense of convincing a person of an error with the implication of rebuking a person that the apostle used it in our passage. In effect, an overseer should seek to convince and rebuke those who oppose sound doctrine. There is a sense that an overseer should use the truth to convince those who oppose sound doctrine that they are wrong. He should also rebuke such individuals. Hence, an overseer should be on the alert for any erroneous concept that someone may try to introduce into the congregation and vehemently reject or refute it by teaching truth since truth is the antidote to errors. This ends the instruction concerning the qualifications of an overseer.
03/17/17