"Elders"
[Titus 1:5-9]
April 13, 2008 Second Reformed Church
We are in the midst of looking at the offices of the Church. We have said that every Christian has been gifted by the Holy Spirit, and every Christian is to use their gift or gifts for the good of the Church. We have also said that some are called to one of the three offices of the Church: ordained minister, elder, and/or deacon.
Last week we began by looking at the office of the ordained minister, and we saw that the primary call on the ordained minister is to pray, study, preach, and teach. We also saw that the word that is generally used for minister in the New Testament, presbuteros, is the same word that is sometimes translated, "elder." We concluded from that that there is parity among the offices -- they are different, but equal in authority or rank, and there are similarities between the office of the minister and elder.
We remember last week we saw that there was a problem in the church in Jerusalem -- that the physical needs of the congregation were not being met -- specifically that the widows were not all being fed, and the people came to the ministers and asked them to do something about it. The ministers said that providing for them would compromise their call, so they instructed the formation of the office of deacon.
Today, we have heard a passage from the letter of Paul to the young minister, Titus. And in it Paul told Titus that he left him on the island of Crete because the churches were in disorder spiritually, so Paul instructed Titus, not to do the work himself, but to appoint elders in every town -- in every church. In verse seven, they are called episkopos, a term that is only used five times, and means "bishop" or "overseer." So, we can draw the conclusion from this that the main call of the elder is to be an overseer of the spiritual condition of the congregation and the minister. It is the call of the elder to make sure that the spiritual needs of the congregation are addressed. That includes answering questions, as well as correcting false teaching, and making sure that what the minister is teaching and preaching is true and in conformity with the clear teaching of the Scripture.
Then Paul set out three areas of qualification for the office of elder:
First, the elder must have faithful oversight of his family. He must be "above reproach, the husband of one wife." And this phrase is why we didn't read our text from our pew Bible. The editors of the NRSV were very concerned to removed male pronouns in order to make to Bible "less offensive," and in some cases, it doesn't make a difference. But here it make a significant difference. Our pew Bible inserts the line "married only once." Do you see the problem? What the text actually says is that an elder may not be a bigamist or a polygamist. What our pew Bible has done is put the additional restriction -- that God does not give -- that an elder may not be a remarried divorcee or a remarried widower. We must be careful with translations, especially with translations that are not word for word translations.
So, an elder is to not to be a bigamist or a polygamist. The elder's family is to be one husband and one wife. And the children of an elders are to be believers, for, if an elder is unable to oversee the spiritual health of his family, especially to belief, how can he do so for the congregation? And his children must not be debauchers or insubordinate to their parents. This just makes sense: if an elder has children who confess to be Christians, yet they unrepentantly break the commandment to honor their parents and claim Christian liberty for living lives of excess and sin, how can he be trusted to oversee the spiritual health of the congregation?
Second, the character of the elder matters. We live in an age when we say that the character of our leaders is irrelevant to their serving well in their office. We say that a person may commit adultery and perjury and still fulfill the office to which he is called without impediment. God says otherwise: the character of the elders matters to his fulfilling his call to office.
The elder, since he is a steward of the teachings of God, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant; an elder is humble. He must not be quick-tempered; an elder must bear attacks against him for Christ's Sake. He must not be a drunkard; and elder drinks in moderation. He is not violent; and elder seeks peace, especially the Peace of Christ. He is not greedy for gain; an elder is satisfied with the provision God has made for him. He is hospitable; an elder must enjoy being with people. He loves good; an elder will not let the chance pass him by to show the good, especially the Good of the Gospel. He is self-controlled; an elder does not live for his base instincts and desires. He is upright; an elder abides by the law of God and man. He is holy -- and in this case, the word means that an elder will be devout, dedicated to the Word of God. He is disciplined; an elder has the ability to control his desires. He is an example of faithful character -- living according to God's Word.
Third, elders have been given a specific gift by the Holy Spirit -- they have the ability to teach doctrine. "He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught"; an elder will believe everything that God has said. "So that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also rebuke those who contradict it"; an elder has the gift of teaching, so, in his oversight of the congregation, he is found teaching the truths of Christianity in Sunday School, and he is also gently but firmly correcting any false teaching, schism, and heresies that enter into the church.
Although it doesn't emphasize the teaching aspect as much as the Scripture does, listen to what our Book of Church Order says about the office of elder: "The office of the elder is one of servanthood and service representing Christ through the action of the Holy Spirit. In the local church elders are chosen members of spiritual discernment, exemplary life, charitable spirit, and wisdom grounded in God’s Word. Elders, together withe installed minister/s serving under a call, are to have supervision of the church entrusted to them. They are set apart for a ministry of watchful and responsible care for all matters relating to the welfare and good order of the church. They are to study God’s Word, to oversee the household of faith, to encourage spiritual growth, to maintain loving discipline, and to provide for the proclamation of the gospel and the celebration of the sacraments. They have oversight over the conduct of the members of the congregation and seek to bring that conduct into conformity with the Word of God, thereby empowering all members to live out their Christian vocation in the world. Elders exercise oversight over the conduct of one another, and of the deacons, and of the minister/s. They make certain that what is preached and taught by the minister/s is in accord with the Holy Scripture. They assist the minister/s with good counsel and in the task of visitation. They seek to guard the sacraments of the church from being profaned. An elder may administer the sacraments, if authorized by the board of elders" (Book of Church Order, 2007, 1.I.1.8, 12-13).
The call to the office of elder, then, is a call to faithful oversight of one's family, one's character, and the spiritual condition of the congregation. And the elder has been gifted to teach and should do so in many different ways amidst the congregation.
Let us pray:
Almighty God, we thank You for the call to the office of elder and for all those elders You have blessed this church with throughout the years. We ask that You would continue to raise up faithful elders in this congregation. That we may respond to their oversight and find ourselves safe and closer to You for their efforts. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
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