Biblical Eldership Church Leadership

Paul ’s Instruction to Titus

to exhort in sound doctrine and rebuke false teachers. In 1 Timothy 322, Paul requires all elders to be “able to teach.” Titus 129 expands on 1 Timothy 3:2 by adding that an elder must “be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute” false teachers. We must require the same from all our elders. Exhortation is closely associated with teaching (1 Tim. 4213; 622), but while teaching primarily relates to the intellect, exhortation chiefly influences the conscience, heart, will, and actions of the bearer. Ex hortation urges people to receive and to apply the truth that has been taught. Specifically, elders are to exhort believers “in sound doctrine.” The word “sound” means healthy or physically whole (Luke 5:31; 3 John 2). Here it is used metaphorically to describe teaching, so it means “correct,” “wholesome,” or “sound” teaching. “Sound doctrine” is in direct contrast to false teaching, which is diseased, corrupted, and de filed. Diseased doctrine ruins the lives of its adherents (1 Tim. 623-5), while sound doctrine produces godly, clean, wholesome, healthy lives (Titus 1213; 2:1). The congregation’s health and well-being depends upon elders who continually “exhort in sound doctrine.” No man quali fies for eldership unless he is able to use God’s Word in such a man ner. As in Acts 20228-31, an elder’s duty is to protect the church from false teachers—those who speak against “sound doctrine.” Thus an elder must be able “to refute those who contradict” sound doctrine. A more accurate translation of the word “refute” (elencho) in this con text is “rebuke” or “reprove,” which is used in verse 13. Verse 13 is actually a concrete application of verse 9, so the purpose of rebuking a false teacher would be “that they may be sound in the faith.” To qualify for eldership, then, one must be able to detect false teaching and con front it with sound doctrine. The climactic significance of this last qualification is made clear in verses 10-16: “For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach, for the sake of sordid gain” (Titus 1210,] l). The situation in Crete was alarming. There were “many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers.” In such a threatening environment the churches’ great est need was for shepherd elders who maintained unwavering alle giance to God’s Word and had the ability to exhort, teach, and reprove.

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