He must hold firmly to the faithful word as it was taught, so that he can encourage others by sound teaching and refute those who contradict it.holding to the faithful word which is according to the teaching, that he may be able to exhort in the sound doctrine, and to convict those who contradict him.Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.holding to the faithful word which is according to the teaching, that he may be able both to exhort in the sound doctrine, and to convict the gainsayers.
3 sermons cite this verse
all the elders, he says, rule. The directing of the affairs of the church falls to all the elders. All the elders teach insofar as they are men who, according to what he writes to Titus in Titus 1.9, are men who are apt to teach. I don't think that means that every elder has to be somebody who can stand up and preach in a public fashion. Some teach that. I disagree with them. I don't know if I'm right, but I know that I disagree. Because the phraseology of apt to teach does not necessarily mean the gifting necessary to do so in a public forum. But it does mean that every elder needs to be mature enough in the Scriptures that when a member of the congregation approaches them with a matter of doctrine or with a matter of practice or whatever it is, that the elder is able to go to the Bible and to turn the Scriptures up and to teach from the Bible and to rule and direct the affairs of the church from the book. …
… a leader, we must hear the Word from a leader's mouth, and we must see the Word in a leader's life. This is why 1 Timothy chapter 3 verse 1 through 7, Titus chapter 1 verses 5 through 9, the character qualifications of a leader, an elder in the church are high, and they must be high, and they must not be compromised. Because the church is intended to look at a leader and see faith and life that is worthy of imitation. This is why when a leader falls, there is a process in Scripture. There is a picture in Scripture of how that leader, an elder, is to be rebuked publicly. because the picture of Christ in that leader's life is extremely important. This is why the church must be extremely cautious when restoring a man to leadership in the church after he has fallen, because this is so huge. Now, I want you to catch this. You put this picture of conditional authority, teaching the Word accurately, living the Word faithfully, and think about how this affects how we understand submission. …
… a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate, holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and convince the gainsayers, for there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, especially they of the circumcision. He's talking there when he says the circumcision, he's talking about the Jewish community there, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not for filthy lucre's sake. One of them own selves, even a prophet of their own said, the Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. Now, plain English, that means idle gluttons. This witness is true. Wherefore, rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the faith, not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men that turn from the truth. I'm going to stop reading there. There's so much more that I could read. But this is what Paul is saying that a minister ought to be. Now he says, Paul, Titus, I sent you there for several reasons. …