Qualifications of a Godly Leader

In rapid-fire succession Paul then lists 11 character qualities of the man of God growing out of his blameless life as a God-called steward. The first five listed in verse 7 are negative. The following six in verse 8 are positive.

He must not be "arrogant" or self-centered and self-interested. This describes someone who is a proud self-pleaser with no regard for God's will or the needs of others.

He must not be "hot-tempered." This describes someone who is easily provoked, one with a short fuse, prone to fits of rage and anger. The238 opposite of an angry and quarrelling spirit is a gentle spirit that reflects "the gentleness and graciousness of Christ" (2 Cor 10:1).

Also, he must not be "addicted to wine" or a "drunkard." This refers to someone who is given to drink causing him to lose his mental sharpness and sound judgment. Addressing the enormous danger and damage of the consumption of alcohol in our day, MacArthur writes,

Closely associated with the previous characteristics, he must not be "a bully." An elder cannot be a fist fighter, given to acts of violence, a brawler, verbally or physically abusive, or hurtful. As overseers we are to build up the church not beat it down.

The last negative characteristic is "not greedy for money." The overseer must not use the ministry as a money-making business. Money is not our motive. As 1 Peter 5:2 says, we minister "not for the money but eagerly." In 1 Timothy 6:10, Paul also warns, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains."

He Must Be a Man of Godly Character

Titus 1:8

Paul then notes six positive and desirable character qualities that describe the man of God and that counterbalance the five negatives in the previous verse. These six characteristics fill out what it means to be "blameless."

The first two positive character qualities are "hospitable" and "loving what is good." "Hospitable" means a "lover of strangers." We are ones who open our hearts and homes to others. In the first-century world, hospitality "was a very practical expression of love, not a source of entertainment" (Towner, 1-2 Timothy and Titus, 227). We help those in need,239 whether friend or stranger, believer or unbeliever. Race, social status, even lifestyle does not prevent us from loving and helping others. Here the beauty and credibility of the gospel are put on display for all to see.

The phrase "loving what is good" describes a virtue lover, one who has a passion for that which is good—good as defined and described by God (cf. Phil 4:8). That which by its nature is good and that which is good for others shape our priorities and our lives.

Having a right perspective is characterized as being "sensible." He must be self-controlled, sober minded, under mental and emotional control. This is a man who has an accurate and balanced view of life. Both in his judgments and in his actions, he acts with wisdom and common sense. He sees life from God's perspective and acts accordingly. He is focused with the right priorities in view. This virtue is so crucial to the health of the church that Paul mentioned it five times in the first two chapters (1:7; 2:2, 5, 6, 12). Titus 2:11-12 is a good reminder that this kind of character is cultivated by God's grace, for it is the grace of God that instructs or trains us "to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age."

Flowing from the right priorities and a right perspective is a pattern of life characterized as "righteous" and "holy." An elder must be someone a church can follow in the way he treats others and in the way he lives before others. To be "righteous" means being just, fair, equitable, and honest in how you deal with others. Credibility in ministry can stand or fall right here because the just man will reflect the character of God Himself! The word "holy" is not the usual word for holiness, though it has the same basic meaning. It carries the idea of pure and unpolluted. This is the man committed to godliness and Christlikeness. He pursues a life untainted by moral pollution or stain. His life is a reflection of the Christ who has redeemed him and lives within him.

Finally, an overseer must be "self-controlled." This means having control over oneself and being in control of one's strength. We should have complete self-mastery over our passions and impulses, bringing the will under the control of a God we love and trust. Peterson says it is the240 man who has "a good grip on himself" (1:8 The Message). We monitor ourselves day in and day out, submitting our lives to the x-ray vision and CAT-scan detail of God's perfect Word. We are like the man who looks daily into the reflecting mirror of Scripture but does not forget "what kind of man he was" (Jas 1:24). This kind of self-control is only possible for the person who is mastered by the Word of God and led by the Spirit of God.

He Must Be a Man with Godly Convictions

Titus 1:9

Paul then moves from the elder's personal qualifications to his ministerial and doctrinal qualifications. False teaching will inevitably lead to false living. Wrong belief will inevitably lead to a wrong life. Paul believed we must have definite convictions both about truth and about the teaching of that truth. Again, there is no room, not one inch, for compromise.

This conviction is described as "holding to the faithful message as taught." It is possible to have the faithful (true, genuine) message but lose it or hold it haphazardly. It is possible to hold fast to what is not the true and faithful message because we leave what we were taught for something we think is better. Being devoted to the truth, "holding fast the faithful word" (NASB), means respecting the Bible as the inspired and inerrant Word of God. It means affirming the Bible's priority, authority, and sufficiency for what we believe and how we will live. It means the minister of God places himself gladly and willingly, and in full submission, under the Word. He is a Word man, a Word minister, a Word-constrained and captivated slave. He will preach this Word and only this Word. He would never think of standing before a congregation and doing anything less than proclaiming the Word of God. He will honor what God has said, and he will honor how God has said it. Bottom line: he will be an expositor of Holy Scripture.

The aim of a pastor holding fast to the Word of God is "so that he will be able both to encourage with sound teaching and to refute those who241 contradict it." 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.

The faithful elder is both a teacher and a defender, a preacher and a physician. Constantly and consistently he takes up the task to comfort and confront, admonish and attack. To confront and expose false teaching will not make us popular. To expose the false teachings, half gospels, and deceptive messages of a "prosperity theology," "open theism," or old-fashioned liberalism now dressed up as a new or generous orthodoxy will not win us the applause of men. Lest we think this too harsh, we must recall what Paul says in Romans 16:17, "Watch out for those who cause dissensions and obstacles contrary to the doctrine you have learned. Avoid them."

No, ours is a biblically balanced and theologically balanced agenda. We encourage. These are our positive theological affirmations. We refute. These are our negative but necessary, apologetical, and polemical refutations. We understand the danger of swallowing theological poison, especially when it is sugarcoated! Our godly convictions are not for sale. They are not candidates for compromise. However, to take on such an assignment, our lives and our message better match up. Colossians 1:28 is a great summary of this balanced approach: "We proclaim Him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ."

Conclusion

In his classic The Reformed Pastor, Richard Baxter wisely warns, "Take heed to yourselves, lest your example contradict your doctrine,... lest you unsay with your lives what you say with your tongues; and be the greatest hinderers of the success of your own labors" (Reformed Pastor, 63, 67-68). The faithful pastor must have no part in such a contradiction. For the glory of God and the good of His people, his life will match his belief; what he believes will connect with how he lives. Then he will be a leader worth trusting. Then he will be a leader worth following.242