Titus 1:9 Upholding the faithful word

…Upholding the faithful word according to the teaching, that he may be able to entreat with sound teaching as well as to expose those who contradict.

We have now arrived at the last of the fourteen required qualities of “the supervisor”. But there is a big difference between this last and all previous qualities. So far, Paul described the profile of the men Titus would look to employ. In this seventh and final quality we find the job description of the supervisor. What is the supervisor to do? And why would Titus appoint them?

The supervisor’s function is to uphold “the faithful word according to the teaching.” This “faithful word” is often encountered in Paul’s personal letters, especially in connection with the Gospel (1Tim.1:15; 4:9) that was to be taught (1Tim.4:11). That it is “according to the teaching” means that it agrees with what Paul had taught in Crete. The supervisor would thus expressly not express his personal opinion at his own discretion, on the contrary. He had one thing to do: to uphold the faithful word. And what word is that? Answer: It is the word entrusted to Paul and taught by him (1:3). That and nothing else.

Delen: