Tag Archives: Book of Titus

Daily Bible Study

December 16, 2024 Bible Study — Characteristics for Which All Believers Should Strive

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Today, I am reading and commenting on  Titus and Philemon

In Paul’s letter to Titus while Titus was on Crete, he gave a description of the characteristics a man must have to be considered for a leadership position in the Church.  A few years ago I realized that when we pay attention to this passage we focus on how to interpret applying this passage to selecting leaders in the Church and not enough on the fact that all followers of Christ should strive to have these characteristics (to the degree to which they apply to that individual).  We should all strive to be blameless.  Those of us who are married should be faithful to our spouse.  Those who have children should strive to raise them to be believers and so that they are not seen as wild and disobedient.  We should not be violent or quick-tempered.  We should be self-controlled and disciplined, upright and hospitable.  Again, while we should not appoint anyone who does not have these characteristics to leadership positions in the Church, more importantly, we should strive to have those characteristics in our own lives.

When Paul wrote to Philemon about Onesimus, who was legally a slave to Philemon who had run away, he writes that he was sending him back because Philemon had legal claim to Onesimus.  Paul does not outright tell Philemon that he should free Onesimus, nor does he in any way write that slavery is wrong.  However, he does tell Philemon that he should welcome Onesimus back, not as a slave, but as a brother in Christ.  It seems to me that Paul was telling Philemon that he was not obligated as a follower of Christ to give Onesimus, now a fellow follower of Christ, his freedom, but that doing so would be the better thing to do.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

December 16, 2019 Bible Study –Everything Is Pure To Those Who Are Pure

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Titus and Philemon

In his letter to Titus, Paul reiterates the instructions concerning the qualifications for Church leadership which he wrote to Timothy.  We spend a lot of time discussing what these instructions mean for who we should select as pastors and leaders.  However, I do not think we spend enough time talking about Paul writing that a candidate for Church leadership should enjoy having guests in his home.  I don’t want to spend any time talking about what that means, I think that is obvious.  I just want us to bring focus to that requirement from Paul’s list.  I especially want us to think about it in light of the fact that I have always felt that all believers should strive to meet the qualifications needed to be selected for Church leadership, not that they should strive to be Church leaders necessarily, just to qualify to be Church leaders.

I am not going to write anything explicitly about Philemon today, but I think that Paul’s letter to Philemon contains reference to the theme he mentions at the end of his letter to Titus.  Paul wrote to Titus that to the pure, everything is pure, but to the corrupt nothing is pure.  I do not remember the exact situation, but I remember an instance where my Dad made me aware that a person I trusted was dishonest and not worthy of trust.  My Dad pointed out how the person always saw the worst in others, was always sure that others were lying to them and trying to cheat them.  As best I remember, my Dad had done business with this person and I asked him why he would have done that if he did not trust him.  He told me that we should always give people the benefit of the doubt.  This passage from Titus was one of two he referenced when discussing such things.  The other was Matthew 10:16, where Jesus told his disciples to be as shrewd as snakes, but as innocent as doves.